Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1907-01-04

!
sudden determination. 1t lacked half
an hour of dinner time. A lonely din
ner for a bride, she thought, as she
went upstairs. her first New Years
eve. Perhaps by the time the midnight
bells rang out she might be making a
few strange resolutions for the coming
year.
1t was dark on the garnet stairs.
| She stopped at the door OF Bobs dress
! ing-room and took a candlestick from
the mantel. 1t was wedding gift-a
Japanese bronze griffin, with outspread
wings and spiral, sinuous tail.
AS she held it TO the gas jet to light
the candle something fell on the rug
at her feet and she picked it up. 1t
was a small, vld-fashioned ordinary
| brass key. She looked at it hesitating-
ly. 1t had never been on Bob's ring,
she. knew. The space between the
| wings OF the bronze griffin was a clever
Idea of conc alment:. :: !:
E::::she: set. her: lips closely and went:up;>
E:theS*garret Sstairs:::With: candlestick;;:in
:3n ;th e::k ST. fa:the 6ithtsr:;
Half way there was a turn at a small
! land-lg, and it was at the angle made
by this that she mad found the iittiis
| low door leading to the catch ALL"
She opened it now and entered, half
closing the door after her.
The desk was pushed to one side
with some trunks and boxes. 1t was
| a quaint, antique affair of mahogany.
severely colonial in style. The main
body was crescent-shaped, supported
| on hand-carved legs. There were four
drawers, two on each side, and small,
| low cabinet of pigeonholes on top.
! Suzanne stood motionless before it
/ for several minutes, trying to make up
her mind to insert the key. When she
| did so, in the lock of the nearest top
drawer, her hand trembled slightly
and she held her breath. The key
turned easily and the draw was ready
| for inspection, but she did not open it.
Thoughts whirled like the futtering
snowhakes through her mind, and she
stood again irresolute
| She had told Bess that she believed
! absolutely in Bob. Higher than her
love for him had been her unfaltering
belief and confidence in him. It was
the very keystone of her marriage
faith, and yet, at the first blow of sus-
| picion, it gave way.
Bess was child, with the impulsivo
judgment Of child. She had been
[ wrong to even tell her of the desk,
! wrong to discuss Bob or his motives
with her at all, or to listen for an in
slant to any doubt of him, even in
Jest. She must have faith, and wait.
He had probably locked the desk
against the curiosity of the servants
and had forgotten it in the hurry and
excitement of the wedding. She must
believe in him. The mere fact that
they were married did not give her q
coroner's right to hold a post-mortem
over his dead past.
on the stairs, and she relocked the
drawer quickly.
'I'll be down in moment, Nora,
she called. "You may serve dinner"
The voice that answered was famil-
lar and masculine. She nearly let the
candle fall in her surprised recognition
of it.
tits only I, Sue. What on earth are
you doing in there?"
She stood mute and motionless as
he bent his head and entered the low
door. It was Bob, and he was smiling
and happy, his clear eyes seeking for
the glad welcome he expected.
II only ran down for tonight" he
added. II couldn't let you face the
first New Year alone, sweetheart"
His arms reached for her, but she
shook her head and handed him the
key.
II haven't used it," she said, broken
~. "But, oh, Bob, came so near it.
You don't have to tell me what's in
the old thing. I'll believe in you just
the same, and don't want to know"
Know what?" he demanded. Don't
cry, Sue.'' He drew her to him tender
ly. whats up, anyhow"
"That DESK" she sobbed. TITS
locked"
IT'S it," He stared at the desk in b.
wilderment "Well, the key was on.
| my mdnLeI, GEAR. You IOunQ 1t all
right, didn't you? Couldn't you I'M
lock IT,"
II. could but-but don't want to
know your private affairs" She tried
to draw herself away, but he took her
hands and held them from her tear
wet face so that he could see her eyes.
"Sue. darling" he said. "You blessed
little Mrs.. Bluebeard, that desk is a
wedding present to you from Grand
mother Hadleigh. It's been In the fam.
lily since the year one, guess, and
there isn't q single thing in those draw.
srs. II came the last minute the day
we were married, and was 10 heavy
and unwieldy told father to send Il
along with my things and have It put
away somewhere until We came home.
And laid the key in the griffin for
safe.keeping. What did you think was
in IT," p.
| Rut Suzanne ai1encnd furfhar nnaa