Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-03-03

Frank Takes the Alarm.

FRANK Takes the Alarm
Ali this time Frank Lester had been
living quietly In a small house in one
of the large, densely populated Lon
don suburbs-oDe of those wildernesses
where a nan may live a lifetime in the
next street to his oldest friend ard
never find ii out. He told his Iandlady
that he was a literary man. This was
nm excuse for sitting indoors most Of
the day. and going out for long walks
An the veinings. He had taken the
precaution OF changing his name. but
&c was not really necessary for him TO
make even this slight effort at self
~effacement.
No in his neighborhood took the
slightest interest i'm the murder at the
Golden Horn: and eyen IL anyone had
done Sc, he would never have suspect
ed that the quiet. studious gentleman
who had Mrs. Collins dining room
had anything TO do with il. Frank
had succeeded in cutting his painter
very efectually; and. short of a chance
encounter. of which there was very lit
tie probability " long as be lived ms
ne was doing. me was as safe as II he
were i'm the Australian bush.
Al first he was unable 10 think OF
anything but these two things-that he
would never see Ursula again. and that
Ii the police once unprecedented him. he
would end his days on the scaffold
within a month or two. Then. by de-
1rees. the keen anguish of his loss
gave way 10 a dull misery: and, grad
tally. his fear of being recognized and
taken TO a police station became less
acute.
Finally. CHS fear passed. away. and
his whole nature rebelled against the
unnatural isolation in which he was
spending his days. Robinson Crusoe
could hardly have been more lonely
than he was: and The longing To see
Ursula. even IL ii were at a distance,
the thirst for news of her. became alb
soIutely uncomfortable.
He had asked Clovis, who knew his
place Of refuge. for news Of Ursula.
and Clovis had told him that she had
come to London. processing 10 know
nothing more than this. But Frank
was not content. He would have her
address, though he bad no intention
then of writing 10 her again. much less
of trying TO see her. He begged Clo-
Wis TO obtain the address for him, and
Clovis dared not refuse to give it TO
linn. He knew well enough that if he
declined. or pretended hat he could
not fad out what had become of
.Joyce's daughter. Frank would not only
make inquiries that would lead TO his
.arrest-which would not have suited
Mr. Clovis at all-but it would very
likely cause Frank TO doubt his tClo-
visD sincerity altogether. and lead TO
the discovery that on more than n
occasion he had played the part of a
traitor.
So. having the address. Frank wrote
to his lost love, begging her TO let him
have one fine from her. even IL II Were
only TO tell him that she had received
his letter. and believed that he had
spoken the truth about the OF
her fathers death.
He waited n day-two days-four
-days-yet no answer. At the end of a
week be was i'll with pure misery. He
had entreated Ursula. by the memory
OF their love that had been, To let him
have q word in reply, even il it WIS
only to say that she was well. He
could hardly believe that she had got
his letter. Ii vas not like Ursula TO
refuse so harmless a request. Al last
he determined TO find out whether she
was still at the address that had been
given him or not.
IRE following morning he went TO
London. and took a cab TO the street
in which Ursula had lived. His knock
was answered by n stout. paiefaced
young m who seemed TO resent
being called on TO listen TO inquiries
about a former lodger. from whom she
could not expect mother farthing.
AS she was sending Frank away
with the curt information. Don't live
here n0w-don't know where shes
gone" a door opened in the passage.
and a voice. evidently the voice OF the
+. mistress, called ut;
lis that anyone inquiring for Miss
Joyce
"Yes.r said Frank. eagerly. II am
most anxious to learn her new adj
dress
II was in hopes you could give II to
me-" said the iandlady. stepping out
into the hall. "Miss Joyce is n young
lady for whom ] have the greatest re-
spect- She left here il might be a
month ago. and forgot 10 give any d.
rections about her letters. l have TAX
en- them in, thinking that she would
surely write for them, but she has not
done so: and IL she don't write soon, l
shall have to give them back to the
p~ostoffice people. l can't keep them
here forever"
sOf course not-but it's very strange.
MAY I see the letters"
The landlady consented to show
them to him. and he stepped into the
passage.
The letters were dated back for a
month at least Several Of them bore
the Iilbridge postmark. from which 1t
was evident hat Ursuia's friends in
the county did not not know any
more than he himself what had be-
come Of her. Among the other envel-
opes was the one he had addressed TO
her a week before.
Frank left the house in a state Of be-
wilderment, tinged with vague alarm.
Where could Ursula have gone, or
what could have happened TO her. that
she had not written for her letters 20
be foIwardedf The mere fact that she
vas not receiving any would hc enough
20 remind her ftsaf she had left no In
structi0nS about them. She must be
81. md Ii was intolerable that she
SHOULD be iii. and that he should have
no idea whether she was recovering or
~~ef
AS he walked slowly Away from The
M HL