The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-11-14
A FELON'S LOVE-.
BY HENRY ". NESFIELD.

BY N ". NESFIELD.

III ~ - Will q oOON $500
and he thought he would be able to
find his way back to the station, and
return early to the drays the next
morning.
Mr.. Hall became more and more per-
picked about Luke's disappearance.
"If he had been drinking heavily
he said to his wife, mo one would
feel in the least surprised. But the
mar was sober enough, and showed
no signs Of eccentricity, so far as ! can
find out. 1t beats anything | ever TX
p%erienced. Perhaps he will turn up in
the morning, and we shall. find a very
simple solution to the puzzle after all"
The morning came and went, and
day after day passed by, but no Rob-
ert Luke appeared.
The mounted police, with the black
crackers, secured the country for over
thirty miles around, and left hardly
a rock or a patch of scrub unsearched.
Every building on the station had
been examined, and there only re-
mained Tom Baynes' hut to visit.
Baynes was the first to suggest that it
should be searched.
There's been a lot Of talk, l know,
sir" he said. about my wife's shutting
herself up so. Poor thing, she can't
help that wish she could get about
so should like the sergeant to satisfy
himself that Luke isn't in hiding
there!"
Nobody would be foolish enough to
suppose he a Baynes," replied Mr..
Hall, smiling at the young mans anxi-
ETY.; but We had better, as you say.
look everywhere while we are about
it,"
Mr.. Hall had really a secret desire to
behold this hidden treasure in the way
OF a wife, who was so perslstently shell
tered from the vulgar gaze. Accord
ingly he made n of the party to ex-
anime the hut.
When the troopers knocked at the
door, it was standing a little way open.
Come In" said a low voice.
Half-sitting, half-reclining upon the
bed which occupied one corner of the
one room the hut possessed, dressed
In the ordinary printed calico gown
OF a working-woman, a shawl over her
feet, and some needlework on which
she was engaged upon her Ian. was
Mrs. Baynes. Her iet-black hair was
neatly smoothed in front and braided
at the back, and her pale face and
nervous manner denoted the invalid.
She wore colored s~pectacles.
Very sorry to intrude, Mrs. Baynes.
| am sure" said Mr.. Hall. but we
are compelled to search everywhere for
this lost man. Your husband has no
doubt told you about it?"
Yes, yes replied Mrs. Baynes. at
seems very strange that he should
have gone on like that"
What a nice woman Thought M.
Hail. and a good-looking one. too,
It's a thousand pities that she shouId
be broken down. No wonder Baynes is
careful of her." Then he said aloud
III we were only certain that no had
gone off somewhere, it would he sat-
isfactory, but We can find no traces of
him anywhere. Besides, a man doae
not run off in the middle of the NIGHT
without his boots, leaving two or
three months wa res behind him nm
less he has a very important reason
for doing So"
There was very little for the sergaan
to inspect in the hut-a deal table tu,o
rough benches, the bed upon which
Mrs. Baynes reclined, and which had
no hangings or d~rapery .upon n tha+
could conceal anything, n one or tn,o
small boxes containing clothes. These
articles made up the entire furniture
or the apartment. The walls whit
were OF roughly-hewn slabs nailed 70
the frame of the hut, were corof,,I~
papered over with old Sydney Morntng
Heralds, while the two small wIn5IH
frames were covered with calico
A u which is built for the dual MIR
pose OF cooking and sleeping in gen
erally mas a large fireplace which an
tlreiy occupies one end of it such
one mad this, and upon the beortb
there blazed a log-fre, beneath . le,-
Tie which hung from an iron bar
Altogether the visit to the hnt ala
occupy above five minutes.
The sergeant declared himsels so.,.
ned and Mrs. Baynes, rising from, tho
oed' begged Mr.. Hall to stav and
cept Of some tea. y
The kettle is already on III. ho,,
sir, she said. Ing ooii'
Pray do not disturb yourself NJ.
the squatter
stood up. I'VE are too sorry for hsn
mad to come at ALI"
When the search-party had viii,
unmarked to Mr..
rnats the woman, I sunno.e ~,
heard so much talk abontptSa V
"u ana shut up
nj. | dare say" replied Mr.. Hall "pso-
say all sorts of things, sha,. REQ
bUa wife, and is a hopeless inva, I%e
she is very good at bsr nos
anu my wife is uncommonlv Ola
a hAa@ DA&A W