The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-05-22
letter which was all that was left
him Of his dreams.

/ -
| ing his feet to keep himself awake,
for the hours Of duty had been
long and arduous and the larger
| half Of the battalion were down
With wounds or fatigue-when he
sensed rather than saw a shadowy
figure trying to dodge behind him
and reach the hut which served as
the headquarters Of the comman-
der.
aHeIlo, there. Haltw covering
| the intruder with his rife.
= have no countevsign. ] am a
strangerw said the intruder, hur-
riedIy, and hesitatingly. i have
come to see the commander. l
know him.
A desperate hope was animat-
ing the spy's mind that the sentry,
II be did not let him pass, would
at least let him gain time 10 make
a dash for liberty while they par
leyed. II so, he was mistaken, for
the soldier, without lowering his
weapon, kicked open the door OF
the hut and called to some one
within. and the next moment the
spy was standing face to face with
a man whom he little expected to
find in this South African wilder
ness. Slowly the two men sur
veyed each other; like a voice
heard in a dream the sentry's
words fell upon his ears.
''Do you know this man, cap
tain? He says he is your friend"
AS the sentry withdrew the spy
turned to follow him, when a de-
tanning hand was laid upon his
shoulder.
so you came TO see me. At
lastw His voice wavered and
broke down; he longed to ask
where was Lisa and knew not how
10 frame the words.
Rudolph laughed bitterly.
"Came 10 see you. If i had
known you were here don't YOU
suppose l would rather have been
shot than face you? l am stone
broke, as they say out here, and
the only job could get was TO act
as a spy for the British because I
can speak German like a Dutch
man. / did not know VINO was
here, and only thought TO amuse
the sentry"
"And Lisa?v
LISA left me long ago, when
things went i'll and lost my voice.
She struggled on for a time, il is
true, and then she fled with an
other man who had money. Lisa
was not made for the rough side
Of life, she always wanted a down
cushion between herself and the
rough side Of things-and what Is
worse than poverty and a con-
sumptive husband?v
Ludovico WINGED, for Rudolph's
words we're like a rude touch on
an old wound.
Again the two were silent. Ru-
dolph in the bitterness Of his hu-
initiation and self-reproach and
Ludovico because histhoughts had
gone back to the past, before there
had been any Lisa in their lives.
and showed him Rudolph as Il
bright youth all men courted and
all women Hattered and loved.
To Ludovico Rudolph had come
as an adoped son to a lonely man.
and had absorbed the parental
love in which Ludovico's nature
was so rich, and even Lisa herself
had not been able to do more than
relegate Rudolph 10 the second
place in Ludovico's heart. And
now, when Rudolph came thus out
Of TIE darkness of the night into
Ludovico's hut, all that old past
seemed to rise up and cry out with
a thousand voices for forgiveness
for that unforgivable sin.
And Ludovico rose and put his
hand on Rudolph's shoulder. with
the touch Of the old days when he
had fought the evil spirit Of that
Dygone time and sought to turn
Rudolph from some ill-omened
path.
Don't go, old friend, friend OF
ny early days. Don't gol 1t was
late, or GOd-call it which you
NiIl--that sent you here to-
nt--A4 -