Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-12-12
N Pair of
Cuff Links
fOriginal.1

John Thurlow, an engineer or mark
ed ability, was appointed to conduct
the building of railroad in Mexico.
Being a widower with one daughter,
he decided to have her, as soon as she
left school, join him in his camp in
the mountains. Louise Thurlow was a
girl graduate Of two weeks standing
when she alighted from an old fash
Toned stagecoach, springing at the
arrival was witnessed by Guy Deck
ard, young man who held position
on her fathers engineering staff.
There were perhaps hundred peo-
pie In the camp, some of them living
In temporary buildings, others in tents.
Louise was assigned a tent beside her
fathers, and the out of door life
brought the color into her cheeks as a
peach will ripen in the sun. She had
her mandolin with her, and Guy Deck.
ard was the possessOr of fine voice
When he was not professionally EN-
gagged they would be sitting on camp
chairs making music for the others or
taking long walks to different points
in the mountains from which they
could obtain commanding views.
The current of young love runs rap
idly, and one evening not two weeks
after Louise's arrival while sitting In
the moonlight on cliff which formed
a natural porch to the camp the couple
plighted their troth. In lieu of an en-
gagement ring the young man slipped
the ring of his class at the scientific
school on her finger. to be worn until
he could procure one more appropriate.
1t was also agreed between them that
he should wear pair OF gold cuff
links Louise wore at the moment he
told his story"
Had Louise been under the care Of
mother instead Of father the lady
would have been well aware Of what
was transpiring. Not so John Thur
low. He was not only blind to the
wooing; but, although the couple faunt-
ed their exchanged love tokens under
his very eyes, he did not see them.
When Louise confessed and Deckard
asked for her hand the father awak-
ened to the fact that his daughter was
no longer the child he had supposed
her. However, if he had to give her
up, he was not averse to giving her to
his valued assistant.
One day when Deckard returned
from some work he had been doing at
a distance he wore troubled look, and
Louise noticed that her links were not
In his cuffs.
"Where are they?" she asked.
81 can't tell YOU"
do you mean that you have parted
with themT
"Not willingly"
Louise drew the ring he had given
her from her finger and handed 1t tc
him.
The agonized look in his eyes fright
ened her. He recoiled, refusing tC
touch the ring.
"Give me till tomorrow evening"" he
said in husky voice, land will either
wear your token or
"What?"
He did not finish.
The next morning Deckard mounted
horse about to depart. Louise was
standing near, troubled at his appear
ance, and stepped toward him to say
something; but, putting spurs to his
horse, he rode away, throwing her a
kiss. All day she waited his return
anxiously. There was evidently mys-
terry about the affair, but she was too
young, too little familiar with the
country and the people, to even guess
what it might be. Had she suspected
the danger into which she had sent her
lover she would have chung to him be-
fore the whole camp rather than let
him go.
Evening came, and he had not re-
turned. Louise sat on the cliff watch
ing for him and at length caught sight
| Of horseman coming. Her heart leap
ed for joy, thinking that he was Guy.
But as the rider passed through field
Of light cast through canyon in the
mountains by the declining sun she
saw that she had been mistaken. Then
sudden fear seized her. We are
prone when worried to look for bad
news, and she felt that the coming
man bore bad news for her.
Slowly he wound his way up the
steep side Of the mountain and, reach
Ing the camp, rode up to her fathers
tent. The two men cOnversed In a low
tone, and Louise saw her father look
at her and turn pale. She darted to
him and threw her arms about his
neck.
Tell me quick; has anything hap
pened to GuyY
1t was useless to try to conceal the
secret. Guy Deckard's dead body had
been found with a knife hole in his
breast part way up the mountain near
an inn by the roadside.
Mr.. Thurlow would have sent his
daughter elsewhere, but 1t was not
only impossible, but she needed him to
sustain her. No clew was found to the
murderer, and both Louise and her
| father dreaded If there should be a
discovery 1t would be a painful one.
Mr.. Thurlow took her with him often
when visiting different parts Of the
work, hoping by this mems to divert
her mind. One day they were lunching
at little tavern when Mexican girl
entered, bringing them some fruit. AS
she set the dish on the table Louise
fell against her father. trembling