Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-10-23
CHAPTER XX1y.

while Violet MOwbray slowly and sadly
drove buck to Woodburn Parsonage.
CHAPTER NX1v.
Constable Barnum. on his round Of daily
duty in the dull streets Of sleepy Dane
borough, had yet time to busy his sharp
brains on what his superior officer was
wont to designate as the anonymous
letter job"
He kept his restless, slanting black eyes
continually at work. He had seen for
cign handwritings, and he had heard, at
second hand, Mr.. Marsh's opinion as to
the authorship of the pink and perfumed
letter. 1t seemed, then, nm especially for
tunate circumstance when he spied, Mt
the corner OF the High street, we'll
dressed young woman, with dark, fash
ing eyes, well-cut features and sallow
complexion, like goli-bronze-in short,
undoubtedly foreigner. She had let
ter in her hand, and III moment more
she had dropped it into the Daneborough
postoffice.
The girl passed the policeman without
taking any more notice of him than If he
had been lamp post, and he very slowly
and cautiously followed the girl, much
as hunting spider pursues an unwilling
fly along the window ledge. She disap-
peared within doorway, "Bennett's
Royal Library" and Constable Barnum
watched that door with us unrelaxing a
scrutiny as ever a weasel bestowed upon
rabbit hole. Presently the girl came
out. After an instant's hesitation Con-
stable Barnum entered the library.
II beg your pardon, ma'am," he said
deferentially to Mrs. Bennett, behind the
counter, "but might ask you, on Super
intendent Swanns account, If that young
lady who just called in here is a stranger
and foreigner?" ...-7
"a foreigner she is," was the reply,
'sbut not exactly stranger here. Ma
demoiselle, as they cali her, has been
here q dozen times OF more on errands
from the countess. She is her ladyship's
new foreign maid, and prime favorite,
so the other Thorsdale servants say. with
my lady"
Taking polite leave of Mrs. Bennett,
Constable Barnus walked with quick
steps up the street again, and entered
the postoffice. The postmistress was at
first disposed to deunur to his petition
that he might be allowed to look at the
last letter which had been dropped into
lhS OoAs 41ul CuS WSll-huOWu uuulG VI
Superintendent Swami produced tails
manic effect.
At last between the postmistress' fin
ger and thumb did appear letter, pink,
and directed to some person residing in
the town Of Arad, in Hungary. There
could be no mistake about the identity
Of the stationery, or Of the foreign hand
writing, with the handwriting or the sta
tinD Sc
ed by Violet's guardian.
Ten minutes later, in a small inner den
of the cramped ponce station of Dane
borough, Superintendent Swami, loom
ing, as usual, all too large for the mar
row apartment allotted to him, was lis
tening to the report of his Jealous subcr-
dinate.
Madcmoisel.e Gl;tka, gliding, tripping,
with her well-dtting boots over the Dane
borough pavement, entered shop after
shop, creating generally little flutter
among the inmates of each emporium,
partly due to the Importance of such a
! customer rs her noble mistress, partly
also to the energetic and impatient man.
ner in which she conducted her shop
ping.
Glitka, as she darted to and fro, like q
kinsishcr on the wing above the reed
beds and scdgy shadows of river, never
noticed the two helmeted figures that
watched her.
"There she goes again" presently ejac-
ulated the chief policeman. as, just when
he had made up his mind to accost the
foreign damsel, Glitka dived into shop.
where beads and trimmings and miscel-
laneous fipperies were sold. As she
again emerged from the repository of mis-
cellancous fripperies, Superintendent
Swami plucked up courage, and strobe
| forward.
''Mademoiselle," he said, and then came
to dead stop.
| Glitka did not start, but she halted,
turned her face toward the tall police
man-in-chief, and cast q snake-like glance
at him.
"You speak to me?" she asked, delib-
cratcly.
II beg your pardon, am sure, made
moiselle," apologized the big supcrin-
tendent; "but, then, you see, we Of the
force are obliged sometimes, in the exc
cution Of our duties, to ask a question or
| two."
"Havc l broken your hws?" the girl
asked, defantly.
| II hope no offense," said the chief of
the Daneborough police, with meek
ness that was unusual with him. sThe
fact is, we want information. And from
what we have learned, mademoisellc, you
are in position to tell us what we want
to know"
| "You stop ME in the streets as IL 1
We're some poor Zigara-some miserable
gypsy" angrily exclaimed the foreign
girl, with all Hungarian's resentful
scorn of that police interference to which
German submits so stolidly. "What is
your information to me. sir-or by what
right do you molcst me? ! live at Thors-
dale Park. Come there if YOU dare"
Superintendent Swami, with his mouth
open and his big hands hanging helpless
ly by his side, knew not what to say, but
his acolSte had quicker wits than lie.
"You see, MISS" said the rat-cyed po-
hceman, speaking with marked defer
ence, and touching the peak of his helmet
as he spoke, "this is no charge, no accu-
sation, but a delicate matter concerning
letter which Mr.. Marsh, who is our
emplOyer has got ns fo mako inOuiriass'