Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-12-18
A CHRISTMAS
DESK
1t Contained a Secret.
By ESTHER vANDEyEER.


When Mabel Drew was sixteen she
was too old to receive at Christmas
such gifts as toys. dolls and other in
expensive knickknacks. The question
came up between her father and moth
er that year what more substantial ar
ticle should be provided for her. It
was finally decided that an e~scritoire.
which Is the French name, I take 1t,
for one of those curved legged, claw
footed desks with fancy finish on
which ladies write their notes and
keep their accounts-that Is, when they
keep accounts-would be the thing.
Mabel was my cousin and had dur
ing my childhood been my playmate.
When we were passing into youth,
after being away from her for a season
and returning. l found that another
had stepped into my place He was
twenty-five years of age, while l was
but eighteen. His entrance into the
field suddenly made me aware of the
fact that the brotherly-sisterly condi-
ton which had existed, or | had sup
posed existed. between us was sim
ply a mask for a far different condi-
ton on my part. Mabels new friend
being four or five years older than I,
p~atronized me. and, as for Mabel, 1t
seemed to me that she regarded me, as
before, in a sisterly way.
When that Christmas came of which
l have been speaking my parents were
abroad. and | spent the holidays at
my aunt's. We made a merry Christ
mas of it, and | have since remember
ed it as the p~leasantest of my life. 1t
was certainly the most important, as
will appear from my story.
Mabel's desk was delivered at the
back door after dark and was carried
to my own bedroom. | took off the
crate and it stood forth as pretty a
piece of furniture as ! yer saw. /
admired 1t immensely and was delight
ed at the pleasure it would give Ma
bel when she saw 1t. and for that mat
ter probably for many years after. /
pulled out every sandalwood drawer
wondering what secrets they would
contain. One of these drawers was fit
ted with a lock and a tiny brass key.
The drawers were inside the desk
and only exposed when the front was
let down. There was a lock for this
also.
After all except myself We're in bed
my uncle and | carried the desk down
stairs and deposited it with the other
gifts to be distributed in the morning
1t was so light that | could have car
ried 1t alone, but so frail that l dare
not attempt to do so, fearing ! might
strike it against something and break
it. My uncle wrote IN a card, For
Mabel. From Papa and Mamma" and
laid 1t on the desk where il could be
plainly seen. But | picked 1t up, put
1t In the drawer with the lock. turned
the key. put up the front part of the
desk and locked 1t too.
In the morning when we were as
sembled for the distribution of gifts
Mabel caught sight Of the desk at once
and her eyes danced with excitement.
"Is it miner she asked.
"Open 1t and see,' said her father.
She opened it, looked in every pigeon
hole. pulled out every drawer till she
came to the one that was locked and,
turning the key. found the card | had
placed there. She Immediately flung
her arms around her fathers neck, then
her mothers. and | wished she would
do the same with me. Had she been
n few years younger she would have
done so. But that time had passed.
The next day the desk was carried
to Mabel's room. and | did not see 1t
again for a long while.
One night a lot of us young folk
were dancing. Mabel wore a dress cut
low about the throat. and her contin-
ued bobbing threw up and down some
thing she wore on a chain suspended
around her neck. The article was so
small that | could not see what it was
at first. but on drawing nearer recog-
nized the little key to the drawer with
In her desk.
"Why do you wear that key on your
neck?' | asked.
ooh, it's the key to a drawer in my
desk where I keep my secrets" she re-
piled, with a blush.
"Secretsl What business has a girl
to have secrets that must not only be
locked, but the key to which she must
keep on her own person?"
everybody has secrets. Haven't
you any of your own?"
sNone that are so important that l
must keep them locked. What is your
secretT'
.Well, | like that. What right have
you to my secretsY'
1t seemed to me that | had a right to
her secrets. but l didn't care to as
sert it.
ooh, never mind" l replied, "Ill find
it out in time"
"oh, you will? How are you going
to do that?"
"TIl steal that key and unlock the
drawer that contains the secret"
She i%nyoluntarily put her hand on
the key to protect 1t.