Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-12-03

1t was the lady In the adjoining fiat
She said: How these keys do stick.
sometimes! / wonder If anybody has
been tampering with my lock-"
Eampering with the lock closed
NY door without thanking her for the
reIEinder-I had been in the act of get
ting new lock when monsieur called
me to Mrs. Delarlo's supposed death
bed. Oh, If / only had had it put on !!
Then | remembered that other key on
Friday night-the key working in my
own door and that assumed belonged
TO Mr.. Man-down-stairs.
No wonder he didn't swear at me
when | called out to him he had the
wrong fiat: Mr.. Man was-mOnsieur
1 flung on my wraps, telling Mrs.
JimmsOn l had an errand out, and in
less than fifteen minutes l had ii lock-
smith putting on new Yale lock and
exchanging the small chain-bolt for
the heaviest in the market
had rung when returned with the
man TO give color to my tale of a lost
key. Mrs. JimmsOn let me in and
seemed greatly astonished to see a
man begin at once taking out screws.
$50 you lost your key?" she observed
placidly-just her way of taking every
thing happen to be doing as a per-
sOnal matter of her own. She was
now prepared to superintend the OPP
GRAFTON. well, that's too bad to have
to go TO the expense of a new lock.
Couldn't the man find key that would
fit? The hey would cost only quar-
ter and you wouldn't have to buy a
whole lock-"
Her arms were folded and she
showed she meant to see the new lock
on to the last screw. l gazed at her in
sheer wonder that a person could be
so stupid. so Obtuse as not to know she
wasn't wanted; and from her. my eyes
travelled along the hall, TO the dining
room, to the table-my heart jumped,
and stopped: the hyacinths were not
therel
''What have you done with those
hyacinths?" l demanded, as soon as
could control my voice.
you mean those faded things in a
glass on the table?"
"Yes-what did you do with them?"
IF you'd mentioned them before you
went out"
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH
THEM?"
why they were so faded never
thought you--wanted them"
She was beginning to quail and slide
away. / caught her wrlst-my fingers
left marks-she showed them to me
later.
"What-did-you- Observation-Disclosures
Answer me Instantly"
II threw them out"
AS Mrs. JlmmsOn said those words
that she had thrown the hyacinths
away-the locksmlth handed me the
two keys, saying that the lock and the
bolt were all right and that was all.
had paid him at the shop in order to
hasten matters at the house, for
hoped. If possible, to get the job done
so quickly that even George wouldn't
find out what had brought the man
in for. l was still digging my fingers
into her wrist while he gathered up
his tools and he gave the two of US q
curious look. half amusement, half
wonder at my vehemence, before he
closed himself out.
AS for Mrs. JlmmsOn, she had been
too paralyzed with friLht to move. The
instant the door WIS shut, l dropped
her wrist and made a dash for the
kitchen, hoping the garbage hadn't yet
short unpleasant word. That word
was Damn" and into 1t crowded all
the pent-up feelings of the last twenty,
four hours.
| saw her look of horror as / closed
the doOr-she thought l had gone in.
sane Now, I'm not given to profanity
but l am willing to admit that 1t may
have its uses on Occasion.-as for In
stance when your scrubber-lady has
just thrown away your milliOn-dollaI
bunch of hyacinths and didn't know
you wanted those faded things" Ny
one bad word, however, let off enough
steam for me to realize that / didn't
even know If the diamonds were there
or not
Hastily l pulled out the papers ant
rubbish and dumped them on the fool
and had just bounced on the hyacinths
when the front bell rang.
Were the diamonds safer l didn't
/ dare at the minute to investigate
didn't dare even to be caught with
1 them In my hands. Suppose 1t were
monsieur. coming now in broad day
light!
The ring was repeated l grabbed
up a bit of newspaper and rolled III
/ the bunch, examining 1t into tbs
/ GRAFTON hadn't more than finished
{ setting the lid on as softly as could
when | heard mans voice shout my
name. followed by the words "specia
/ delivery"
Without waiting for Mrs. Jimmsor
to decide If 1t were safe to call me.
stepped out and signed for it. As
/ closed the messenger out | looked a
/ the address-the writing was unknown
Ia me; and I was In the act of tearing
open the envelope. when Mrs. JimmsoI
sank on a hall chair and began Il
weep.
TO thnk-oh, to think-to think.
she sohbed. It's hard"
Yes, it is hard for some people Il
! tklr,l >. l nhsnr.-nl icil,- .rlo rim ~ hn1