THE SECRET OF THE BLACK BOX 2ª PARTE.- The Treasure Revealed.



It was no bigger than a shoe box.



     I asked my mothere one night to let me see inside it. She chuckled a little; aparently she thought this request was funny. Then she rose and unlocked the china closet door and unlocked the black box, too. She emptied its contents on the dining room table.

     I shall never forgot how disappointed I was. The box held nothing but papers. Sudenly my hands began to tremble; what I saw made me ill. I said, "It`s trash Trash! Nothing but trash!"

     But Mother didn`t even notice that I had said anything. Her strong  hands moved rapidly through the papers. She seemed to recognize them by touch. From the bottom she drew out a large thick paper and held it up.

    



Our prize possession.



      My eyes were cloudy in my anger, and the words on the paper seemed unclear Then I heard my mothere`s voice saying: "This is our marriage license. It was just 30 years ago next October..."

     Quickly she folded the paper and I could see her trembling as she returned it to its place. Nex came several sheets of various sizes and colors, tied with a string around them. "Here´s evidence of our real treasure," she said: "the birth certificates."

     I only half listened as my mother mencioned the other papers: the ownwership papers for our car, a letter from the teacher`s college praising my sister Mary and records corcerning the schools we had attended.

     Seventeen years have passed since that night. I saw papers, pictures and keepsakes added to the box until it would hold no more. It contained the story of long years of family living, family working and family growing.

     (I published the 1ª part several days ago)

     Adapted from The Secret of the Black Box, by Kenneth Robb. The Reader`s Diggest, march `51.