The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-21
Stairs Of
|Sand....


Granting that he In. IL might be
that I was instructed To see her. and.
being n man OF my word. would natSr-
ally wish TO carry out the agreement"
Ellison was silent. During an expe-
Renee OF years among men. he had
never met with such q human enigma.
Who was this mani At least he knew
much. and was amIable. and might pc
easily managed ~ treated with kind
ness M consideration.
Then you promise that II ! tell you
where the daughter is"-he did not
have the courage TO say my daughter"
You viii be silent respecting her
originy'
4 am listening"
Can ! trust you"
For a the face Of Hen
bricks relaxed. and he smiled.
1t seems TO me that just now we
have reasons to trust and yet distrust
the other. One win safeguard the other.
You need. however. have no fear that
she will ever learn whose daughter n
really In. know that you al mean
her no harm. and that h is safe. But
I should like Co see her for reasons u
In moi necessary for me &c state"
Very well. After the terrible af-
fair OF the other night. I thought u beat
TO ave her removed to the home of her
old nurse"
And where might that be?" and the
question came as n Hendricks was deal
ing I'm court with n rccalcitrant witness.
The nurse Is housekecper for the one
lawyer that this town affords. named
Jared Henslow."
'Henslow? ?" the other repeated. rub
bling his forehead.
What. you know him."
How should I know him? Hut the
name In familiar. i once knew a man OF
that name"
We'll. she is there"
Hendricks rose and stood for a no
ment looking down on h floor with "A
strange expression ON his face.
For this last Information l thank
you-as the friend OF Martin Fralc. OF
course. have no doubt that she has
led n happy life all these years"
she has been brought up ms the
daughter OF n rich mar should be-" re-
piled Ellison. lheatrically. Then. re-
Numbering that he was not addressing
nm ordinary visitor. continued: Il am
quite sure that. IL Martin Frnle was Nv
ing. he would have regretted nav
ing trusted his daughter To my care.
What. after all, does IL matter ~ some
trickery was used in the matter To re-
tain the fortune IN the family. instead
OF allowing II 20 be scattered among n
DOZEN DeTUHDt NOThultcH NtiaAANN1 w
my wife. Martin F-ale's daughter must
have gone TO an asylum as a child. n
never known what happiness meant. but
for this strange circumstance In her
s.fe. She has been carefully reared. has
enjoyed everything that money could
purchase. Could Martin Frale. were he
living today. wish her differently ONT
Would he attempt To dras her down
To his own level again? Would he take
" Na..s1s Ia sehNaA ahA had
been bred. To a different life-one OF
possible Misery"
"As the spokesman OF Martin Frale.
believe that he would do nothing OF
this kind" said Hendricks. In n low
voice. she would hardly love her old
father with the brand OF shame upon
him-the father she knew. She
would not be n woman TO care 10 change
her lot for the sake OF carrying pos
an old convict"
Job Hendricks at this juncture
seemed TO be particularly Interested
In a picture on the library walls. for
he turned his back On his companion
and said. after n pause: "Ah. you are
well provided for here. I should like to
feel that I was going TO be 30 comfort
ably lodged for the rest OF my life"
you are not In very prosperous cir
G~uFlStauNtt. AUens ttcuuiiNh1s WI
tured Ellison. who thought he saw the
way now to offer a bride which his
guest had rejected with such scorn n
short time before.
FOL Hendricks tu ned about and
! pumped down In n chair again.
II dare say I am as prosperous as
I deserve he said. MY wants are few
and | am getting on In years. A man
don't Q much when he has reached
my age"
"stili. there are comforts that might
make life easier"
II know what you are thinking about.
but oblige me by not approaching the
subject again"
The banker was silent.
'Thell me-" said Hendricks. after n
pause, ARE there no clews hat would
point to the fact that some other per-
son must have committed the crime.
rather than young Barnett?"
Nothing as yet" replied Ellison, an
n weary of the subject. ''Of course.
as I tod you. 1 am interested In setting
the young nan free. n so at the first
opportunity l sent To New York "a
bring down an expert detective to take
charge OF the case. The police are do
ing something. OF course. but I thought
I might do a little Independently"
And what In the reSultI"
Nothing as yet. He only arrived yes
terday afternoon. and has spent the
timc since In interrogating the SER
vantA"
well. l should not wonder II I
took n hand I'm the matter myself II
all else failed"
What. your"
Yes. why not?" replied Hendricks.
calmly. Il am Interested. as I tell you,
In his young mans affairs. and
anxious TO get him free. Sometimes
you know. an amateur is able to dc
more than the nrgus-eyed professional,
for he brings originality and fresh ideas
TO bea uopn h subject. These moss
covered bureaucrats go plodding along
In the same rut year by year"
Then you have engaged I'm such
business beforc?" and Ellison. who had
never ceased to- wonder what manner
OF man ne had 20 deal with. az \
searching look at his companion.
Perhaps" and Hendricks smiled
Come. why should you want 10 know
so much about "A poor stranger? II
Martin Frale was standing before you
I suppose you could sift him heart and
soul In n moment"
II don't see why you keep referring
to that unfortunate man" said Ellison
with n grimace. Let the past bury
her dead. He was an ignorant man. d
poor. miserable fellow. who II we'll GU
OF the way. He did one good thing. and
that was Z trust his daughter Co my
care. for which ne received n good sur
In return. You may be n friend OF his
and SO naturally refer To him now and
then, but you will obiige me by not