Barton County democrat., 1903-01-02
A Knave of
Con nSCience
By FRANCIS LYNDE.
tCopyrigss 1900. BY Francis Lynde.)
CHAPTER XIII.

CHAPTER XIII.
Putting this and that together, it
was the Griswold of his earlier New
York days-the days of the slender
patrianony = who presented himself
at. the. counter of the Hotel Marlbor-
ough. The clerk was graciously af-
fable.
''Glad to have you with us, Mr.
Griswold. VIII you have a room?'
Griswold thought not; not in any
case if he could get late train to
his destination This brought on
question and answer. There was a
train. and the clerk did know some
thing of Wakaska; knew much. in
fact, since he had lived there.
0riswold pumped the man dry. and
at the end OF the pumping process
knew as much about the Minnesota
town as he could have CLEANED from
a six months residence therein. Aft
erward, he went to supper in the
cafe, meaning to go thence to the
waiting Pullman at the Terminal.
He was scarcely out of sight be-
fore the diminutive Irishman who
had driven him came to the counter
and made cautious inquiries of the
clerk, touching the name, address
and intentions of his late fare; all
this ON the pretext that the fare had
overpald him.
The clerk knew his man and in
dulged him. even going so far as to
write Griswold's name and intended
address on card for him. Where
upon. instead of waiting for Girls
wold's emergence from the cafe, as
" hn
peared.
of purely philistine contentment
while he was waiting for his supper.
At last the difficulties were all in the
past. He would resume his name.
and his plans; and these last took
on all the roseate hues of their
birthday.
down to his work, study the people,
be helpful and generous and brother
loving. using the money he had won
for the betterment of his kind. And
in time he would meet Miss Farnham
on her own ground, and she would
see the demonstration of his theory
see and be convinced. But just
here he remembered that he could
never convincesher. because she could
never know; and from this he passed
K, many curious questions touching
his own feelings for this young wom-
an who had been thrown in his way.
He had been calling her q faultless
authors model; was she only that
to him? Assuredly she was much
more. and when he had gotten that
far. it was only step to the admis-
sion that he was frankly in love with
her. The admission opened up a
prospect for which there was no word
save grievous. For since he could
never stoop to win her under false
pretenses. she might never be won.
He knew well enough that all the
good deeds he could ever do with
the stolen money would not atone;
that in the moment of fruition her
conscience would condemn him and
cast him out.
Perhaps it was this thought, as
much as the threat of coming i'll
ness. that made him lose his appetite
as soon as his supper appeared. But
lose it he did. and nothing the wait
er .coulu bring sufficed to tempt him
He forced himself to eat little in
sheer desperation. and afterward
went to the great rotnnda to smoke
cigar. To his great disgust. the
tobacco brought ON retnvn of the
vertigo which had assailed him or
the leyee: whereupon he paid his
score and took a cab for the train
meauing to go to bed and try ths
effect of forgetfuiness>
The experiment was success. tenn
t,orarily. at least, and he was asleeI
before the Pullman porter came t.
adjust the screen in the window q
his feet.
The train was made mp ready t
leave when a hawi-faced man saun
tered up to the steps Of the Pullman
and pecked at the porter
sfATilcls of load tonight. George?
$40. sah; mighty light Nobod