The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-09-05

him. "Palomita" nestled to her more
closely day by day, a fragile, loving
and lovable child to whom Lois up
piled the l~ong-lacking place OF a
mother. Mrs. Glynn she saw only at
meal-times. That languid lady with
her novels and headaches kept to her
own apartments, reviving sufficiently
only to dress for dinner.
There could not be a more care-free
life than that led by those sprigs of
English aristocracy, self-expatriated.
1t seemed to the young woman that
they bred and herded cattle merely as
a matter of amusement. The animals
were cared for, of curse, by the large
force of Mexican vaqueros, range-rid-
ers, trailers, and so forth. The various
"Honorables" were in saddle from
morning until night. but they were not
at work. Polo, peccary-chases, cours-
ing jack rabbits with greyhounds,
hunting black-bellied quail, excursions
to the river in search of wild turkeys,
stalking the mule-eared deer took up
their daylight hours. At night there
was music, or moonlit strolls under the
soft blue sky, or the twanging OF gui-
tars and %plunking of banjos on the
heavily wooded banks Of the arroyo.
G~rayborough was knee-deep In the
SHOWS, but to her the mockingbird was
pouring out its full soul to the stars
and there was just enough of tang in
the air to keep the blood dancing.
But one thing disturbed the idyllic
current of her life and that thing was
the Hon. Russell Maude. Struck by
her beauty when he had first seen her
and subsequently charmed by her bold.
keen brain, he had set himself to win
her with an ardency and assiduity that
would not be denied. He was the eld-
est of all the unmarried men on the
rancho, possessed a certain influence
over them, though this influence could
not be said to be due to liking. and,
seeing his determination. they drew
back, permitting him a clear field.
When. in self-protection, the girl would
have sought Godwyn or Peyton, those
gentlemen were not to be found. AS
for Allyn, he seemed to have been eff
faced completely from her life. He
met her only at table, was seated a
her but seldom and then devoted him
self to his food with grave r%eticence.
1t came to be q recognized thing that
when the men entered the drawing
room after dinner Maude should seek
her out and be ear her at the piano,
or pen her in q far corner of the room.
where his large person shielded her
from view of the company. During
this time the man exerted all Of his
undeniable charm. He was well edu-
Gated. talked with ease, had seen and
known many interesting things in
many strange lands and was much in
love. He had q masterful manner
which seemed to say: "You may evade
me for awhile, but my will is stronger
than yours and eventually I shall have
my way" Lois English did not know
what fear was, but she sometimes
asked herself If it would all end as he
wished; II, wearied Of incessant pur-
suit, she would yield merely to obtain
relief. There could be nc question Of
his sincerity. When she was near, his
dark face lighted up as II some inward
fire had flared. When she was far:
gloom settled upon him. He drew
himself apart from his associates.
They found him more than ordinarily
taciturn and unapproachable. He was,
as C. Claybrough put it, "Doosid dis
agreeable, don't you know" With it
all. his bearing was devoid Of open Of
tense. He seemed to plead even when
he compelled and she could o see her
way clear to checking him. Indeed. he
left no opening for remonstrance and
she could only wait and wonder, not
knowing how it would all end.
On a December night, the others
having made up two tables at whist,
Maude led her through one Of the long
windows to the gallery outside and
thence into the hard. white yard. Fifty
yards away grew q grove Of pecans
and to this he bent his steps, she go
ing obediently. She seemed to feel
that a crisis was near and her spirit
rose to meet it. There was no moon,
but in q cloudless heaven was q glory
Of stars. so large, 20 brilliant that al
most one Of her lost northern twilights
was about her. Reaching the grove he
paused and looked at her for a full
minute without speaking. Finding the
silence irksome. and anxious, as every
woman similarly placed is anxious, for
the crucial moment to come and pass,
she laughed lightly, though with some
constraint, and said:
"You are silent tonight. Mr.. Maude.
Are you thinking Of p~ig-sticking or
the things in the last London paper?"
"Of neither" he answered gravely.
with his face set and his tall form
rigid. II am thinking, as I have
thought for . month past, OF you"
'It should be Improbable refec-
tion," she said quickly. There are
matters Of much more moment In the
world"
There Is not" he replied, speaking
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