Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-09-22

She had thought of the pear-snapeo
pouch of gold which 1t was her Gus
tom to wear; but the slender lensuh
of chain that linked it to her neck was
too frail for such a precious weight
At last she had fastened it around ner
neck on the strongest chain sne
owned, and thus she carried it all the
morning under her bodice with a
quieter mind than had been hers on
the first day she had worn 1t, when
there had been nothing to explain her
uneasiness.
She was alone at luncheon, and IN
q dream. She glanced now then
at the clock. She rose only ten min"
utes before the hour that Harry was
in the habit of leaving the club. She
went upstairs slowly and stopped in
front of the telephone She touched
the receiver, drew her hand back and
turned away. She shut the door OF
her own rooms smartly after her.
But when at last Kerr's card was
handed in to her 1t gave her a shock,
as If something which couldn't happen,
and yet which she had all along ex-
pected, had come to pass.
In her instant of indecision Marrika
had got away from her, but she called
the girl back from the door and told
her to say to Mrs. Britton that MIR.
Kerr had called, but that Miss. Gilsey
would see him herself.
She started with a rush. Halfway
down the stairs she stopped, horri-
fed to find what her fingers were do
ing. They were closed around the lit
tie lump that the ring made in the
bosom Of her gown, and she had not
known 1t. What If she had rushed in
to Kerr with this extraordinary mani
| festation? What II, while she was
talking to him, her hand should con-
tinue to creep up again and yet again
to that place, and close around the
jewel, and make it evident, eve in
its hiding-place? The time had come
when she must even hide 1t from her
self. And yet, to creep back up the
stair when she made ure Kerr must
have heard her tumultuous downward
rush! 1t would never do to soundless
ly retreat. She must 80 back boldly
as # she had forgotten nothing more
considerable than a pocket handker
chief.
Yet before she reached the top agar
she found herself going tiptoe, as !
she were on an expedition so secre'
that her own ears should not heal
her footsteps. But she went direc
and unhesitating. l. had come to he,
all In a fash where she would put tn
sapphire. The little buttoned poke
of her bath-robe. There 1t hung II
the bathroom on one unvarying peg
the most immovable of all her gar
. ments, safe from the excursions o
Marrika's needle or brushes, not to b
disturbed for hours to come.
She passed through her bedroom
through her dressing-room into tn
!, bathroom. The robe was hanging b.
hind the door. It took her a momer
to draw out the ring and d~isentangl
It's chain, and while she was doin
! this she became ware of movings I
+. and fro in her bedroom. She Dire
:. the door half open, the better to col
ceal herself behind it, and at th
same time, through the widened crac
Of the jamb, to keep an eye on tn
dressing room, and hurried lest Ma
rika should surprise her. But neve
: theless she had barely slipped Il
ring into the little pocket and r
I fastened the flap, when Clara opene
" the bedroom door and stood lookir
into the dressing-room.
! Her lifted veil made a fine mi
7 above the luster of her eyes. 81
" was perfect to the tips Of her ii
maculate white gloves, and she wol
the simple, sober look Of a persc
who thinks himself alone. Then
y wasn't Flora, Clara was looking TO
u She was looking all around-oyer Il
: surface Of every object In the roo
Presently she went UP to the dres
. ing-table. She laid her gloved han
upon it, and looked at the small {
re jects strewn over its top. She took
y. step backward and opened the {
10 drawer. She reached into it, and dc
~ cately explored.
~ Flora could see the white GLOW
= going to and fro among her VIII
handkerchiefs, could see them iii
as open and examine the contents OF
iewel-box. And the only thing Il
mo kept her from ~shrieking out was |
ne feeling that this abominable thi
a which was being enacted before |
IS, eyes couldn't be a fact at all.
Ell Clara took out an old pocket-bo
shiny with years, shook from it
1t shower Of receipts, newspaper Ct
sly pings, verses. She let them lie. S
iii took out a long violet box with a p
sal tuners seal upon 1t. It held a bur
Of ! dried violets. She took out
ew bonbonniere of gold fligree. 1t '
lid empty. A powder box, a glove box
ra. froth of lace, a handful Of jewele
to boxes, a jewel flung loose into
lid drawer. This she pounced upon.
was a brooch! She let 1t fall--turl
to the ch~iffonier; upended the I
re- vases Of Venetian glass, lifted
a lids Of jars and boxes, finally came
the drawers. One by one she took th
In out, turned the contents of each I
all idly over, and left them stand
gaping white rufies and lace upon
ing floor.
md Her eye fell upon the waste basl
ust She turned 1t upside down,
o. stopped over the litter. She gathe
sst. it up in her white gloves and drop
uld it back. Then, for the first time,
But glanced at the bathroom door; st
it looking at 1t, as II 1t had occurred
at her to look in the soap dish. T