The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-11-17
81 aRENCE'
BY BRET HARTE.


BY BRET HARTE.
He lifted his cap, renovated his
! horse and rode away as the young
girl, with d proud, Indifferent step.
moved down the road with the ser
geant. a mounted officer passed
him and saiuted-it was one of his
own staff. From some strange i'll
stiIct he knew that he mad witnessed
the scene, and from some equally
strange intuition he was moved by its
But he continued his way, visiting one
Or two oatposts and returned by a
long detour to his quarters. AS he
stepped upon the veranda he saw Miss
Faulkner at the bottom of the gar=
den talking with some one across the
hedge. liy the aid OF his glass he
could recognize the shapely figure OF
the mulatto woman which he had seen
before But by it's aid he also dis
covered that she was carrying u
fowerseSactly like the one which Miss
Faulkner still held in her hand. Had
she been with Miss Faulkner i'll the
lane--and if 80, why had she disap-
peared when he came up. lmpelled
by something stronger than mere
curiosity, he walked quickly down the
garden. but she evidently had noticed
him, for she quickly disappeared.
Not caring to meet Miss Faulkner
again, he retraced his steps, resolving
that he would on the first opPortu-
nifty personally examine and inter-
rogate this new visitor. For if she
were to take Miss Faulkner's place
eyenAin n subordinate capacity-this
precaution was clearly within his
rights.
He entered his room and seated
himself at his desk before the dis
patches, orders and reports awaiting
him. He found himself, however,
working half mechanically, and recur-
ring to his late interview with Miss
Faulkner in the lane. If she had any
inclination to act the spy, or to use
her position here as n means of com
municating with the enemy's lines, he
thought he had thoroughly frightened
her. Nevertheless, now, for the first
time, he was inclined to accept his
chiefs opinion of her. She was not
only too clumsy and inexperienced,
but she totally lacked the self
restraint of u spy. Her nervous
agitation in the lane was due to some
thing more disturbing than his mere
possible intrusion upon her confidence
with the mulatto.
On the contrary, it seemed to be per-
sonal to himself. He recalled the sim
gular significance of her question:
Then it is WARP" lie recalled her
strange allusion to his wife; wa it
merely the outcome of his own foolish
confession on their first interview, or
was it n concealed ironical taunt?
Having satisfied himself that she was
not likely to imperil his public duty
in any way, he was angry With him
self for specializing further. But,
although he still felt toward her the
same aintagonism she had at first pro-
voked, he was conscious that she was
beginning to exercise d strange fas-
cination on him.
Diminishing her at last with an effort
he finished his work, and thei rose
and unlocking n closet took out a
small dispatch box to which he in
tended to intrnst a few more ilnpor-
tant orders and memoranda. As he
opened it with n key on his watch
chain he was struck with u faint per-
fume that seemed to come from tia
perfume that he remembered. Was
~ ~ StIISll4 vi lliCE IloSSSl tlub LIZ
Faulkner carried-or the scent of the
handkerchief with which She had
wiped his checker a mingling of
both! Or was he under some diabol-
zeal spell OF that wrctched %girl--and
hel. witch-like flower? He leaned OH
the box and suddenly started. Upon
the outer covering of Il dispatch was
II singular blood-rcd streak! He eN-
amined it closely-it was the pow
derry stain OF the lily pollen-exactly
as he had seen it on the handkerchief.
There could be no mistake. lie
passed his hand over the stuin-he
could feel the slippery. i%mpalpable
powder OF the pollen. 1t was not
there when he had closed the box that
morning. it was impossible that it
should be there unless the box had
been opened during his absence. He
re-eNamincd the contents of the box,
the papers were all there. More than
that-they were papers of no impor-
lance except TO him personally; con-
tained no plans o key to any mill
t:try secret; he had been far too wise
to intrust amy to the accidents of
This alien house. The prying intruder,
whoever it was, had gained nothing!
But there was Enthusiastically the at
tempt! And the existence OF a would
be spy within the purlicus of the
house was equally clear.
He called all officer from the next
room. '.Ilas enyone been here since my
absence?a"
NO, general"
Has anyone passed through the
hallo"
He had fully anticipated the answer,
as the subaltcrn replied: only the
yomen servants
lie rc-entercd his room. Closing the
door. he again carefully examined the
box. his table, the papers upon it, the
chair before it, and even the Chinese
mating on the floor, for any further
Indication of the pollen. 1t. hardly
seemed possible that anyone could
have entered the room with the flower
in their hand without scattering some
of the tell-tale dust elsewhere; it was
too large a flower TO be worn on the
breast or in the hair. Again, no one
would have dared to linger there long
enough to have made an examination
of the box-with an officer in the next.
room, and servants passing. The box
ton made elsewhere.
~ itHt iNtd SC1ZCtt ~ Miss EduikllcIa
was still absent-the mulntto had APP
parently gone home. He quickly
mounted the staircase, but, instead Of
entering his room. turned suddenly.
aside into the wing which had been.
reserved. The first door yielded, as he.
turned the knob gently, and he enter
cd a room which lie at once recog-
nized as the young lady's boudoir.'
But the dusty and draped furniture
had been arranged and uncovered,
and the apartment had every sign Of
present use. Yet, although there was
every evidence of it's being used by a
person of taste and refinement, he
was surprised to see that the gar
nients. hanging in the open press,
were sucf. as were used by negro SER
wants, and that a gaudy handkerchief,
such as housemaids use for turbans,
was lying on the pretty sillkcn cover
let. He did not lingcr over these
details, but cast a rapid glance
round the room. Then his eyes be-
came fixed on II fanciful writing desk
which stood by The window. For in
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