The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1910-02-10

Toe nesi wFeailag AZ aiunsf Ihr s4,a u
widow aan eutmatlng She .eemed
70 o. to tight happy nieod Sas
told lhe st,afy % bon thr hnsl bad ~
fused to permit her 10 visit his ~ n
withuni bis beink present shd set al
sbs guests laughing ~ iis BaGAufru.
ielliug The hyst ianEhrd with iar
rest aud had be 90, b.~n coiuing %
der syeli that wona have cntl,,d be
mattef As Il WAS he wlbcrA. IN, ~
was underneath Mrs. woads hnmur
faint suspicion u ridlvaie lie tried
to excuse himself. bat only g,t tangled
IN bis own excuses
Don't you think" said the lady 10
the others. that Sir bradford owes
me some reparaiiony'
Al banleriugly agreed that be did,
well. this is the last night ~ our
visit here. lie, him intrust me with
the KEY Of his safe tili tomorrow motn,
ing
Ali declared that such an act would
not necessarily be showing any con.
iidence whatever. But the widow In
sisted that Il would satisfy her. aud
she smllingly held out her hand for
the key.
The thought flashed through Sir
Bradford's bead that the safe, being
10 his own room. would be under his
control through the night There was
I a ..,.t,. ,.,.,,.,s.a ..,Ii{nu NJ hin, aarlng
him-a woman With whom he was
fascinated and whom he thought II
advantageous TO marry Nevertheless
be did not consent Then suddenly
there came fash from the woman's
eyes. naughty look as II she deemed
such n denial OF confidence insulting
Sir Bradford put his hand IN his pocket
and tossed the Key on the table be
fore her
Amid burst OF laughter she seized
II and placed II In her corsage.
The diplomat had no sooner yielded
to an Impulse than he regretted his
act. A man under womaD's spell II
liable TO rush from one extreme 10 an
other. One moment be trusts her I'M
plicitly; the next he fears tba, he has
| fallen Into the tolls OF devil AT any
rate. such was the fear OF Sir Brad
ford Never for moment during the
evening did he leave the side 81 the
woman who possessed the key Of his
safe--the safe where was deposited
Al. l.l. 10 inn IN
session of another would ruin min. II
be turned away from her for mo-
ment II was that she should not see
the expression on his face when he
cursed himself for fool.
The widow rallied him continually
aren't you going TO give ne one mo-
ment aloneY BE comforted. ! am
not In the habit OF visiting any but
my own room when visit" "Will
you sleep with revolver under your
pillow tonightT These were some OF
the gatherings she gave him. much to
the amusement Of the guests. Al mid
night. when the party broke up. she
had made no move. She rose with
the Others and went up TO her room.
The moment Sir bradford heard her
door close he went up to bis own
apartment. With his eyes fixed on his
safe he gave himself up to tumuItuous
musing II contained his possible ruin
and the key was In the possession Of
woman he had known but a few
days.
Pooh. pooh. What an ass! She
only did II TO bedevil me NONSENSE
| have revolver under my pillow.
and II any one should come in here
tonight More nonsense. Who's to
Gomez Thus he tried to dismiss the
matter from his mind, But, oh. II he
only had the key.
He went TO bed and tried to sleep |
slumber would not come fancying
be heard a movement IN his room. be |
arose and struck light He was
asha med OF himself for doing SO. bul
left II burning This made hin feel a
tribe more comfortable. aud toward
morning he went to sleep
He was Weakened by his valet bring
ing hot water After glance al the
safe. which showed no evidence OF
having been tempered with. he arose
dressed and went down 10 breakfast
A maid approached him and said:
II took the hot wnter to Mrs. Wood.
room 8 She didn't answer when !
knocked. and went In, She Isn't
there"
Sir Bradford blanched. Like light
ming the thought flashed through bis
brain that the key Of his safe had gone
with her Then he saw that he was
He was TO sail that afternoon
for Constantinople The only way to
yet the treaty was to break into his
safe. But II was new and perfect
one, put In since he had entered the
diplomatic service. Only In London
could men be found of sufficient skill
to do the work. and London was 200
miles away. He put his baud to bis
head. staggered up to bis room and
locked himself In.
TweDty-four hours later the minister
II foreign affairs In Paris received the
ard OF Nine ChapellA He direct
d that she he at once admitted.
"WellT he said
II left the diplomat al his home far
rom London with the treaty locked IN i
lis safe. There is the key &
"And how much time do you think
We will gainP'
She handed him an item cut from
newspaper stating that Sir Bradford
Chichester had sent TO London for men J
o open his safe. that they hid failed u
nd others more sklllful had gone up c
Ie had offered the latter fi-Oo0 II they ;
you'd do the Job 10 three hours" n
That will do" said the minister /
Our treaty L. on the way"
He drew her . check for $1,000