The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-12-23

compunctions, and to put confidence
in the men he had chosen in the place
of her natural protectors. The doc
tor was no bungling judge of male
character, and, in his opinion, a man
may be a young girls natural protector
in other than the established way;
but the doctor was not yet father.
AS he left the cellar, his ear was
shocked by sound of pitiable screams
and hoarse brutal cries, and, looking
across the gulch. he saw, as in a vision
of the Inferno" a wretched, struggling
figure hailed along at the end of a
rope, .towed by mass of men, as fast
as they could go over the rough ground,
| in the direction of the secret tamaracks.
The person of the victim was scarcely
| distinguishable, but the doctor knew
it could be only the miserable China
man; and strange familiarity with
the fact crossed him, as if he had beheld
the shameful scene before in some mo-
ment of prophetic consciousness, and
had always known that such would be
the end of Wan.
In that horror-stricken moment
Faith had flown to her father, forget
full of the breach between them, and
confident of his protection for the
wretched Wan. She could not yet
count him as naught, or quite believe,
for all the doctors unrelenting sum-
| ming up of facts that were sadly in
evidence, what ga king of shreds and
patches" was the manager of the Big
Horn.
At this after-dinner hour he was
usually clothed on with his evening
liquor, and incommunicable to the
pitch of surliness. It was thus that she
found him. He had risen from his
chair, and was moving with circum-
spection from the table to the side
board, when his daughters excited en-
trance startled him. He let fall the key
which he held-that very precious
duplicate key of the sideboard closet
/ where his liquors and brandies were
kept, the possession of which he had
thus far been able to conceal from the
vigilant Abby. AS it slipped from his
fat, smooth, shaking fingers, all that
was left of his intelligence groveled
after it upon the floor.
H.
ing upon him. "Come, come with me-!
Oh, rouse up, do! Come out, and stop
this fearful thing!"
Seeing no hope of comprehension in
his CLASSY, floating eyes, which tried to
fix hers with a reprehensive frown, she
seized him and shook him passionate
ly, trying to awaken in that dead heart
some spark of warmth from the indig-
nation that burned in her own.
"Will you listen to that poor thing
begging for his life! Do you want to
have your people murdered!"
But the late Mr.. Bingham simply
stared, working his empty fingers,
feeling for the lost key; his mind was
concentrated solely on that interrupted
journey to the sidebroad.
keep 'way-don' talk sho lou;
where Ssh it? Only key got. Abby fin
she-I-wha' sh'll I do?" he whim-
pered.
ooh, obi" shuddered the girl.
Mr.. Bingham CROPPED for the chair he
had imprudently forsaken and seated
himself majestically upon the arm. The
heavy chair tipped with his weight
Faith helped him to regain his seat.
She stopped to search for his key, dash
ing the tears from her eyes.
Here it is, poor father" she said.
putting the key back into his hand.
There; have you got it? Let me put
it into your pocket. See, you will lose
it again"
1t was all that he cared for; so let
him have it and find his way to the
sideboard and so out of the world, where
he was no longer of any use. Faith
could not have reasoned in this cold
blooded fashion; she acted on the inn
pulse simply to do one little thing for
him that he wanted done before she
left him. If not that night, yet she
must leave him soon; she could not af-
ford to be harsh with what was already
memory, grave.
There was yet one man in his senses
in that distracted place whose courage
and humanity could be counted on; the
doctor, Faith knew, had returned to the
mine. But as she few to seek him at
his Office he was on his way to her,
and thus they missed each other by con-
trary paths in the dark.
The office was locked. Faith beat
upon the door with bare hands, but got
no answer. Then she ran around to the
kitchen door, which stood open, show
ing 9 light burning in an empty house.
The doctor could not be far away.
she thought. and. stepping inside, she