Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-06-13
CHAPTRE xxxI-Continued.J

hat II were my fancy. All. Mr.. Lay
ron, you VII soon learn the bitter
.fN foundation on which my so-called fancy
ls3A Was been built-soon stand aghast at
This mans monstrous wickedness!'
h, Il wonder If l did right" ne ques-
! Toned Of himself. mot to tell Chester
asst night what / had seen? 1 wonder
eyf love binds me to the duty that I owe
A licny host? Yet 1 might further harm
l. .Ioier, and that / cannot do. A few days
III, Boomer or later can work no great mis-
t4 .ehief, and until then I must keep my
uiSwn counsel!-must watch and wait.
Ihicooor little grill All, If she might but
e a'est on my heart, how gladly II would
open to receive her! But instead, there,
Stretches before me a long, cherries
Debath of duty. and cold and stately Edith
I'd Lorrimer's step keeps pace with mine"
i've The day wore TO it's close, and the
,.Tvening shadows ushered in Christmas
~, Eve. The Christmas tree was lighted,
with it's innumerable candles. and
39iio empting and beautiful gifts hung from
3gf navery bough.
gs Mr.. Grant had fulfilled his commits
,~3ions wei. All OF the little household
uahad gathered in the drawing room. All
lli4ere waiting their hosts surprise.
I'll Rarely, indeed, had Randolph Chester
nooeen seen in so genial, so sparkling a
mo The guest particularly honored
an1y his attention was Mr.. Grant.
eerg He knew your father years ago,
stad, lear Beatrice" he said. when he was
Tow put a lad. 1t seems strange. does it
But we welcome him doubly at
- eirey Oaks for Cousin Donald's sake"
Hem The girl listened with a dull weight at
c. Kher heart. His words meant something?
,T~hcnfyhat?
- She strove to throw TO BERTHE a glance
.of warning, but she could not catch his
Fulm.ye
tn AS they gathered about the tree Ches-
sbe rer left the room: but almost before the
y,srest had missed him he was among
'ethem.
5ion 4 aYou promised us a surprise. Mr..
house chester. said Miss Lorrimer. when
cheers it to be-"
81, You shall not have great need of pa
tience,' he replied. but first I want TO
you a little story. 1t concerns my
rCousin Beatrice and myself. Suppose
Thfyou make yourselves the judges be-
he Tween us. On the night of her fathers
death a robbery was committed-a rob-
preSabery which cost his life. 1t was no
common theft nor common thief. The
man who robbed him was one whose
hand he had honored by clasping 1t in
An Friendship, and who in return, Judas
mike, betrayed him. He dared, too, to
aspire to the hand Of my cousins heir
sss, she who was betrothed to me-"
TT is falsel" interrupted Beatrice.
10 No"How dare you utter so base a lie?"
Net "She was betTothed to me-" he re-
peated, quietly, and unheeding the de-
nial: but under the shock of the
1t ievents of this night her brain gave
way. Her former love for me became
not waversion-and to this man-this thief
this murderer-she gave her heart. He
,erioc was at once arrested and imprisoned,
escaped. She, too, fed from my
,entrshome and protection. OF her return
d you all know: but what you do MOI
ANTS. know is that he followed her here-he
elves dareG penetrate in disguise beneath
tintthe roof OF the house he had desecrated.
Hon She, poor child, in her madness sent
ectec him word to come to her. That word
md II fell into my hands, and / let 1t go to its
us destination. / wished to entrap the
plotter in the meshes of his own
nteet plot. Nor have / failed to do So, You
ma all may ave noticed an old man, with
ecorc bent frame, white hair and beard, work
lon ting in the grounds"
oDer, At these words Beatrice breathed
WY freer; at least he did not suspect the
rem { truth.
Id THAT old man is in reality young
'f tht continued Chester-'young and strong
e,ise and athletic. His senses are keen and
hat ii 49, a. Ntior has oyartokap him We
49, have penetrated beneath the white
e hairs, the bowed frame and the trem-
ricelt o"ne 49, - ~, ,urirrIas 1vbicb
ave I aoa'.ha ISL nos
I been snatched from Bertram Talhot's
,,;nf face. / have asked these friends to be
'uuses oe'Neen . -, ''@
49, consent to their verdict?"
~, A scornfui smile wreathed her lips.
"a 'Bertram Talbot is not yet IN your
NJ M power" she answered, nor could she re-
10 81 press the little thrill of exultation in
rtreu her tone.
I.oi,s 'You think not?" he responded,
as,n mockingly, and, drawing slowly to the
side of Mr.. Grant, laid his hand, as If,
,mpa in frlenoship, on ms am "at ~
Y ski you ADVISE MT. nlah'' he S"N' SUNNY
what lowering his tone.
:. "To wreak your worst" replied Tai
liar bot, an inkling of the truth breaking
IN M upon him; but secure, even If so, in
the trusty men he had about him.
Alis Il have done So" replied Chester,
Il. with a sheer. II am nearly done. But
one step remains TO be taken. That
step constitutes the surprise 1 have
Abst promised my guests. The old man has
. an, made a hasty exit from the lodge. and.
singularly enough, Grant, your two de-
tectiyes from New York proved his &C
3 pt completes. They. likewise, have disap-
terw peared. I concluded to-day to execute
,nces my own commissions, The result is
that the state may feast another pris-
49, oner. Bertram Talbot, alias Mr.. Grant,
plol carr Won guess who IL may be?"
the AS ne spoke the last words, the door
CAT was flung open simultaneously with
per their utterance, ana 'n.ee men sprans
NC One moment sufficed TO overcome his
50 desperate resistance.
ma Then he stood. pale as marble, his
ms burning eyes fixed upon the woman on
whom his love had entailed yet further