Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-02-09
"a GIRL E GRIT
BY MAJOR ARTHUR GRIFFlTHS.
MAJOR ARTHUR GRIFFIThS.
Copyright, 1900, by r. r. Fenno 8 Co.

things DO happen
Then he pulled up short and faced me
as IL / We're a criminal and a tough.
II suppose you are to be trusted?
Who and what do you call yourself?
You haven't dreamed all this? You
weren't drunk last night?'
Il am a water drinker, Sir Charles
C~ollingham, and take 1t from choice,
not according TO my PHYSICIANS rule.
| replied severely. YOU, / conclude
from your title, are a British army off,
GER, but / do not consider you are a
gentleman TO make such aspersions."
Come. come, don't lose your temper.
/ never dots a mistake-in business,
and you haven't told me yet who you
are and what you have to do with Cap
tain Wood"
The shortest way was to give him one
Of my cards. He was not u~nacouainted
with the name of ~Saraband, and said
SO courteously enough. Indeed. he be-
came now so civil that, judging him TO
be really a person OF Importance. / gave
him a brief outline of the plot to which
we believed Captain Wood had fallen a
victim.
You think it is the money, do you?
Nothing else?" he asked sharply.
why, what else could there be-"
He hesitated for a moment, but said
at last:
II am not at liberty to tell you, eX-
actly. They are confidential matters
connected with the service. Blu there
might be reasons to induce designing
people to carry off Captain Wood and
hide him for a time. He possesses GER
tain information of the highest value
To- Well. / must not tell you. But
the disappearance Of these papers, OF
the dispatch box, in short, supports me
in that view
There are public grounds, then, for
instituting a keen search for Captain
Wood?"
Very much so, indeed, and we must
instantly call In the police. / shall go
at once to Scotland Yard and set the
detectives in notion"
Guess I've been there already, and
they only laughed at me-"
"By George, they will not laugh at
me. Why, this might become a cabinet
question. If those papers have fallen
into the wrong hands, there may be
the devil of a row. Wood or no Wood,
| must have them back this very day,
and ! can't stop talking here"
"One minute, Sir Charles. My-our
interest in Captain Wood is hardly Sec
ond to yours. Anyway there are identi-
cal. 1t would be best, / submit, to
work together"
quite SO. 1nat Is very sensible.
Have o any plans? What would you
propose?" He was as sweet as milk by
his time.
well, obviously one thing presses
urgently. A descent should be made
by a posse Of police upon that house In
the Strathallan road"
In any case, there shall be no more
delay. Here, you, sir"--this was to
Savory-"hail the first cab. I'm off to
Scotland Yard. WIZ you come with
me?"
I'D rather meet you, Sir Charles, out
yonder, for | suppose you'll go yourself
with the police?"
Certainly / shall, possibly ahead of
them; so au revoir."
Stay, Sir Charles. | had forgotten
this letter which came an hour ago. 1t
is addressed to Captain Wood, and 1T
might throw some light on this mystic
rious affair. To be sure, ii is in q wom-
ans hand, but | "a just about to open
IT when you appeared. DO you think l
dare"
by all means. Every scrap Of intel
ligcnce is of the utmost Importance
now. I'll do 1t. / can settle afterward
il necessary with Captain Wood"
SO he broke the seal, opened the let
ter and instantly burst into a loud,
CHEEKY laugh.
"Oho, Miss Frida, so you have not
been long in coming to an understand
ing with our man of many millions.
Read it," he said, and he handed me the
letter. 1t was headed 1913 Hill street
and was signed "Frida." There were
only a few lines:
What has become Of you? l thought
we were to see you early, before lunch
con. have been simply furious. Now
l am frightened. Something must have
happened. 1t cannot be that you have
already forgotten-laSt night"
Reckon / know what she means by
last night for l heard their parting at
the door of the house in Princes Gate"
Where, no doubt, they had been bill
ing and cooling" added the general.
but she is entitled to know what mas
happened. You had better go round by
Hill street on your way TO Barnes.
Enough said. I'm off"
We soon started. Savory and /, In a
secon hanson. and at the mans sug-
gestion took the dog.
Hell surely find the captain" said
Savory, IF there is any sort Of scent"
and the dog seemed to understand his
business, for directly we reached Hill
street he was the first inside the house
and raced upstairs in a businesslike
way n evidently quite at home in the
place.
BY and by he came down again, fol-
lowed by about the brightest, smartest
and sweetest young creature | had
seen since my last Sunday walk on
Fifth avenue after church.
It's not in my line to say what she
wore, but | think 1t was a tailor made
garment, and it fitted her like q glove.
All l could see were her flashing eyes
and the red lips apart as she tackled
me sharply.
"Of course you are from Captain
Wood? This is his dog. What have
you to tell me? Quick! Explain.
Where is he himself?"
II wish, madam, l could tell you that
for certain, but l cannot. The fact is
the captain is
Here! Step in here" She opened
the door of a room, showed me a chair.
took her stand on the hearthrug,
with her arms behind her back, and
said:
Let me have the whole story or as
much as you know OF it. Make haste,
please"
She still stood erect and fearless,
showing great mastery over herself, as
| told briefly and quickly all l knew.
Except that the color came and went,
hat her cheek was now crimson, now
blanched a creamy white, that her eyes
glittered with the tears she still reso-
lutely kept back, this brave child suf-
no sign of emotion to escape her
at the peril of her lover.
well, what have you done?" Ihe
asked imperiously. What do the po-
lice say?"
j began to explain.
Tut, tut! Let us have no excuses.
no hAatinr ohr,,f Tho hiSh Won hox,A
this-let me see-more than
twelve hours, and yet my-my friend,
Wood, is still there where you
say they took him."
Where / believe they too him."
"rhis won't do at all, Mr.. - i don't
know who you are or what you call
yourself-Snuyzer, an American de-