The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-12-13
THE DAILY
sHoRI. $40 Try
solYedgby Wonaan's
Curiosity
ey FRANK u. WILLIAMS.
! Susie Cunningham had been Slcl

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nore sick at neart than anything
efsS Srbut so sick that she hadn'.
been eble to work for days. Nov
htie was slowly recovering, though
there vas o sad, wiHtful look in het
eyes that hadn't been there before
her illness and q dull ache at her
heart that scanned as though 1t
Would never leave her.
The trouble was that-young
John Hammond, the cashier in tho
office where she had been employ.
ca and 70 whom she had been Gu.
gagged, had disappeared. his &C.
commits had been short and there
hila been but a brief word of ex.
planahon to Susie for mis- conduct.
II was this brief word which had
brought on susie's illness.
The only message from John
since his disappearance had come
70 ster on a,postal card on the day
latter he failed to come to work.
Y had been mailed from q nearby
bwnl and ~ bore these, words 10
bins unniBtakable handwriting.
Dear Susie: I've treated you
pretty roughly Please forgive me.
1 was married here today. Forget
me. JOHN"
OF course sunie hadn't believed
that John was a thiet-she didn't
vet. even these many weeks after
his disapp eararce when the short
i, ageS still stood unexplained against
bis ffords It was not because OF
the y large Of theft against John
that her illness came, Il was be.
cause Of those words on tho post.
6ietdS u was married here today
She had loved him so deeply, do.
: aVted who'll .heartedly. There
fadf syer been any man In her LIE
save John. Everything had looked
10 rosy for them, too. The little
bungalow In which they were to
have lived was nearing completion
and they were Just in the midst Of
rapidly buying furniture for 1t when
the blow fell.
No wonder there was a wlsttul
lopls In spsie's eyes and a droop
toAler young Hips and IN unfading
ache in her Heart.
Small wonder, too, that now tive.
weeks after Johns disappearance
Susie was getting her normal
strength back, there should be a
deep and abiding curiosity In hos
soul.
What was 1T that John had mar.
rieds
u was because this curiosity &c.
handed an immediate answer that
Susie, us soon as she was abba,
went to the neighboring town OF
Brampton. where the fatnl postal
card had been mailed, and bravely
mounted the steps in the court.
house to tho office OF the county
clerk, 'r
The clerk, looking at her curious
ID, shoyedfa big book across the
countersto her.
Susie covertIy referred again L.
the postal card to make sure she
had the right date, whom II was
mailed In mind. Then quickly sh.
thpmbed through tho pSSes until
thg5proper date was founI and then
went over the licenses Issued on
that day, one by one.
WhensIsome moments later Susi !
left the Courthouse there was a
newlight in her eyes and now reso
luton I'd her stop. Her curiosity
wa. satisfied but in satisfying her
curl sitt she had found somethins
TINT she must do-a task which
shesmust put through = quickly y
RoasiblS.
Nm fprtherance Of this task she
did some tolephonIng to several
different people at a public booth
Then late in tho afternoon, sh ,
bearded the train for home.
In the train she examined her
ppnstal card from John with new in
terest She held; It to the light;
sheiyiewed II from different angles,
ailWith.a new purpose In mind.
Az last, as she caught tho light
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