The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-12-29

style of woman--Miss Faulkner. You
will receive yoIs papers later at your
hotel, andsleave tonight
Brant's unlucky slip was still potent
enough to divert the official attention,
or he would have noticed the charge
in his visitors face, and2the abruptness
of his departure.
Once In the street, Hrant tore off tho
envelope. But beneath 1t was another,
on which was written in a delicate, re-
fined hand: Please do not open this
until you reach your destination"
Then, h knew he was going! And
this was her influence. All his suspi-
cions again returned. She knew he was
going through the lines, II this very
appointment, through her influence,
might be q plot to serve her n the
enemy. Was this letter which she was
%intrusting to him the cover of a miss
I've to her southern friends. which she
expected him to carry, as a return for
her own act Of s~elf-sacrifice? Was this
the appeal she had been making to his
chivalry, his gratitude, his honor? The
perspiration stood in beads on his fore
head. What defect lay hidden in MS
nature that seemed to make him an
easy Victim of these intriguing wom-
en2 He had not even the excuse of
~gallantry. Less susceptible to the po-
tencies of the sex than most men. he
I"d5 Sllil CullptllSlE W pSdi III VIZ
ltation. He remembered his GOODNESS to
Miss Faulkner in the first days of their
meeting, and her effect upon his sub
a%lterns. Why had she selected him
from among them, when she could
have modelled the others like wax to
her purpose? Why? And yet With the
question came a possible answer that
he hardly dared to think of; that In
Its very v~agueness seemed to fill MIN
with a stimulating thrill and hopeful
ness. He quicscned his pace. ilc
would take the letter II yet be mas
ter Of himself when the time came to
open 1t.
That time came three days later, IN
his tent on Three Pine Crossing. AS
he broke open the envelope he was re-
lieved to find that it contained no 9TH
er in%cIosdfe, and seemed intended only
for himself. 1t began abruptly:
when you read this you, Will IN
iderstand why l did not speak to You
when we met last night; why l even
dreaded that you might speak to me-,
knowing what ] ought to tell you even
at such n place and moment-some-
thing you could hear from me alone.
I did not know o We're In Washing
ton, although ] knew that you were re-
lieved; l had no way of seeing you or
sending to o before, and l only came
to Mrs Boompointer's party in the
hope of hearing news or you.
You know that my brother was
captured by our pickcts, in company
with another officer. He thinks you
suspected the truth, that he and his
friend We're lowering neal your lines to
effect the escape OF the shy. But he
says thai although they failed to help
her she did escape, u was passed
through the lines by o IL ~connivance.
He says that you seemcd to know her,
that from what Rose. the muiatto NO
man, told him. o and She were evil
IDENTIFY old friends. / would not speak
of this, nor irtrude upon your private
affairs only that l think you ought to
know that ] had no knowledge of 1T
when l was in your house, but believed
her to be a stranger to you. You gave
me nc intimation that you knew her,
and I believed that you were frank
with me. But l should not speak of
this al all. for j believe that it would
have made no difference with me in
repairing the wrong that l thought l
had dom ou. only that as | am forced
by circumstances TO tell you the ter
rible ending Of this story you ought TO
know it all.
4 EHE ..-, ~ 49, .a".-