Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-03-31

glanced across at her-"you are slight
and certainly dark"
As to that" she replied, with
laugh, II believe was fair enough as
a baby; but my hair darkened as
grew up; and then, you see, have
lived wandering life, with my faith
er, under many suns"
Precisely, precisely" murmured
Mr.. Stock. BY the way. I have no par
ticulars at all concerning you, but l
believe you have full and ample proof
as to your identity. A mere formality,
of course, but you know how suspi-
cious lawyers have to be-
Smiling, she laid upon the table the
wallet containing the papers. 81 think
you'll find that will be proof enough,
sir" she said, quietly. 81 always
knew where my mother came from,
and what the story was concerning
her marriage; these papers were Civ
en- me only little time ago. Know
ing the story of my grandfather's dis
like of my mothers marriage natur-
ally regarded them-the papers,
mean-as quite worthless. Now, Of
course. all that is changed
Mr.. Stock had been examining the
contents of the wallet while she spoke,
nodding occasionally as each bit of
evidence was put before him. 1t GER
tainly looked clear enough; no one
but Grace Yarwood could have such
evidence as this. He even recognized
In several cases, the handwriting of
~1<1 1Sftr~ II
ut certainly seems clear enough
Miss Yarwood," he said at last. "By
the way, you have mentioned your
father. 1t does not concern the mat
!, ter. admit, but where is he?"
That was an awkward question. The
father had clearly to be accounted for,
! yet the father of the dead girl was
of no earthly use to this new Grace
| Yarwood and. might, indeed, be an
encumbrance. She rapidly decided, in
| that moments pause that he was new
err likely to trouble her, and that she
had better be rid of him, once and for
| all time.
"Oh, he's dead" she said, with a
/ / becoming softening of the voice and
a droop of her eyelashes, He gave
me the papers just before he died.
I'm sorry said the lawyer. ut
/ would have been better, perhaps, to
4 have had him as a witness. You will
clearly understand, Miss Yarwood,
that do not doubt your word for a
moment he added hastily; but as
you were born abroad, it is quite i'm
possible to identify you except by the
! documentary evidence you possess.
Row, on the other hand, we could pro-
duce plenty of people in England who
knew your father in the old days and
/ would recognize him now. Where did
he die?
aIn America" she replied, shortly.
America is a large place, Miss Var
wood. Any particular spot?"
I'll forget. was, of course, in
4 great trouble at the time, and we had
been moving about great deal from
/ place to place. was taken on some
where else by friends"
4 Every nice, very proper" replied
Stock, closing his eyes for a moment
"And where might the somewhere
else have been?"
San Francisco" she said, at ven
i ture. Really, Mr.. Stock, l don't see
that you need to ask me all those
4 questions. she exclaimed, her voice
suddenly getting hard and querulous.
s'If you doubt what 4 say
Il doubt nothing" he replied, sooth-
ingly; Il have a duty to perform, and
that duty--alike to the living and to
the dead-denands Of nae that / shall
be careful. Can you tell me-" he add
ed, carelessly, what the initials j.
b. stand for?"
She gripped her hands together in
her lap and set her teeth hard. j. b.
! stood for Joyce Bland; how much did
this man know? The next MON 4,
however. she looked at him quietly 4,
and with quite an. air Of girlish inno-
cence shook her head and smiled.
4 "I'm afraid j don't quite under
# stand" she said, quietly.
on wrote us note last night,
Miss Yarwood, and you signed it in
i proper form Grace Yarwood;' you
added a postscript. and that bore the
4 initials j. 3, "A little puzzling, Ell q.
She was eual even to that. She saw
in an instant the blunder she had
4 made; saw that in that hurried post
script she had dashed down the mi
4 tials of the name she had been accus-
toned to for SO long. But she posi-
4 lively laughed in the JOY OF doing bat
4 tile with such q man as this, and gave
him her explanation In a moment.
oh, when was little child my
i father used to laugh at me and cali me
a young Britisher that was when we
were wandering in America. NY pet
name was Johnny Bull, and used to
sign my notes like that when / wrote
/. to people. Poor old dad z,
The lawyer rose slowly from his
chair. stretched across the table ind
held out his hand to her. MY dear
Miss Yarwood my last doubt is re-
lmoyad, = lie said. 81 owe you an apol-
ogy Tor having doubted at all; but I'm
sure YOU will understan thar one has,
IN q matter like this. to be very. very