Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-10-01

Ing on my eyes unpleasantly-tne sun,
through a blind that l had left open,
on the metal of the mysterious box
The summons on the door was that OF
the janitress, who told me that q
business client was waiting for me in
the reception room below and, dress
ing hastily, was Obliged to abandon
my intention Of putting an end, by the
reassuring light of day. to the riddle
of the night before. To be truthful,
| was conscious of feeling OF relief
in being supplied with an excuse
which made II possible to put II on.
had slept poorly-troubled absrrdly
by my aunt and that traditionary cap
tain who had bestowed his wretched
gift on me, and had walked WITH an
aching head. Throughout the round
OF duty that engaged me until night
saw me again turning homeward, |
straying backward to my room The
discolored handkerchief, the file lying
on the table, the metal casket on the
cabinet, were the only objects really
clearly present to my thoughts |
laughed at, | scorned, the weakness,
but found to my discomfort that day
had not shaken off the impressions of
the night. This Is that" was written
over every paper spread before me.
put away the paper-cutter on my
desk, annoyed by its persistent CLEAN.
IL would be TO my shame to say 10 what
an extent the folly wrought upon me.
When l let myself In at my door that
evening, turning the key sharply in
the lock, / said to myself that it was
TO find out what II was that had been
buried with Abed Horeb and was TO
be buried with me, too-the opener
of the box. To find out, and 10 con-
sign It, and it's casket, and its mem
DRY, and that of the woman who had
given IL to me, and of the spell that
II had cast upon me, TO the fire. |
said, as ] came into the room, that
would do this-and yet ] was not sur
prised that i did not There was moth
ing this time to stand between me
and my firm resolve. i was called
away by no one, and my file was ready
to my hand The grooves on the
box, cleaning at me in the freight.
like teeth in it's sinister face, invited
me to finish up my work. but j put II
off awhile. The arguments of the
night before, arraigning themselves
between me and the box, suggested
should / open 1t at night when morn
ing was so soon to follow? Who could
tell what the casket might contain
Morning, i swore, should show 1t to
me. The chimes of the clock in the
outer room assured me that II was
not far distant. l would open it I'm
the morning X the whole world wait
ed. The matter had gone far enough.
Morning after morning passed by,
and night after night | came back to
the casket on my cabinet, without
opening II, the fire, glowering on it.
causing it to greet me, the first and
only object. as | came into the room.
Ii walked me in the morning, stretch.
ing out finger TO touch me on the
eyes-it was my sure and silent com
pany as / sat through the solitary
evenings with my pipe. Nothing can
describe its influence on my life.
Knocked at, cursed, myself, but with
the same result i could not open 1t.
Day after day / knew that / was thus
much further from the accomplish
ment of my resolve. ! locked the file
in the drawer at last, and threw
away the key Who among those who
knew me-or thought they knew me,
presumably as a calm, clear-headed
man-could have imagined me-could
| myself have imagined myself-cap-
able of the things / did? / hid the
box a hundred times, only to take 1t
out and put it back in its place upon
the shelf. ] covered 1t, TO uncover it,
making sure that the fire should show
it TO me when | entered in the even
ing, and that | should not miss its
summons when | woke / was com
PEELED to see ii, and to know that IL
was there. / came to tremble. TO
such length had it undone me- lest |
should at some time look for it and
find il gone. / forbade the charwom-
an TO come in, dreading to have her
stir around, fearing lest by an acct
dent it might roll upon the floor and
break. | would not have come in and
found it broken for the world. No one
could have conceived the tortures, the
fancies, the self-loathing of that pc
riod, i'm which il was revealed TO me
by slow but certain process what |
was, a coward-a miserable weakling
masking among my fellowbeings as a
man--one who had but two for COM
pany, my aunt and the craven captain
who had owned the cursed keepsake
with myself The dead sheik who had
left us his legacy was the master of
us three.
threw open the windows and sat
shivering, that ! might have the com.
parry of the sounds in the street with
ouc, and when the sounds died away
the company of the clouds and Stars.
| invited in my friends; | pressed
them TO stay with me, but one by one
they saw that there was something
wrong and ceased to come. Their ex-