The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1913-12-05
THE MAN WITH
THE SUIT CASE
A Story For Thanksgiving
BY MARTHA V. MONROE

Jim. heard YOU are going to be
married
Where did YOU hear that"
"Oh, heard il a month ago. | think
it was on Thanksgiving day. dined
with the Atwaters. They said Clara
Webster was just the girl for you, you
being impulsive. she steady and eau
tious'
Did they say that:"
Yes
Listen. have a little story to tell
YOU. On the very day. Thanksgiving.
that these persons We're attributing
these traits 10 us Il little drama was
being enacted
My friend Billy Smithson invited
Clara and ne 10 spend the Thanksgiv-
Ing week erd at his house in the coun-
| try. which he opened for the occasion.
The affair was got up TO celebrate our
engagement. for Billy is an old chum
Of mine. and his wife is an intimate
friend Of Clara's.
Clara and | were to 20 up on the
train together. but just as | was about
10 leave the office to call for her a job
came into the office which nobody but
| could do. and | was obliged to re
main over till the next day. | tele-
phoned her to 90 on and | would ar
rive the next day. | reached the house
the next afternoon to find the guests
gone out on an automobile ride Billy
had got up for them. There were
three carloads, and they were not to
return till 1 o'clock. About ] dressed
for dinner and was going downstairs
when | met a man coming up with q
suit case in his hand. Presuming he
was one Of the guests who had just
arrived, | went Oh down into the Ii
brary thinking no more about him and
amusing myself till the auto party re
turned
This was the evening before Thanks.
giving. The next day we were getting
ready for the feast when Clua took
me off into quiet corner and said 10
me-
will. have n very unpleasant
communication to make. On returning
from the auto ride yesterday several
Of the girl guests missed articles of
jewels We're kept were found In the
closet in your room
Naturally | was a bit upset by this
information, but the principal cause
was that Clara didn't say this with
my hand III hers or her arms around
NE. but sitting apart. and instead of
adding that She felt just absolutely
confident that was not Il thief she
looked very gloomy and waited for me
to say something.
"'Clara.' | said astolm1ed. do YOU
mean TO say that you have the slight
est suspicion that stole these jew
els
1T is the bounden duty OF every
one. she replied. TO consider an ac.
cuScd person innocent until proved
guilty. And as your fianccc feel
obliged 10 do what | can 10 influence
the others TO give YOU every opportu-
nifty 10 clear Yourself
1T was not 50 much the position in
which | was placed that troubled me
rs the swapping of the cord that
bound me To Clara. In Il twinlling my
feelings toward her were changed
from attraction to repulsion. And yet
what fault could | find with her?
What right had | to expect her to
believe me innocent in face of such
proof against me and before had
brought forward any proof in my IA
vor: She was simply acting on that
trait in her character for which those
persons you have mentioned on that
very day were giving her credit
This change in my feelings toward
her FOR awhile overrple every other.
Then The gravity of 10y position rush
ed upon me with fun force But what
could doF ignorant rs / was of how
The ieWelry boxes got into my closet.
! didn't sec that ] could do anything
but leave the house.
Il went to Billy. who begged me to
stay. Suyin" that there was some mys-
terry about the matter which he hoped
would be cleared up. lat | Judged that
hn didn't know what to make of the
matter. and at last he agreed with me
that might rs well 20. On passing ont.
Sue Wentworth, who. since her fathcr 5
failure has been making her own lv-
ing 10y teaching school came out Of the
drawing room into the hall and said:
'Mr Thruston. this idea of yonr
having stolen jewels is absurd There
are Il hundred suppositions that can
be made. each more likely than what
1ppp1rS on tho surface Same onp