Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1912-05-24
The Mystery
Lady
She Contrived II Garry
Out a Hidden Scheme
BY EDITH cONNERs

idlnliieS Dreak up their homes and II
this way secure from time to time vol
umes that know to be rare, though
the seller often is ignorant of the fact
Nevertheless am free to say that
don't take advantage of their igno
rance. but pay them a fair price fol
the goods. These rarities | keep anC
now have collection that is becom
Ing every day more and more valuable
One day young woman came into MY
store and began looking over my stock
She attracted me at once by her ap.
pearance. her gentle manner, her soft
feminine voice anC tracesei in her coun.
tenance of some great grief. She tool,
down from the shelves different books,
most of them on religious subjects.
left her to examine them according to
her own sweet will, but she was so at
tractive to me that could scarcely
keep my eyes off her. She seemed as
much interested in the binding as In
the other parts. | noticed that in the
case Of several of the books she looked
over she slipped her thumb and fingers
over the cover as If TO gauge its thick
ness or smoothness, l couldn't tell
which.
She laid out five books separate from
the rest, all on religious subjects. and
asked me the price of the lot. figured
1t up, and she paid me without any eff
fort to induce me to take less, but stip-
ulated that she should be permitted to
bring any of them back within week
to be exchanged for such others as
she might select. agreed to this, and
she went away.
l suppose a hundred persons might
have come into my shop at different
times and looked into my stock with
out attracting any especial notice from
me, but this person excited an interest
that | was unable to account for.
presume it was her engaging presence.
At any rate, could not get her out of
my mind Possibly it was because /
had met one capable of kindling in me
that inexpicable feeling which indi-
Gates the dawn of love. Be all this as
1t may, l hoped that she would bring
some of the books back for exchange
that I might see her again.
My hope was realized On the sixth
day after her first appearance she came
again. bringing back book printed in
1845 and bound with all the clumsiness
of that period. The covers were about
quarter of an inch thick. The title
was christian Advice to Young Men"
I remembered her having slipped her
fingers over the covers of the books.
and her return of this one indicated
that If she was buying the books for
the binding she did not care for
thick cover. | made some attempt to
engage her in conversation about her
purpose in buying the books. but did
not succeed in eliciting anything. On
any other subject she conversed with
me freely. and when | got her interest
ed that sad look faded, to be replaced
by an entirely different expression.
gave her another book in place of the
one she brought back and replaced the
one she returned on the shelves. If
she went away unconvinced of my
kindly feeling for her it was not my
fault. for l showed her as plainly as !
could that liked her.
What it was that induced me, after
she had gone. to take the book she had
returned from its shelf and look it over
l don't know, unless it was the same
feeling that induces a man to handle
that has been held by a
woman for whom he has been inspired
with special tenderness. At any rate
ran over the pages and on a lower
corner of page 100 noticed singular
mark. 1t might or might not be mon
ogram; 1t looked more like snake that
had tied itself up in an untieable knot
than anything else. had no reason to
suppose that the young woman who
had taken 1t away and returned it had
placed it there. but was unable to di-
rest my mind of the impression that
she had. Somehow the idea was grow
ng upon ME that there was mystery
with her of which her book
buying was a part | put the volume
back on the shelf with a feeling of re
sret that there was no reason to sup
bose / should see her again or ever
Know her secret-that is. If there was
secret.
A week. possibly fortnight. elapsed
when an elderly woman-came in who
epresented herself as purchasing agent
or benevolent society whose object
vas to furnish books for ali persons
feeding them. especially religious lit
nature. presenting her credentials.
Which were genuine. She ransacked
ny shelves for wholesome books in.
eniled for persons of no great educa-
ion. The only volume she asked for
vas Christian Advice to Young Men,"
aying that 1t had been recommended
% her for the use of the society she
epresented took ii down for her.
nd. without examining ii nj all, she
laced it among the books she set !
part to purchase. Finally she direct
Il ME to send the lot TO the rooms of |
he society she represented
This purchase of the book that had |
cen returned by the young woman |
obliterated any fancies |
nd conjured up with regard 10 its con /