The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-10-06
CHAPTER xxxu.-continued.

CHAPTER XXXII.-Continued.
She laid a hand on the door-knob.
'Is-is there any one here whom you
would see?" she asked: and now her
eyes did not meet mine, and l would
think the chillshad melted a little.
No. 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, u.s. 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
Their 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 yes
tina would have constrained me to do
a far foolisher thing, had she k it.
So l gave her the letter and stood
aside, hat in hand, While she read it.
There were candles in their n
over the mantel and she moved nearer
to have h better light. The soft glow
of the candles fell upon her shining
hair, and upon cheek n brow. and l
could see her bosom rise and fall with
h quick-coming breath, and the pulse
throbbing in her fair white neck. And
with the seeing I became a 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 woma
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
tho n1,rllo -cn trN,r1r N fDo1{ch
thing to put ON paper, and might we'll
hang the writer in such times as these.
He says o are a kings man n we'll
known to him, IL you are neither"
But when the letter was a crisp Of
blackened paper-aSh she turned upon
me, and once again the changeful eyes
We're cold and her words We're stranger
formal.
What is it YOU would have me do,
Captain I%reton?"
Nothing 1 made haste to say;
nothing save to believe II a I came
here unwittingly-and to let me go"
Where will you go? The town is
would"
Who would show me scant mercy,
you would say. True; and yet l came
hitherto the town, 1 my
own free WILL"
Her mood changed in the pivoting
fraction of al instant, and now the
beautiful eyes We're alight and warm
and pleadingly eloquent.
"Oh, why did you come? Are you
are you what they said you wereg"
"A spy? If l am, you would scarce
expect me to confess it, even to you"
Ills Observation-Disclosures dishonora-
ble!" she cried. II 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. l wheeled to face
the newcomers, determined now 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-flutter in q
trembling fit of excitement.
up h stair, quickly. pour lamour
de Dieu!" she whispered; 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 I marked a ma stout and heavy
built, walking full solidly for his wo-
and-forty years. He wore his own hair
first set for the women by the Grand
Monarque's loose-wife; and as he
passed under the candles I saw that it
was graying slightly. His face, high
browed, long-nosed. double-chinned.
with the Eyes womanish for bigness
have been penciled by the hair-dresser,
I a seen before; but lacking his
present sight of it, the orders on his
breast would 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 tnis-my
lords own headquarters.
I 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
above, along a dinaly lighted corridor
sac in the samoa doorless passage
with a high dormer window in the end
and no other apparent means of egress.
Margery had salatched a candle from
one of the corridor holders in the flight,
ana now she babe me sit on the floor
tacedly enough. being but a foul and
ragged vagabond unfit to have her
come anigh me. But might have
spared my blushings, for she had
turned her back n was opening a
secr@s. 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 hum
of voices, the climbing of glass, and
now and again a hearty soldier laugh
told me that nay garnet was above
some living room of the house.
While stood, boots in hand,
ne found a makeshift can
dlestick. and in a trice had
spread noe 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.
II SO be you will make no more noise
han a rat might make" she whis-
Oered. "Mais, mon Dieu! tits a terrible
risk. How You will get off in the morn
ing I do not know
Leave that to me-" I rejoined. Then
I remembered the portmanteau and the
promise that it should b. sent hither.
Here was a further complication. and I
must needs beg a DOR on her. "A black
boy will bring my portmanteau in the
morning. 1 have a decent desire to be
hanged in clean clothing; may I beg
you to"
She made a quick little gesture OF
impat;ence; at the further complica-
ton. OF at my holiness in asking. I
Lnolu mt uyhich Rnt bor u,b{c-o.aS -.