Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-04-15
CHAPTER U-Contlnurd

IL What sort OF n DOCTOR Silunfu 4
hei I thought you knew that | am
bound 10 Lockmead more closely than
husband 10 wife and than parent TO
child. But you are alone here happily
for you. You have no duties, and 9TH
ers have no claims. You would be as
wrong to stay as l 10 GO"
"Ah. sir" said she. sadly, almost re-
me~rsefully, Ii seemed 20 him. you
mean that a Lockmead girl who left
her home until IL forgot her. and she
came back n stranger. had no right to
talk of duties and claims. And in
deed l have no right TO talk. but have
! not all the more right TO do"
What do you mean. girlgr ASKED
Basil. If you have done wrong, !.
TT / could ever do enough 4 undo
what / have done-only a little! !.
You say l am alone. That is true. 1
will tell you what l mean To do. You
also are alone; and you have been
fighting misery, and starvation. and
now fever. without a helping hand. l
am a weak and ignorant girl, and 1
can't do much; but how can | run
away when there must be a thousand
things that even an innocent girl can
dOg Don't talk Of my going. for L
shall not go. 1 shall not catch the
fever; and IL | do. Ii win be all | de-
serve-my death would be some good
and no harm. 1 am strong enough
now, and l can obey orders and do
whatever l am told. Make me a nurse;
let me 20 from house To house and fiud
ont every day where you are most
wanted: let me do whatever things a
Ynan fasnff kln and a krratrAan lnnn M
Doctor Hillyard. you must not forbid
me. for | will
There was no misunderstanding the
light that came from her eyes 10 his
as frankly as IL. instead of being n
repentant woman's. they had been an
honest mans, with nothing to hide.
God forgive me" said Basil, 'if l am
w%rong-if any harm comes from tax
ing you at your word"
lyon are ready TO risk your life."
said she, II am only too glad To risk
mine. There. you see l understand
danger, ~ you mustn't think | am bold
because l am blind. And since you
have no choice. use me: don't let me
stay here for nothing at all. since. ;
or no use, stay l shall"
Il have read OF such women" said
he 10 himself, though aloud. Grace
Lucas, 1 do take you at our word.
You are a brave girl, and / think a
clever one. and 1 believe a good one,
whatever you may say. l dare not
throw away this chance OF help that
win be needed sorely indeed. My peo-
pie, Heaven help them, before all. Per
haps Heaven itself has sent you-wllo
knowns! But we must run no
risks without cause. You must have
fixed Instructions: $50 must make care
ful plans. with this new enemy i'm the
field. 1 must make another visit or
two and then call on MorwcD. He
ought TO know
Yes: SO that he may send for the
dragons said she, in such wise that
her quiet voice had not the least note
of But you viii not find him
to-day. He left LocSmead about n
week ago"
"Ah, hen that accounts for a great
deal" said Basil. gladly. Il was
wondering that he had not come near
me-that things have been let go so
hidecusly wrong. You must not judge
Mcrwen harshly, Miss Lucas. He has
all sorts of conflicting duties--he is but
t4t a&tbA Va AAlG Aht 4 AbVn ANoAlt
MIN, rs others cannot, how the hands
OF an absenteeis agent ere tied. More
over, he represents in Lockmead the
sterner virtues-order and law. You
and ! are d~ifferent-we may act as we
please-only We mustn't judge others,
not even Miss Hiilyard herself"
But do!' exclaimed Grace Lucas.
with quite a new light in her eyes-"I
do judge her; she Is a wretch, who
Ought 10 die of the fever she has
caused; / DO judge her, and so do you
In your heart for all you may say.
Oh, l do hate people who are too goodl
They make the rest of us despair. /
hate Miss Hillyard-and so do you"
For a moment Basil was startled by
nm outburst so utterly unexpected: and
he began TO perceive possible depth of
passion in this quiet girl hat would
account for all her apparent history
both for the sin of which she claimed
to have been guilty and for the yio-
yence OF the remorse that clutched at
the first chance of expiration. None
OF IN is too good. or good enough
said he, very %gravely; ''snd that is
why we must not dare 10 hate or con
denim. Only let us be as good as we
known how. I viii make those visits.
and by that time l will be ready with
Instructions and plans. Meanwhile
don't come I'm here. Go home and
waitJ shall need you soon enough,
you may be sure. Don't come in here
-you can't call back the dead to life"
But a try to comfort the living"
said she.
To that answer he had no reply: for
to comfort such misery as he had left
had been beyond his own power. and
therefore 1t might possibly be within
hers. She had even inspired him with
a certain faith In her strength for good
beyond that which can be given by
food or medicine, or even the most
eingle-minded and energetic will. The
place had for yeers been crying for
one real woman-mlght It be that n
had come, though at the twelfth hour?
That she came In the guise OF q self
accused sinner was ncthing: even Basil
knew that many an angel had sinned,
and that repentance and sympathy are
one and the same thing.
He certainly thought of her on the
way TO his next visit Here there was
none of the sickness which be now
dreaded to lind everywhere, but there
war all the depths OF poverty to which
the expectation had made him give this
m rffct1lar cOtta ca rho n~roaodopca oyn,