Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1904-03-24

that had evidently been expected for
some time came snorting in and dis
charged its load of sun-browned pas
sengers. Stolid passengers in some
cases, to whom the mere arrival in
excited passengers in others, anxious
~ on the lookout for friends and for
their own possessions. In nearly ev-
cry case the passengers were met;
for this train had brought travellers
who had arrived at Southampton from
the other side Of the world.
Only in one Extraordinarily, at
least-did a passenger step from the
train without apparently even the ex-
pectation that any one would be wait
ing. That passenger was woman
young, and very well, although quiet
ly dressed CAUTIOUSLY enough, she
looked about her with the air of one
who has escaped from something.
There was almost a hunted look
in her eyessfor a moment as she
glanced about her with the air OF one
who has escaped from something.
There was almost a hunted look in
her eyes for moment as she glanced
about her---the look of one who has
arrived at the end of a long journey
and. has. a dread Of what she may
meet.
She had her baggage collected-not
very much of it and looking rather
.new-and was driven to hotel in a
street. leading from the Strand. The
journey was, of course, a very short
one. yet ones, thoughts travel fast.
and the thoughts of this woman went
back over a long time and over many
thousand miles of land and sea.
The woman was Joyce Bland, whom
we last saw disappear in the dust and
the darkness Of night in Nevada.
AS she drove through the noisy
streets of London-well dressed, with
money In. her purse, and with sure
and certain prospect before her-she
laughed grimly to think of what she
had left behind. ~ It'd
There had been that long and des-
perate ride, with the packet of papers
secure against her breast, and with
the knowledge that life had begun
again for her. In her heart the pas
sionate desire to be done forever with
the life she had led; in her heart
desperate resolve to fight this thing
through and win.
rrl,ov, limo end careful
charlottesville beginnings of that
long series of frauds on which she
had embarked. BY slow degrees she
had made her way to San Francisco
selling her horse and taking to the
cars at the first opportunity. She had
no intention of joining the man with
the price upon his head; that was not
in her scheme at all. He was to be
left behind, with all the life with
which he had been associated. San
Francisco was a big place and there
was but small chance of her meeting
him il she avoided the haunts she
knew ne would frequent.
Yet there had been one dark night
within an hour or two of her leay-
ing the place-when. drawn up close
in a doorway, she had seen him
lounge past; had seen his face dis
tinctly in the. glow of the cigarette he
smoked. 4. A breath--a movement
and he would have seen her; she had
actually closed her eyes in dread, and
had waited for his hand to fall upon
her arm: It had not fallen, and ne
had gone on, unconscious.
That had been the narowest escape
of all; she shivered now in the Lon
don cab at the thoughtsof it. After
that her course had been fairly clear;
the money she had, and which had
been given to her by Owen Jaggard,
carried herto New York that and the
price of her mare, And in New York
she stepped from the cars-no longer
Joycce Bland. but Grace Yarwood.
(To Be continued.)