The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-04-01
Ring the
Curtain Down
BY M. CARUTHERS
Ring up the curtain!

little room on the top floor of q
house-a tall, drt-begrimed, many.
windowed house-in dingy street ly.
Ing between Holborn and the Strand.
A bed table, two chairs. fire.
place and a battered-looking ward.
robe. On the mantelpiece a second
hand revolver BY the bed, divesting
himself of his overcoat, a young man
of perhaps 30 years of age. SO much
for the scene.
The actor? the young man by the
bed, Tempest-Richard Tempest -
one time "Dicky,' thougS he had long
since forgotten the fact.
81 think I'll clear up everything
first" he muttered standing irreso-
lutte in the middle of the room.
Il wouldn't bring this final dis
grace on my highly respectable rela.
IONS" he laughed bitterly. for the
world! If l burn all my papers and
things no one will know who / am
)r was and no one will be 'downed'
'or my funeral KS Heaven knows
| shall be uncommon glad to be quit
Of this!"
He lit the fire. watched it achieve
vigorous blaze, and then deliberate
y, methodically and with no sort of
conjunction commenced throwing
nto it letters photographs, the title
pages of one or two books-every-
hing, in fact, that might in any way
cad to his Identification after death
tn 1,a t.
,ut week fool there is but one es.
ape from the ferce-biting trouble,
md Richard Tempest had elected for
That's DONE said Richard. as he
lmptied the last drawer, "and I con-
'ider it uncommon thoughtful of me.
Nothing more, think"
He looked around.
MAY be something on top Of that
cupboard" he thought.
He brought forward a chair, and.
mounting 1t, pushed his arm forward
nto pile Of dusty newspapers.
"There is something" he said, and
stepped down with a small tin case
n his hands.
Mothers dispatch box" he said
ioarsely. ITS mothers letter easel"
There was reverence, softness
his tones. which had been foreign
them for years-since he had been
urned out from his mothers home
" a stepfather, aggravated to des.
'eration by his continual shortcom-
1Rs and failures-since he had brok.
her heart since she had died.
Practically he had stolen the box.
When he was packing his few posses
ions on the night Of the last wild
Gene with his stepfather he had no
iced the box in his mothers room: it
'as full, he knew, Of her children's
,tters, collected with all a mothers
we; stored m and treasured with
II mothers devotion to that time
hen her little ones were her little
les-not yet grown to self-govern.
ent, and self-will, and distaste for
ome. 1t came to him, as he recalled
ese things, that he would take her
n)x with him.
Ten years had elapsed, and he had
1ocked about ali over the world, and
I'd idled, and failed, and gambled;
t. in some inexplicable way, the lit
e case had accompanied him, and
ore 1t was.
II fastened, he remembered, with
ring lock, wonderful patent catch,
e Sesame" of which mother always
rgot or said she forgot, and so had
ways to call the assistance of her
our little boys and girls when she
'-ished to open it.
Richard saw the picture again.
Something fell with little thud on
1e tin lid.
"a tear! What on earth am / do.
81" said Richard and fumbled saw.
;ely with the lock. There! That
IS it! You put your little finger
ere and your thumb here-how diff
dlt 1t was to stretch the distance in
ose days. Then you pressed sharp
r-there!" 1t was open. He had not
'rgotten.
The box was full of old letters, yell
w, torn, barely legible. Some tied
bundles with faded blue ribb IN,
hers scattered loose; he must burn
EN- all
He ran his fingers through the heap.
nat was this? Something soft,
rapped in tissue paper. Curiosity
ompted him to open it, A lock of
'lden hair, soft as down. He fin,
red it wonderingly. Some writing
hat was it? Mothers hand, he
'uld see. He took it to the lamp and
cred closely,
"Dicky's. Five years DID,"
The tears came with a blindinl
sh. He pulled himself together will
effort. and hurled the little flaxer
ndle to the flames.
rhic was terrible. he thought. Fl,
never suffered like this before
must not read; il he valued hi
f-control, II he had any desire I,
ire himself, he must not read
lst not-must not.
Averting his eyes, therefore, h