The Delta independent., 1897-03-31

YIN sAIiu CNSV SIhCS. hS bcNh ihihE
heaven and earth over to find Kilgrow."
"Unsuccessfully, hope?"
ZIP to date, yes; and think there's
no chance for him. Duncan warned
the old man at once"
Good! then everything's all right
yet. BY Jove! old man, I've been having
n horrible time cooped up here when
there's go much at stake and every day
is precious"
Protheroe smiled. "I can imagine;
but you needn't worry. Allncoochee
hasn't run away yet, and, SO far MS /
know, the company is still solvent. Are
-you ready to 20 back to civil!zation?"
'Indecd am, II you'll tell NE how
10 do it."
"Nothing easier; you can ride my
horse. and I'll walk"
When Philip had taken leave Of his
entertainers, and had narrowly missed
quarrel with the Betlouin in the effort
TO make him take payment for his hos
p;tality, he was helped into the saddle.
"You want to go to Allacoochce,
suppose" Protheroe said.
"I'd rather go to Duncan's, II we can
get there"
Protheroe's heart misgave him, but
he answered unhesitatingly: ut can
be DONE" and they were soon out Of
sight of the cabin in the windings Of a
trail leading diagonally across the
plateau.
For some miles they pushed on in
uch silence as the narrowness of the
path mnde compulsory. but when the
trail broadened into o wood road, Pro-
theroe dropped back beside the horse
and they began to speak Of the missing
letter. The talk reminded the engineer
that he still had Thorndyke's mail in
his pockct,a he passed it up and con-
siderately went on ahead again while
Philip rend the letters. There was one
from Helen, and. yielding to something
like suggestion Of moral cowGrdicc,
Philip left it until the last. When he
opened it, he saw that it had been writ
ten on the same day as that about the
marriage portion, and the first words
proved that il was an after-thought.
II have just mailed one letter to you,"
she wrote, land II was hardly out of my
hands before began TO be sorry that I
had sent il. As remember II now, Il
wac ga aOO4t tA1G nlouCy ,uuu Ouk III "
have known that you would do what
was just and right without any urging
from me. What I want 70 say now is
what ! should hsve said then; that I
connot endure this separation much
longer-that the love which hnve tried
SO hnrd to keep out of my letters for
fear I should make you come back TO
your hurt refuses TO be hidden under
meaningless and commonplace phrases.
'Oh, Philip, II you love me, please
don't let this misfortune raise any bar
rier between us! You know what Aunt
l,ellam left me-you know that 1t is
mine in my own right. and / entreat
You not to turn my gratitude into
misery by refusing to share this money
with me. Eut you will not. ! know you
will not; and II we had nothing else. we
should still have each other, and what
more could we ask?
"Tn come respects, know you
better than you know yourself; and I
know that IL you can have your health
you will yet win place among those
who have fought their way into the
foremost rank. Be good to me, Philip,
dear, and let me share the battle and
the triumph with you. Come back to
us IL you ore well enough, and IL you arc
not, pleose let me come TO you"
Protheroe heard something between
q groan and an imprccation, and he
stopped and waited for Philip to come
up. did you say anything?" he asked.
Nothing worth repeating; think
was tempted TO swear . little ut the
rrookedness Of things in general. I wish
that cursed horse that threw me had
broken his neck or mine. or both"
"Does your ankle hurtr'
Everything hurts"
Protheroc did not attempt 10 drive
the conversational nail any 1as4her.
He was prcoccupied with his own con-
Germs, and he had been trying TO deter
minc what he should do when he
reached Duncan's. Would his part in
the affair be ended when he had seen
Thorndykc safe in the house Of his
friends? or would he be expected to
help his rival in the fight with the COM
pany? How would Elsie receive him
after his late transgrcasion? How could
he endure to meet her in the presence
Of the man she loved?
They were troublesome questions,
but the engineers perplexities were o.
serenity itself compared with the
tumult of conflicting emotions which
had slain the peace Of mind of his COM
panion. Before he had read three lines
Of Iiclen's letter. Thorndykc was sink
ing into the neither depths Of self-abase-
ment: and when he had finished IL he
felt tha. IL would be . comfort ~ he
could get down into the rosd and strew
dust upon his hesd. This wss the love
he had put aside for TIE sake Of . aerc
impulse horn Of . sick mans fantasies:
the dne gold thst ~ hsd tossed con-
temptuously into . oeitiA9-pot hesse1
blythe remainder of The sinlDe w0
drowned in . s.b@ersise we've Of sslf-