Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-12-22

for formal call, and Nathalie could
not well go without her. "But remem-
ber,'' Mrs. Barry had written, eve
shall be at Sea Girt for July and Au-
gust, shall have our own cottage there,
and you are to have two months leave,
and you're to spend every possible week
Of it with us.
Not until we'll on their way to Chi
cago-the first objective point, because
bothss ladies had to renew their ward
robesLwas Mrs Barry informed that
there might be difficulty as to that part
of the plan. She was holding Nathalie's
hand and saying how lovely it would be
to have their brave, big boy there to be
nursed and petted until all trace of his
burns was swept away, and Nathalie
falteringly said:
But there is somebody else who is
awaiting his coming and expecting to
do all this. f" Whereat Mrs. Barry turned
with prompt, even indignant, denial iii
her eyes and said:
He never told you so.
NO, but his sister did. lit is
quito an old affair."
"What did his sister tell you? Who
is it?''
"That he was in love with-engaged
to a Miss Gertrude Bonner at their
home. -
Nathalie, that woman has told an
other lie!' exclaimed Mrs Barry, and
the major, coming in from the smoking
compartment at the moment, marveled
at the sudden fire in the soft eyes of his
beloved wife and at the flush Of color in
her usually pallid face Only deep con-
viction and wrath as deep could prompt
her to tho use of language so forcible.
They were in Chicago an entire week,
joined at once by Mrs. Anterior and
piloted by that experienced and accom-
plished shopper, and then came deluge
OF letters from Russell, and news, such
news! Two men had been run down and
arrested in Kansas City, had been
brought back to Cheyenne and promptly
recognized as the Coughs" engaged in
the cutting ARRAY at the Empire wherein
Boston was placed on the invalid list;
were also recognized as the two who
were seen at the Railroad House early
on the morning following the robbery.
Miss O'Meara's cousin, Michael Dun
gan, who kept a saloon frequented or
dlnarily by laborers and machine shop
men employed in the railway yards, had
likewise been gathered in by the police,
but only little of the stolen property
had been recovered. Cook and Maynard
were dividing the honors of the capture.
"Cook Of course, said the major at
once, "but why Maynard" And not
until he came to Mrs. STANDARD IS letter
was all explained. Cook he'd bad certain
underlined suspicious, but could do moth
ing, prove nothing, until the brief in
terview with Maynard.
This was Maynard's part of it, He
sat up late that clustering night writ
ing long letters to his father, explaining
his conduct in refusing to betray Nath-
allie Baird, telling him of his deep
love for her. his faith in her innocence,
and all that had come of it. He hoped
for his fathers approval of his conduct,
despite the stigma of arrest, and he beg
ged him not to be preiudiced against
the girl whom he so devotedly loved by
anything Grace might say. All that
could be explained He wrote to Ather-
ton and to his captain, and by that time
it was | O'Clock, and he felt weary and
hungry. He had eaten hardly mouth
full since his arrest and was suffering
the consequence. He had of late awaited
himself of Mrs. STANDARDS repeated
invitation to help himself and had gone
down to get a glass of milk or crust
of bread, and SO, taking his candle, he
softly descended the stairs, his slipper
ed feet making no noise, let himself out
into the drafty kitchen and attacked
the refrigerator, setting his candle
meantime we'll back upon the kitchen
table.
His appetite soon satisfied, he was
about to retire, when through the thin
board partition separating Mrs. Stan
nard's kitchen from Mrs Barry's he
heard the sound of a key rasping in a
rusty lock, and suddenly there came a
rush of wind through every crack and
knothole. His candle was instantly ex-
tinguished, and some one seemed al
most blown into that ighboring room.
AAO dCa1u b1luSSG SOACc, 1OW anu eau
tious, but objurgatory. He was cropping
for his candle, intending to retrace his
steps, when moment later that door
was closed, the rush Of the wind ceased
and Bridget struck light, tiptoed to
her bedroom and almost instantly has
tened back, reopened the door, called
"Mike" in cautious tone, admitted
some masculine stranger and said;
"What luck! She's sleeping wild the
missus. We can load the things right
in now, and I'll go back wild ye. Shure,
They'll IL never dream l was here
And then it all flashed over him-the
disappearance OF Bridget the day of his
visit to the Barrys', the swinging pcr-
there, the apparent determination of the
domestic i'll question to avoid his sight,
the probable attempt on her part to
Turk in hiding in Barry s den and listen
to his plan or suspicious, if any pla, he
had, and now her coming in after at
night with "a strange man and talsing
OF loading the things right in and going
back with him and no one dreaming of