Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-10-24

had got him safe out of 1t. She loves
him-she loves himi"
william Hantlin's heart sickened at
h thought. for he remembered the
mans wonderful beauty. and he felt,
with a cold chill OF misery creeping
yer him. hat he could not hope to
win a woman whose heart was already
occupied by such a rival.
Though he is already false TO her.
and has been. no doubt, a dozen times
besides. yet women are strange crea-
lures. They cling TO a man who COM
Tnits a murder. but IL he makes love
to another pretty woman. no! no! that
Is quite another matter. and very much
worse than killing some one now and
then.
"Pshaw. I'm a fool. The handker-
chief means nothing. He may have
been visiting Mrs. Grayson, and put 1t
in his pocket by mistake"
But that evening he watched Mrs.
G~rayson's house. and when Leonce
emerged from it-as she did aboutF7
o'clock-he logged her footsteps for
two hours, and had the satisfaction OF
seeing her match some lace at a cross
town store and buy several spools of
sewing silk.
And though he watched the house
after h returned until every light was
out, he saw no more OF her that nighL.
On the next day Humpy jack in
formed him that the marquis had re-
turned to his hotel, late in the even
ing, alone.
For the rest OF the evening M late
into the night Hantlin then Swallowed
Castellani. and learned nothing more
than that the man was a desperate
gambler, and, when the MOOD was on
him, would have wagered his sou on a
cast-if it had not been lost already.
Several days passed thus, and Hant-
lin was still without evidence Of a ma
ture to warrant him in causing the ar
rest OF the Marquis del CastelIani, al
though his moral conviction on the
subject amounted to certainty.
He managed to follow the man about
almost everywhere now He had con-
ceived a bitter personal hate against
this foreigner, augmented for the jeal-
ousy he felt for the man as a rival, and
this had so sharpened his naturally
keen faculties that he was enabled TO
invent a dozen new ways of logging
n watching.
But on one occasion had he managed
to find Castellani and Leonce together.
This gave him both pleasure and dis
appointment-the latter, because IL
Iessened his chance of securing evil
dence of guilt; and the former be-
cause 1t spared him the Jealous agony
Of seeing any exhibition Of Leonce's
love for the MARQUIS.
More han once he had watched the
meetings with Lefty Martin. They
were always In public, and the couple
always parted, at the end Of their IN
terview, in the same place where they
met; and once he had been near
enough to hear the girl address the
man as her husband.
Her husband! Could 1t be true?
And how woul Leonce bear such
~treachery? he asked himself.
But a wild hope tool possession of
him at the same moment, and his
thoughts turned longingly toward the
woman ne now loved with a resistless
p~assion--a passion that fed on itself.
and was increased by the mystery and
uncertainty surrounding it.
That day he was Obliged to go TO a
neighboring city, on an imperative or
der from his chief. to whom he had
his return he found that there was an
not yet confided his suspicious In re-
gard TO the Italian marquis, n upon
urgent message from Mrs. Grayson in
regard to a discovery she had made
concerning the recent tragedy in the
house.
Hantlin had little enough confidence
In the Importance of any discovery that
Mrs. Grayson had made. Sometimes
he was inclined to doubt whether she
wished to make any such discovery,
but he understood In a moment that
srch a call would bring him face TO
face with Leonce, and give nim an OPP
rortunity TO speak with the French
maid and gaze into her eyes, and this
III had not dared to do in all his spy
ing and watching upon her.
He was speedily on his way to Mrs.
Grayson's ami he was the visitor whom
Susan admitted at the moment she
was about to open the door for Mrs.
Martin.
They looked at each other sharply,
the detective and the lady. and then.
with a slight bow, proceeded on their
sc dIdl ways, D. NAll ~ W lSluEh
to her own home, with plenty to think
of, by the way, and Detective Hantlin
to wait in the room the other visitor
had Just left until the appearance Of
Mrs. Gravson.
Clarice did not keep him long watt
ing. she entered the room almost i'm
meciately, and the detective was in.
stantly struck with the change in her,
both as to manner and appearance.
Che was no longer bowed beneath
the weight of anxiety regarding Shir-
ley Austin. She was nov possessed OF
proof OF his innocence, which In her
heart she had never doubted, notwith-
standing her fathers language and
other circumstantial evidence. and h
felt assured that he still loved her, for
otherwise he would not have sought
her out.
She was still In heavy mourning, but
IT was the only sign OF woe about her.
Her face was radiant; excitement and
hope had brought the brightest roses
to her cheeks. and her eyes were bright
and blowing with the determination TO
free her lover from all shadow OF sus
picion, and her reward him for his