The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-10-05
CHAPTER xxx11.-continued

think the chill had melted a little.
mo. l was begging a nights lodg-
ing Of a friend whose house is full. He
sent me here With a note to-ah-to
your father, as I suppose, though in his
haste he did rot mention his name"
She held out her hand. Give me the
letter.
May" said I; that would be but
%thankless work. Knowing me, your ia
the must needs conceive it his duty to
denounce me-"
GIVE it mel she insisted; this with
an impatient little stamp Of the foot
and an upglance of the compelling eye
that would have constrained me to do
a far fooiisher thing, had she asked 1t.
So 1 gave her the letter and stood
aside, hat in hand, while she read 1t.
There We're candles in their
over the mantel and she moved nearer
to have the better light. The soft glow
of the candles fell upon her shining
hair, and upon cheek n brow, and |
could see her bosom rise and fall with
the quick-coming breath, and the pulse
throbbing in her fair white neck. And
with the seeing I became q fool of love
again in very earnest, and was within
a hairs breadth of sinking honor and
all else in an outpouring Of such words
as a man may say once to one woman
in all the woodland having said them
may never unsay them.
Twas a most practical little thing
she. did that saved me from falling
headlong into this last ditch of dis
honor. Twisting the letter into a spill,
she stood on tiptoe to light it at one of
the candles, saying: "'Twas a foolish
thing to put on paper, and might We'll
hang the writer in such times as these.
He says you are a kings man and wei!
known to him, n you are neither"
But when the letter was a crisp of
\ a 1ynron6 no1onr-nCh Chn -fl1rnn6. 11nO1
me, and once again the ~changeful eyes
were cold and her words were stranger
formal.
What is it you would hav me do,
Captain Ireton?"
Nothing" 1 made haste to say;
nothing save to believe that came
here unwittingly-and to let me go"
Where will you go? The town is
alive With those who would-who
would"
"Who would show me scant mercy,
you would say True; n yet I came
hitherto the town, I my
W free will"
Her mood changed in the pivoting
fraction of an instant, and now the
beautiful eyes were alight II warm
and pleadingly eloquent.
ooh, why did you come? Are YOU
are you what they said you were"
"A spy? If l am, you would scarce
expect me to confess 1t, even to you"
"Tis Observation-Disclosures ~dishonora-
ble!" she cried. Il could respect a
brave soldier enemy; but a spy
There was a Gathering of hoofs in the
street and a jingle Of sword-scabbards
on the door-stone. I Wheeled to face
the newcomers, determined nov to
front it boldly as a desperate man at
bay. But before the fumbling hands
without could find the door-knob Mar
gerry was beside me, all a-futter in a
trembling fit of excitement.
up the stair, quickly, pour I'amour
de Dieu!" she w~hispered; and we were
at the clock landing when the great
door opened and some half dozen kings
officers came in. We crouched together
behind the balustrade till they should
pass beyond the sight of us,"and in the
group l marked a man stout and heavy
built, walking full solidly for his two
and-forty years. He wore his w hair
dressed high in front in the fashion
first set for the women by the Grand
Monarque's loose-Wife; and as he
passed under the candles [ saw that it
was CRAVING slightly. His face, high
proved, long-nosed. double-chinned.
with the eyes w%onanish for bigness
and marked with brows that might
have been penciled by the hair-dresser,
1 had seen before; but lacking this
present sight Of it, the orders on his
breast wou have named him the
ranking general Of the army in the
field-Lord Charles CORVALLIS. With
all the houses in the town to choose
among, 1 had blundered into this-my
lords own headquarters.
1 had but a passing glimpse of the
incoming group, for when it was we'll
beneath the turn Of the stair, my lady
had me up and running again, driving
me on before her to the chamber floor
Is~~l,, Ia ~ ,,l -
With many turnings, and so to a cul-de-
sac in the samoa doorless passage
with q high dormer window in the end
and no other apparent means of egress.
Margery had snatched a candle from
one of the corridor holders in the flight,
and now she babe me sit IN the floor
and draw my boots. 1 did it, shame
facedly enough, being but a foul and
ragged %vagabond unfit to ave her
come anigh me. But I might have
spared my blushings, for she had
turned her back and was opening a
secret door in the high wainscot.
Beyond the door lay a raftered garnet
half filled with cast-off house lumber
and lighted and aired by two high roof
windows. Into this she led me, with a
finger on her lip for silence. A hun
of voices, the clinking Of glass, and
now and again a hearty soldier laugh
told me that my garnet was above
| SOIllC lNlI6 1oolll " Liz llouSS.
While l stood, boots in hand,
she found a makeshift can
dlestick, and in a trice had
spread me a pallet on an ancient oaken
settle big enough to serve for a choir
stall in a cathedral.
you'll be safe here for the night,
if so be you will make no more noise
thar a rat might make" she whis-
pered. "Mais, mon Dieu! tbs a terrible
risk. How you will get off in the morn
ing + do not know"
Leave hat to me-" I rejoined. Then
I remembered the portmanteau and the
promise that it should be sent hither.
Here was a further complication, and
must needs beg a boon on her. "A black
boy will bring my portmanteau in the
morning. I have a decent desire to be
hanged in clean clothing; may l beg
you to-
She made a quick little gesture of
impatience: at h further complica-
ton, or at my holiness in asking,
knew not which. But her whispered re-
ply was an assent, n then she turned
to leave me.
At hat a sudden fierce desire to
know why she had thus befriended me
came to throttle prudence.
One more word before you go, Mis-
| A.