Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1904-05-05

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FULLY, Lydia" said The boy, with q III
tie laugh.
II have-f have" she whispered,
vehemently. ut is all there in her
hand; | never saw anything SO strong
ly marked"
But she is a homeless %wanderer,"
urged the boy. How should she be
rich? Besides, you say that other
lines in her hand contradict it,"
ut is all puzzling, WILL" said Ly-
dia. l have never seen crowded into
any hand so much as there is there;
SO much death and ruin and disaster,
all in one little white hand. And now
you come to me and seem to suggest
that you, too. may have something to
do with her. Will"-she started to
her feet and caught him by the Shout
ders, and stared into his face with
wild eyes-"if I thought that, | would
wake her now and send her away to-
night"
You think too much about me,
LYDIA" said the boy, soothingly. GAS
mother says sometimes, there is a
great Fate watching over us all and
deciding what our lives shall be. If
out of the great world this girl has
come to change our lives, or even to
bring death and disaster to us-al-
though ! can't believe that we need
not be afraid. We come of a race
that must not be afraid. Good night"
He turned aud sauntered off into
the darkness. A moment later he
came swiftly back. again and gave a
low, curious call, which Lydia an
swered at one by coming out Of the
tent.
"What is it, WIFI" she asked quick
ly, in a whisper.
Don't move and don't cry out" he
whispered in reply. Behind those
trees there is a man standing; swear
there is. saw him move when | went
across there. Look"
There is nothing there, Will" said
the girl, quietly. My eyes are as keen
as yours; there is nothing there"
Its very curious" he replied, I'M
easily Il suppose you are right.
Good night again"
1t happened that in sauntering
across the rough ground the boy
kicked up a little dust, and kicked it,
by the mesest chance, straight into the
upturned face of Prof. Tapney, who
had his ridiculous head stuck out of
the tent door. The boy was gone by
the time the professor had turned over
hurriedly. and sneezed softly. and
rubbed the dust out of his eyes. then
the professor, inwardly wondering
what had disturbed him, lay half
asleep and only dirnly conscious of
what was going on about him. But
while he lay there he saw something
happen.
The girl Lydia made a slow, stealthy
movement toward the trees at which
she had been looking so intently; but,
on a second impulse, drew back again
and waited. Then the professor saw,
emerging from the shadows, the tall
figure Of a man; saw him cross the
little patch of light made by the last
embers of the fire and approach the
girl. The professor wriggled himself
softly farther into the tent and. now
thoroughly awake, listened win all his
ears.
Why do you come here again."
asked the girl, in a low voice.
Because you seem to have a pow
er, my child, to draw me as no one
else can" said the voice of the man
a light, careless voice, with something
of a laugh in it's tones. Because, also,
/ am of a poetic nature and love beau
tiful things; because. also, being not
too good for what this world can give
me, and being. indeed. by some term
ed desperately wicked, / love the
night. And you fit the night, my dear,
beautifully"
Il wish you had not come" said
Lydia, uneasily. Il am half afraid of
you"
"And half in love with me, eh?"
suggested the man. "If you were what
l had hoped to find you, my gypsy
maid. you would not have stopped to
inquire as to your feelings or your SEN
sations; you would have taken every
thing for granted. You were thinking
about me, and stepped suddenly out
Of the darkness-which Is intensely
dramatic to begin with"
you always come at night" said
the girl. when you came to me first
and told me you had been looking for
me all your life, I believed you: no one
had yer spoken to me like that be-
fore. Who are your"
"As the world goes, my dear, q
badly used man. There Is a great
place not very far from here-if 1t hap
pened to be daylight you could see it
across the trees-they call 1t Hawley
Park. II my grandfather-peace to his
ashes!-hadn't been an old fool. an
unjust fool at that. I should have had
that place for my own Instead of
that a younger brother steps in and l
am turned out in the cold. Hence l
become what you see me, q night-bird
loving q gypsy maid"
'Then you are. like me, q wander
err" she said. softly.
Like you, my dear. q wanderer,"
he replied. Il came back to Engip1d
with some wild idea that I might do
good by coming here-might snatch
something for myself. Instead OF
which / found q little dusky maid,
who ought, from her beauty, to be .
princess In her own right. and she was
worth all I had lost"