Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-07-12
THE LOST
KEY
By T HI VANDEVEER

church were wont to hang, he noticed
that the bunch did not look so large as
usual. Going to the hook, he took down
the keys and found the Il to the YES
try door missing.
The sexton asked his wife if she had
taken the key, and she said she had
not. Had it been stolen?
But what object any one could have
to steal the vestry door key was a
mystery. There was nothing of value
to q thief in either the vestry or the
church. The plate was not kept there.
Hymn and prayer books there were in
plenty and cushions to the seats, but
these were scarcely attractive to a rob-
Der.
SO reasoning, the sexton went to bed
and to sleep, thinking that some one
had taken the key for an ordinary pur-
pose and forgotten to put it back in its
place. The clock on the church tower
was striking 12 when Mrs. Brown
awakened her husband.
There's a light in the church, john"
she said.
Brown bestirred himself and, looking
out through a window, true enough,
saw a dim light, not in the church, but
in the vestry. Thinking that, after all,
there might be thieves at work, he
dressed himself and started for the
church. While dressing and on his
way he thought what he should do on
his arrival and concluded to be guided
by circumstances.
On reaching the yestry he stood on
tiptOe beside a window and was thus
enabled to look inside. The light with
in was so dim that he could not see
very well, but he managed to make
out q man and a woman. They were
sitting together, and the a vas talk
ing earnestly to the woman, who SEEM
ed i'll at ease.
While John was looking at them he
heard a step not far from him, and
some one entered the veStry door. As
soon as the person was in the vestry
John saw that he was Il man in the
vestments Of the Episcopal church. He
approached the couple, and John saw
that they were talking together, though
the two men We're talking alternately
" llC NpllIl, III Sillu llOIlllllS. IlOllk
the Il of all of them it appeared
to Brown that they were using per-
suasion upon the woman. She seemed
very young, about twenty years of age.
Finally the man who had been sitting
with her, rising, took her hand and
gently pulled her out of her chair.
With evident reluctance she stood be-
ci1n him on1 thn mon IN nor0rioo1o
began to read from a prayer book.
"This is a marriage" said John to
himself, "quite likely a ~clandestine one.
Any way l don't like it that the rector
should be beaten out of his fees in this
way. III happen in and investigate"
So John went to the vestry door and
knocked. Not hearing an immediate
reply, he opened the door and entered.
All three Of the persons within stared
at him as an intruder, the clergyman
turning to do SO.
I'm looking" said John, for the
rector Of the church. There's a man
dyin' and wants him at once"
I'm the rector" said the clergyman.
"As soon as I have married this couple
I'll go with you"
Il thought DR.. Brook was the rector
here" said John.
II am Dr.. Brook"
"You DR.. Brook! Not a bit of it.
I've heard Dr.. Brook preach many a
time. I know him we'll"
whats that?" said the woman,
starting. Isn't this DR.. BROOKE"
mo. miss. DR.. Brook is an older
and a larger man than this gentleman"
"Oh, Henry" she exclaimed reproach-
fully, turning to the man beside her,
you have deceived me-"
"Who are you, and why do you come
here at this time of night?" said Henry
to the sexton angrily.
"Well, SEEM as there's no use in
maxim any further p%retense, I'm the
sexton of this church, and I come here
to find out what was goin' on in the
vestry. l missed the key and suspect
ed somethin' Was wrong. Just now
my wife saw q light here, SO I tum-
bled out O. bed, and here I am"
At this the woman turned to the
man she called Henry and, white with
anger, said:
"You villain! You contemplate dog!
This explains your story of your par
ents' objection to your marrying me.
This is why you must marry me clan
destinely, is it? Don't yer let me see
your cowardly face again!"
The man tried to calm her; but, pay
ing no attention to him, she stalked
out Of the vestry and disappeared in
the darkness. Henry made a lunge
at the sexton, but the old man was
spry enough to get out Of the way,
and Henry rushed from the vestry, fol-
lowed by the man in canonicals.
Brown found the missing key in the
vestry door, and, locking up, he went
home and to bed.
The next morning when he was at
work in the church the lady of the
evening before entered. The first John
knew Of her presence he felt her arms
about his neck. When the embrace
was I've she told him her story, which
differed but little from such cases. She
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