Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1903-03-11
CHAPTER xxxu

When Griswold took his leave of
Miss Grierson, which he did as soon
as he could after Mr.. Galbraith's
coming, he did not go to DR.. Farm
hams. On the contrary, he went to
his room at Mrs. Holbrook's, and
spent the hour before dinner tramp
ing up and down with his hands be-
hind him and with a sharper trouble
than he had ever known gnawing
ruthlessly at his peace of mind.
All through the talk with Margery,
and up to the very instant of inter
ruption. he had made sure that her
thinly yelled hypothesis revolved
about one Edward Raymer. But at
the last moment, this conviction had
trembled upon it's pedestal and tot
tered to its fall. He. thought he had
come to know Margery pretty we'll
we'll enough to be sure that she
would not misunderstood anything
that he might have said. But when
he came to weigh those sayings of
his in the light of possible miscon-
struction he was moved to grind his
teeth In very manly agony Of
shame.
He had neither weighed nor meas
ured them at the time-being so sure
that Raymer was the man; but in
that last little outburst of hers there
was room for most disuuieting
doubt; and since man may be a
knave of conscience and still be a
gentleman, Griswold despised himself
very heartily after the fact, going so
far as to question his right to go to
Charlotte until after this terrible
doubt was drawn and quartered and
decently buried out of sight and be-
yond the possibility of a resurrec-
ton.
1t was during this ante-dinner in
terval of self-recriminatio on Girls
WOid's part that two men met behind
a closed door in a first-foor chamber
or the summer hotel on the Point.
One of them was Mr.. Andrew Gal
braith, but now returned from his
call on Miss Grierson. The other was
shrewd-faced man, as yet in the
prime of life; man with a square
jaw and thin lips and ferretty eyes.
Mr.. Galbraith held a cigar between
his fingers, but it had gone out. The
other was smoking a Regalia, and it's
subtle fragrance filled the room.
You think you are sure of your
man this time, are you. Grifin?" said
the banker.
The detective blew a smoke-cloud
toward the ceiling and nodded slow
ly. There isn't shadow of doubt
about his identity, now"
Then, pardon me, Mr.. Griffin, why
do you come to me. Why don't you
make your arrest and take the man
to New Orleans? III be there to ap-
pear against him at the fall term of
court
Il don't rightly know why I have
come to YOU" The detectives reply
was as hesitant as his nod had been.
GIVE put the irons on some queer Gus
toners in my time, and don't know
as l ever hung back till now. But
this fellow"
State your case" said the banker,
briefly. II can't conceive of any
thing which would come between you
and your sworn duty"
That's it; that's just it. Neither
could l. But something has come be-
tween, this trip. First off, 1 got to
know the fellow pretty well before I
found out who he was, and-well. he
sort of captured me, as you might
say. He wasn't anybody's hold-up;
he was just nice, square, clean-cut
gentleman. all open and above-board.
Pretty soon after that, he did me a
considerable of good turn-took
some trouble to do it. About that
time I began to suspect who he was.
and not to be owing him when it
came to the handcuff act, I tried to
even up on that good turn of his.
That's where fell down. Instead OF
squaring the thing, / got in deeper,
and the coolheaded beggar saved my
life, out and out. Now that's my hot
box, Mr.. Galbraith. What would you
do if the fellow saved your life?"
Andrew Galbraith answered Off
hand, as man will when the sup
position is only an hypothesis which
can by no means be transmitted into
facts personal.
i should do my duty, of course.
This would be an uncanny world to
live in, Mr.. Griffin, if we let personal
considerations stand in the way of
plain duty
ITO Be Continued