Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-07-24

hole which his action had laid bare,
and then replaced the carpet.
THAT'S the woman of it, he said.
''You must never surprise them.
Now, go on, but please lower your
voice little"
"Marmaduke," said I, speaking very
fast, ''you think that this old man is
your friend"
ST know he isl said President
Smith.
"You think that he comes from a
western university, that he is min
about his book on the Lost Tribes,
that he is going to Washington to
obtain pension, that he is a weak
old man, who"
''Who said that believed all this ?''
asked President Smith, calmly.
'Well, everything shows that you
do. Your coming out to see him SO
often, your walking with him in the
garden, sitting with him in the grape
arbor, talking about the Lost
Tribes"
"Who said that we talked about
the Lost Tribes in the arbor and the
garden?"
"Well, you talk Of them on the
piazza till they have driven me wild.
Whatever it is that you talk about,
this man is deceiving you. was re-
assured last evening when I saw the
insignia of his Office, but he may
have stolen that badge, and have
come to the conclusion that he is
playing a double part.''
ST am conspiring to save you,
Sophronia, to save you from your
self and your trusting nature. Poor
Sophronia, you do indeed need a man
one, confide you to the care of my
sleuth-hound of the detective force"
I turned pale. I could not see my
self, but I felt pallor creeping over
my features. I sat down, trembling.
"Don't cry, Sophronia! Don't
faint! It's all right. There is a con-
| spiarcy, right here in your own
| house, and we are trying to save you
from it, Jennings and I. We don't
| know just what it means, as yet,
but"
"But your untruths, Marmaduke
Smith. How do you excuse those?"
''The end justifies the MEANS" said
he. ''The end certainly justifies the
MEANS
"How could you know what was
happening out here? You never
come near me-
81 should like to come, Sophronia,
[ should like to come. 1 thought of
you at once when Jennings said that
he wanted boarding place near the
village, and then, strange to say,
discovered that this was the very
house where he wished to take up
his abode. He told me the story, as
far as he knows it, and volunteered
to help him. Now, let me give you
one word of caution. You have
stumbled upon this matter long be-
fore we intended that you should
know anything about it. Now, the
only thing for you to do is to act as if
you knew nothing about it. Treat
these people exactly as you have all
! along, and"
| ooh. how can I listen to the Lost
tribes any longer?" said I, almost
crying. Truth to tell, my nerves
were shaken by all that had come
and gone.
| 81 will promise, dear Mrs. Brath-
waite, to change the subject now"
he said, and I went to my room and
locked my door, sitting listless, far
into the morning.
| CHAPTER vi.
| No one can imagine how dreadful
| ~ L felt at the turn that matters
had taken. If this girl was really
the little Amaranthe of my young
| ladyhood, and I could not doubt that
she was, it seemed a terrible thing
| to have found her associated with
strange men who could come into
her windows at night. But, after all,
was I certain that any strange man
had come into the window at night :?
I thought of asking Mr.. Beldon to
| help me, and set him as a watch upon
her. The fact of the existence of
that plug which Elder Wynne had
| cut in some way out of the floor
of my upper back did not escape my
| mind. That, of course, was to keep
watch upon Mr.. .Beldon, but I
thought that Elder Wynne, or Bob
Jennings, rather, had overreached
himself.
I made up my mind that when I
went downstairs in the morning I
would speak very plainly to my
boarder. I waited until nine o'clock,
and then I went across the hall and
stood at the door of the lower-front
chamber. I waited a moment, hest
tateds bent my head and listened.