The northwestern bulletin., 1923-02-10
Solved by Woman's
Curiosity
By FRANK n. WILLIAMS

GO. 1923. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicats)
Susie Cunningham had been sick
more sick at heart than anything else
but so sick that she hadn't been
able to work for days. Now she was
slowly recovering, though there was
q sad, wistful look In her eyes that
hadn't been there before her illness
and q dull ache at her heart that
seemed az though It would never leave
her.
The trouble was that-young John
Hammond, the cashier in the office
where she had been employed and to
whom she had been engaged, had
disappeared, his accounts had been
short and there had been but a brief
word of explanation to Susie for his
conduct. 1t was this brief word which
had brought on Susie's illness.
The only message from John since
his disappearance had come to her on
q postal card on the day after he
failed to come to work. It had been
mailed from a nearby town and II
bore these words In Johns unmistak-
able handwriting:
'Dear Susie: I've treated you pretty
roughly. Please forgive me. / was
married here today. Forget me. John. |"
OF course Susie hadn't believed that
John was a thief-she didn't yet, even
these many weeks after his disappear
ance when the shortage still stood un'
explained against his record. It was
not, because Of the charge Of theft
against John that her illness came, II
was because Of those words on the
postcard. 81 was married here today
She had loved him so deeply, de
votedly, whole-heartedly. There hat
never been any man In her life save
John. Everything had looked so rosy
for them too. The little bungalow II
which they were to have lived was
nearing completion and they were just
in the midst of happily buying furni
ture for It when the blow fell.
No wonder there was a wistful lool
In Susie's eyes, and q droop to hel
young lips, and an unfading ache II
her heart.
Small wonder, too, that now, two
weeks after Johns disappearance. a
Susie was getting her normal strengtl
back, there should be deep and abid
ing curiosity in her soul.
Who was 1t that John had married
II was because this curiosity de
| manded an immediate answer tha
| Susie, as soon as she was able, went t
the neighboring town Of Brampton
where the fatal postal card had beel
mailed, and braveiy mounted the step
In the courthouse to the Office Of til
county clerk.
II want to look at the marriag
license book, please" she said to tn
clerk.
The clerk, looking at her curiously
showed q big book across the counte
to her.
Susie covertly referred again to tn
postal card to make sure she had tn
right date when 1t was mailed in mlnt
Then quickly she thumbed through tn
pages until the proper date was foun
and then went over the licenses issue
on that day, one by one.
When, some moments later, Susi
left the courthouse there was neJ
light In her eyes and new resolution 4
her step. Her curiosity was satisfied
but in satisfying her curiosity she ha
found something that she must do
task which she must put through a
quickly as possible.
In furtherance of this task she di
some telephoning to several dlfferer
people at a public booth. Then, LAT
in the afternoon, she boarded the trai
for home.
In the train she examined her posts
card from John with new interest. Sh
held II to the light; she viewed 1t frol
different angles, all with a new pu
pose In mind.
At last, as she caught the light o
. the card from a new angle, she gave
little gasp. She had discovered som
thing-something very much wort
while.
Susie returned to work the next da,
OF course there were many EXPIRE
sIons of sympathy from fellow en-
ployees and from the executives, fl
| hnr storv bod hacnuo known in RI