The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-08-08

that he had passed for a short time as a
private agent of Washington. coming
well recommended from w friends in
New York. The comInander-in-chief.
however, with his unerring sagacity,
mad finally come to suspect the man,
and had then lost him of a sudden.
Curtis had seen him now four times.
put never face to face, only in the
darkness. And the way the man had
eluded him had hurt the young lieu
tenants pride, besides giving his
strong, serious nature q difficult task
thai fitted into his desire for hard la
Dor Of any sort. ~.
I'll come up with the man, If 1t takes
the powers Of hell to do t." he declared
one night, after we had spent the even
Ing covering a bit of the country to the
eastward OF Teller's Point.
'Egad, Rob, I pity him. cried Ac-
ton, FOR yell come up with him some
day, and hen will there be q short but
unpleasant hour for him." A.
IF ever 1 meet him." said the other
calmly, ct will be q short affair, for
t is between him and me now: and. If
you'll believe it. Tn blessed If 1 do not
think he knows it."
Yell do it, by Cad. Rob, yell do it.
sure!' said the other with that bound
less confidence of an open, enthusiastic
nature in one who is always reserved
and unenthusiastic to a fault. "
So in the tea days that followed my
arrival we spent half the time securing
the country, looking for this ghost with
the APE coat n the phantom horse.
To confess truth, 1 a some doubts of
the Importance Of the work, which
showed how little I knew of the in
trisuing and u~nder-current work going
on at this otherwise strangely period Of
the war, Twas on such an expedition
that, Acton had nearly lost his life when
l CHANGED along; and, in fact, t was
no child'S play to roam about the coun-
try to the south of us. infested as it
was with all the outlaws of the north
ern part Of the colonies.
These villains preyed on any one, and
we were good meat for them. Two or
three running fights we had in these
ten days, as it was, but without results
Of any kind, save the lesson of know
ing when to run away. Yet could Acton
never get this better part Of valor IN
to his head: for t was always q hard
task to make, him retire. AS on the day
I first met him, he would brighten up
at the prospect Of a fight, and would
tackle any number Of SINNERS that
might fall in with us with a laugh on
AAAo AAPo LIN Joy - llIS llCdlt. F1lur ltlGit
when we had finally got him away, once
actually leading his horse against his
WILL, he would curse us roundly for an
hour, and then beg our pardon! :
Yet with all his the time dragged
with me, for 1 had hoped to get a COM
mission to search for Arnold, and each,
day that passed made this more hope
less. Once we heard that he lay in New,
York; again, hat he had gone to Eng
Ia nd j.. still a pnin. that he. -hoI ioj,a1
CORVALLIS in the south. I had, Of
course, told my story to my two friends
and We had here again agreed to work
together, should I ever gain permission
to go forth in search Of him. The idea.
brought more life and color to Curtis
face than anything I had witnessed
since making his acquaintance; for,
cool though he was and little given to
enthusiasm, this was a work after his
W heart. In fact, his mind seemed
gradually to settle upon that, too, as a
piece of work he. must have a hand in.
Then, too, my mind would continually
bark pack to a face that would not
down from my thoughts, and I won
dered night after night as I lay in my
bed-for the colonel's aides actually did
have beds-what she did now, and now;
where she was; what might be her sor-
row n trouble that had taken her
from her home, and why fate should
have set the insurmountable barrier of
a great war between us. OF The episode
of Gowan's tavern In which one James
Marvin had taken Sc significant a part,
/ thought but little and spoke not at all.
because, indeed. 1t meant nausht And
yet t was a strange satisfaction that
would run through my blood, to think
that this n unknown woman of all
others in the world had stood beside
me there, had ridden with me the next
morning, and, whatever she might have
felt. a certainly trusted me. If T
could see her once again, under happy
circumstances! II I could watch the
sudden changes Of mood fly one after
another across her fair face! Aye, il T
could! If T could! If
And in walked Curtis with his usual
careless step n undisturbed counten-
ance, to say: &
Get your kit together, lad. We go
on something worth while this night"
Without a word, I took my sword
from the corner and got pistol and boots
ready. IT was only a moment, and we
went over to his room, where sat Jack
Acton, ready as well.
I've take twenty men, and ride south.
Are o ready"
why twenty men, Rob?' asked Ac-
ton. Let us do it alone, whatever II
may be-"
We shall need them all. Nothing
more here. The walls can hear and talk
Of it" :.
"Still, / do not see," went on the big
fellow; but he followed after.
Continued Next Week.) d.
go.
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