The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-07-13
CHAPTER XII
Revelations

"YOull need more than faith for
thatr" sneered Charles.
| had had enough of him.
"All right" said L. swell have some
works too. One minute, please %
My three companions. even Mr..
Almy, stared at me Open-mOuthed, but
| did not care, for was going to make
however, on some very careful think
ing | had been doing during the last
half-hour There was a bowl of flow
ers on the table. | snatched them
out of the bowl, picked up the book
plate, and laid it carefully on the sur
face of the water. Holding it there
with one hand. with the other | ex-
tracted from my hair the sole wire
hairpin / always wear out of defer
ence to two helpless male relatives
who beg at the most extraordinary
times for "a tin one" to clean pipe
with. Next moment l plucked the
bookplate forth from the bowl. laid
hold of its edge firmly with my left
thumb and forefinger, rasped the edge
with the hairpin. and then slid the
wire loop into tiny crevice which
had appeared on the edge. The damp
paper parted farther as the hairpin
slipped along. returned it to its
place. grasped the edges of the groove
had made. and pulled gently.
Slowly the bookplate peeled apart,
amid a silence unbroken even by
breathing. The picture remained in
my left hand. In my right was doc
ument 1t was printed, with some
blanks filed in by hand. glanced
at it, handed 1t to Julia, and regarded
Mr.. MacIvor with my sweetest smile.
I'D never have thought of doing
that If you hadn't suggested ii wasn't
all there" observed affably.
But Julia interrupted, with cry
that ended all small talk:
Il was right! l knew it, | knew It'll"
We all rushed to surround her.
In her shaking hand, slightly blurred
by the water, yet still quite legible,
its edges trimmed to fit the size of
the boOkplate which had been so
tightly and so indiscernibly affixed to
it, was a birth certificate. And on it
was set forth that on May 2, 1905, In
New York, Julia Grosvenor had been
born, the daughter of Miles Harring-
ton (deceased) of Eliot's Crossing,
Virginia. and his wife, Mary Grosve-
nor.
"Wellp said Mr.. Almy.
He said it after long time, during
which nobody had spoken. He spoke
in tone of congratulatiOn and relief,
in which, however. there was a faint
undercurrent of apprehension. don't
know II anyone else noticed that, for
certainly Julia was too excited. and
as for Charles MacIvor, he passed out
of my mind entirely for the moment.
"Of course" resumed MI. Almy
shat thing had to De somewhere; but
I'll tell you frankly now, had given
up hope of finding 1t, for every clew
was exhausted" Julia was not listen
ing, to him. however; her eyes were
still devouring the certificate. He
took her gently by the arm, and made
her sit down. Listen. please!" he
said to her. 81 have something else
to tell you, some of ii as good news as
you have just heard. But first must
ask you to forgive me for the suffering
you have undergone since your cousin
came in few minutes ago. had to
let him talk; and you'll talk some
more. MacIvor. and to better purpose.
In moment 20
"What is the good news, Mr.. Almy?"
interrupted Julia. feebly.
He seemed to choose his words eau
tiousiy.
"When | went to the telephone" he
answered, 81 learned something | had
not expected to hear so soon. will
just tell you now In word that the
person suspected of attacking your
grandfather has been arrested The
evidence on which he is detained
clears you entirely of suspicion. De
tails will be available later: just re-
member, now, you are cleared. And
ntw," he added abruptly, what you
want. to know, and are entitled to
know, is the story of that bookplate.
Out with 1t, Maclvor!"
For the first time since she had seen
the certificate, Julia looked at her