Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-10-18
CHAPTER /.

y *
Wherein the Quick and the Dead Meet.
II there Is one place In the wide
world more dreary and disconsolate-
looking than another on gusty even
ing in March, 1t is that part Of Essex
which lies some twenty miles to the
north of the Thames, and is bordered
nowhere. SO far as the eye can reach,
BY anything but fat and desolate
marshlands, and by swampy roads and
fields.
For there, all the contrary winds Of
heaven seem to meet, to play grand
game Of fiuffets with Themselves and
everything else which rises. an inch
or two above the ground; there, the
very sun, IL he happens to have shown
his face at all during the day, sinks
more sullenly than anywhere else, as
though Disguised with the prospect
and glad to get to bed; there, the few
travellers who have been SO unwise, or
80 unfortunate, as to be left out of
doors are surly in consequence, and
give but grudging greeting to anyone
they meet.
On just such an evening as this, a
solitary man, muf1ed to the eyes,
fought desperate battle with the
various winds, something to his own
discomfeiture, and very much to the
ruffling Of his temper, on the way to
the small village of Bamberton. The
railway leaves off suddenly, some six
miles from Bamberton, and the man
who would visit that interesting spot
must perforce pay for fly at the
Railway inn, if he desires to enter the
place with any ostentation, or must
walk.
In the case of this particular man,
he desired, for purposes of his own, to
| attract as little notice as possible;
! and was, therefore, tramping through
the mud and drizzling rain, as cheer
fully as might be. He was tall, we'll
built, man OF about eight-and- Twenty
years of age, with strong, well defined
features, rendered the more so by the
fact that hiEf face was Clearly shaver;
possibly from having led solitary
life, he had nahit Of communicating
with himself i:
"a CHEEKY welcome. this, to ones
native land-to ones native place!"
he muttered, bending his head as a
fresh gust Of wind and rain drove at
him. why, If the Evil One himself
were In league against me, and had
made up his mind to opposs my COM
Ing, he couldn't fight harder than this!
Pom my word, IL almost looks like a
bad omen for you, Philip Crowdy, a
very bad omen!'
Despite the wind and the rain and
1.-THE gathering night, however, the man
presently seated himself on stone
near the roadside, and within sight Of
the twinkling lights of the village, az
though he had something weighty on
his mind which must be thrashed out
before he could proceed to his destina-
ton Despite the wind and the rain,
too, he took, the matter quite good
humoredly, in putting suppositious
case to himself even doing It with
some POPULARITY.
Now, Phil, my boy, you've got to be
very careful. There's no getting away
from the fact that you are not wanted,
and you certainly will not be welcome.
The likeness Is all right; I've seen a
picture OF the respected Dandy Chatter,
l3and there's nothing to he feared from
that point of view. The only thing is,
that / must feel my y.s.y and know ex-
4 actly what am doing. And. for the
moment darkness suits me better than
daylight. My first business is to get
as near to Dandy Chatter as possible,
and observe him = 81,
The tall man, bringing his ruminis
4 lions to a close, sat for moment or
two, deep In though tt-so deep in
i thought, indeed, that he did not hear
i the sound Of light steps approaching
him from the direction Of the village;
and was absolutely unaware that there
w8s any other figure but himself In
| ali the Landscape until he felt a light
touch on his shoulder, when he started
lhurriedly to his feet. q
Facing him, IN the semisdarkness,
was q young girl. who, even by that
light he could see was Enthusiastically
pretty She was quite young, and, al
Though her dress was poor and com
mon, there was an indefnable air OF
grace about her which set her apart
Tor seemed to do. Lii the mans eyes
i from any mere rustic girl To his
sur prise she stood quite still before
i hims her eyes east down, as
though waiting for him TO speak. AZ
tssr moment or two Of embarrassing
i silence MI. Philip Crowdy spoke.
INT Is the mart ter Z. he asked. Id
i u low voice
The girl raised her eyer and very
lbsautifuls eyes they were, too. although
IIsthey seemed haggard and red, and
Ieyen then had the traces Of tears In
them and looked steadily at him.
Even though the nnan knew that he
had been mistaken BIZ her for some
lone else. there was rs start az urrnrinr,