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About Cloverdale courier. (Cloverdale, Tillamook County, Or.) 190?-19?? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1914)
'ee.ee ............. ... • i : . : ? <í> It Contained a Secret. : * I <4> By ESTHER VANUEVEER. W h f i Miihel Drew was sixteen she whs loo old to receive at Christmas such g ilts as toys. dolls and other in expensive knirkkmn ks. The ipiestiou canie n;i hetween her father and moth er that year what more substantial nr tid e should he provided for her. It was tinally derided that an escritoire. vv hi< h is tin- I'reiidi name, I take it. for one o f those curved legged, d a w footed desks with fancy linish on width ladies write their notes and keep their accounts that is. when they keep accounts would he the thing. Mabel was my cousin and had dur iug iny childhood been my playmate. When we were passing into youth, alter being away from her for a season and returning. I found that another had stepped Into my place, lie was twenty tw o years o f age. while 1 was bill eighteen I ! is entrance into the held suddenly made me aware o f the fact that the brotherly sisterly eondi tioti which had existed, or I had sup posed existed, between us was sim ply a mask for a far different eondi lion on in\ part. Mabel's new friend being four or live years older than l. patronized me. and. as for Mabel, it ■•coined to me that she regarded me, as before, in a sisP :• 1 y way. When that Christmas came o f w hich I have been speaking my parents were abroad, and I spent the holidays at my aunt's W e made a merry Christ mas of it, and I have since remember ed It as the pleasantest o f my life. It was certainly the most important, as will appear from my story. Mabel's desk was delivered at tlie back door after dark and was carried to my own bedroom. I look oft the crate and it stood forth as pretty a piece o f furniture as I ever saw. I admired it immensely and was delight ed at tile pleasure it would g ive Ma he I when she saw it. and for that mat ter probably foi many years after. I pulled oat e v e n sandalwood drawer wondering what secrets they would contain. One of the e drawers was tit fed with a In k and a tiny brass key I'lie drawers v ere Inside the desk and only expo I w I eu the front was et down. There was a lock for this also. A fter all e\ia pt myselt vvere in bed nix nude and I < irritai thè desk down talrs and dopo« ted t 'x 11 li tilt1 otlier ifts io he dlstnbut.nl in thè muruing Il vv as so tight t a t i ■ otild bave ear rled il alene, la t so frali th.it I dare nt attempi to d ■ se feariug I niight strilo' it agallisi somethlng and break t My linde v rote oli a card. "K or Mat«e l'rnm I' i and .Mainimi." and ■id It oli ilio d <k vv bere l coutil t*c la Inly e, n Itut I picked it up. put .I in the drawer with the lock, tinned die key. put up the front part o f the 'os' and >. kcil It too In the morning when we vvere as entitled for the distribution o f gifts : I ’d cangili sig'il o f the desk at once, mi her eyes danced with excitement. Is it mine':" she asked ••open it and see.” >a d her father. She opened it, looked in every pigeon ole. pulled out every d ra w e r till she ame to the one that was looked and ailing the key. found the curd I hail ced there She immediately tluug e ■ arms nronml Imr father's neck thou her mot tier's, and I wished she would do the same with me Had she been a few years younger she would have done so. But Unit time had passed. The next lay the desk was carried to Mabel's room, and I did not see It again for a h ng while. One night a lot of us young folk vvere dan dug. Mabel w ore a dress cut low about the throat, and her contin ued bobbing threw up and down some thing she wore on a chain suspended around her neck. I’ lie article was so small that I could not set* what it was at first, but on drawing nearer recog nized the little key to the drawer w ith in her desk. ••Why do you wear that key on your neck?” I asked. “ Oh. it's the Key to a drawer in my desk where I keep my secrets.” she re plied. with a blush. “ Secrets! What business has n girl 1 to have secrets that must not only be locked, but the key to w hich she must keep on her own person V” ; “ Everybody tuts secrets. Haven't I you any o f your ow n?” "N o n e that are so Important that 1 , must keep them locked What is your secret?” “ W ell. 1 like that. What right have you to my secrets?" It seemed to me that I had a right to her secrets, tint I didn’ t rare to as sort It. “ Oh, never mind.'* I replied. “ I'll tind it out in time " “ Oh. you will? IIow are yon going to do that?" “ I'M steal that key and unlock the ili ! contains the secret.” She in v.• at :l ily put her hand on the key to protect it. I “ You vvoucln't do any such tiling You know very w e " that such an act would be dish.aim aide." I | “ I d ire you to giv e me permission." ! There D a l w ' v s » onething faseinat lug in taking a id !< Mabel thought for aw Idle, ilien s.i ,i; ! "Suppose 1 r iv e von the permission, what will von give me if you fall?" “ Your choice between half a dozen palrs o f gloves and r 1 “It Bon i Huri a Faci io j Hammer ii. ?» The fact vv« wish to hammer is that Alex McNair vfc Co.’s store gives more quality, service and satisfaction than any other store in Tillamook county. Our Pheneminal Success Demonstates that Fact. Remember Alex McNair it Co. for Builders’ Hardware, Have Troughing, Farm Tools, Shelf Goods, Cutlery, and every thing kept in a fully stocked hardware store. Alex McNair & Co., Tillamook, Ore. ♦ i ♦ CLOVERDALE HOTEL ♦ i ♦ ' « d on a»t p igc) ♦ ♦ ♦ C L O V E R D A L E , ORE. A Homo ♦ for Travelers and Visitors Meals 35e and 5()e t $ Bods 50c* and up, ♦ Kvorvtliiiiir f irst-class e Your Patronage Solicited * i teu pounds of cttndy." “ llo w long a time do you want?” " T ill next Christ mas.” “ No force used?" "None whatever." “ Very well. I'll g ive you till next Christinas. But you'll lose." " I f I do you'll win “ I ’ ll choosg the gloves. I wear sixes." " i f I lose it won't make any differ erne I expert to g ive you a Christ mas present a n y w a y ." "till, pshaw! I didn't think o f that. You're very cute, aren't yon?" "I Matter myself I'm a match for a girl." Her response to this was a "fa c e ." and the subject was dropped. Tills bargain was made in .lime, and I had Mx months in which to get Into that drawer, w itc h was kept locked, tile key on Mabel's |*ersou and the desk in Mattel's room, where I was not supposed to enter. I had no idea of m.;king a sin-ei ss o f it. I had proposed it only for a lark. H aving learned by the stepping in between me and Mabel o f another per son that I wanted her for myself. I was in constant dread that he or some other fellow would take her away from me At the same time I shrank from speaking to her o f love. 1 feared to break up tlie brotherly and sisterly relationship to which I had been ae cusiomed from my earliest rtvolle. m True, too, Mattel didn't give me the slightest encouragement to make the eh ¡miro \\ lien any until vv as attenti lo her and 1 silowexi that 1 was il griuntied «he sci'liied snrj»rise I. lo< >ki of «Mit» \\ a I me with 1 In' expl ♦ dir1 not under*! and my diícsaiM'iU'tb ! I SPEC IA L A G EN C Y “Star Brand Shoes F b r th e F h m o u s The L a rg e s t S ellin g Brand o f Shoes in th e W o rld S O M E P O P U L A R LINES T h e ''Patriot**— “ Our Family**— A Finr Shoe for Men For Every Member of the Family T h e "Pll^rrim,*— The Business Man's Shoe “ Stronger-Than-The»Law*’ — T h e "S o c ie ty ’* — The Longest Wearing Work Shoe Mad« A Particular Shoe for Particular Women ‘Soft and Good**— #T e * § & T e d " S ch ool Shoes — i or Boys and Girls A Work Shoe True to Name A ll m ade of G ood L eath er. No su b stitu te* fo r le a th e r a re ev e r used« “ Star B rand Shoes A re B e tte r’* G L O V L R D r\ L L T lL L GO. FIRE IN SU R AN C E is tlit* only ASSET YOU MAY HAVE IN CASE OF DISASTER. WE WRITE THE KIND THAT PROTECTS. A-iTon<> ern .tln * a .lii'tr h «m l dc^cr'nli 'n n n . JHlciCy HM‘«‘ " la r l e n r O l'lllloll fre e nluMi .-r kt) Invention ! . pret- ,l lv p ite n t (Me. •' rnmnt ü «. Ili.n» .Irn'tiv <■ nlliLrittiil. HANDBOOK **n l ’atent» s . n t fr e e , i ' i '■ • H ^ e n c v f . r . i ' c i m i i i r p a te n t« . I'm .e « t.ikeu tiircuirh MXinn \ O x r t . e l v » j|, .,il n .fn , w ith ou t c tmrve». In tl.t« Scientific American. \ ii‘in«1sc-mt»lr llln«trsit*»1 weeklr. T «•nrfot rir- listh'U c»f » h v » u »i". r • . . t»J T« M »«n* ÜN - N &Co.,e,Bre*i*a»NewiOiii h olRc*. T» F t*t • Waahtnaum. l> i- Uiitcs made known and information gladly given. llollie \V. Watson Real Estate and Fire insurance Tillamook. - - Oregon