The Red Cloud chief., 1906-06-01

mo, | wasn't going" Tom smiled
upon her sadly. II dare say there's a
simpler explanation. Don't you sup
pose that if Nelson was right and Mr..
Carewe really did come back it was
because he did not wish his daughter
and Mrs. Tanberry to know that-that
he expected u party of friends, posi-
bly,, to join him there later?'
what he dom wild dat gun, sub?
Nobody goin' play cyahds ner frow
dice wild a gun. Is dey?' asked Mamie
as she rose and walked toward the
door.
"Oh, that was probably by chance"
mo, subj she cried vehemently.
"An' dem gelmun wouldn' play t'night
no way; mos on EN- goin' wild you
tomorrer. an dey sayln' goodby to der
folks dis e%venin', not gamblin'! Miz
Tanberry III be In a state er mine ontel
she hyuh FUN me, an l goin' hurry
back. You won come dar, sub? l kin
tell her dat you say you sutney ain
comm nigh our neighborhood dis
night?"
IL had not dreamed Of coming, tell
her, please. Probably l shall not go out
at all this evening. But it was kind
Of you to come. Good night"
He stood with a candle to light her
down the stairs, but after she had gone
he did not return to the Office. Instead,
he went slowly up to his own room,
glancing first into Crailey's-the doors
Of neither were often locked-to behold
a chaos of disorder and unfinished
packing. In his w chamber 1t only
remained for him to close the lids Of
a few big boxes and to pack a small
trunk which he meant to take with
him to the camp Of the state troops
and he would be ready for departure.
He set about this task and, concluding
that there vas no necessity to wear
his uniform on the steamboat, decided
to place it in the trunk and vent to
the bed where he had folded and left
1t. 1t was not there; nor did q thor
ough search reveal it anywhere In the
room. Yet no II could have stolen
It, for when he had gone down to the
office Crailey had remained on this
floor. Mamie had cOme within a few
minutes aftec Crailey went out, and
during his conversation with her the
office door had been open; no II could
have passed without being seen. Also,
a thief would have taken other things
as well as the uniform, and surely
Crailey must have heard; Crailey would
-Crailey-
Then Tom remembered the figure in
the long cloak and the military cap
and with a sick heart began to under
stand. He had read the Journal, and
he knew why Crailey might wish to
masquerade In a majors uniform that
night. If Miss Carewe read 1t, too,
and a strange wonder rose in her mind,
this and q word would convince her.
Tom considered it improbable that the
wonder would rise, for circumstances
had too well established her in q mis-
take, trivial and ordinary enough at
first, merely the confusing of two
names by a girl new to the town, but
so strengthened by every confirmation
Crailey's wit could compass that she
would no doubt only set Cummings
paragraph aside as Il newspaper error.
Still Crailey had wished to be on the
safe side.
lOul SlSutu TdtucG DlttCIiy u was
convinced that the harlequin would
come home soon, replace the uniform
(Which was probably extremely becom-
ing to him, as they were Of a height
and figure much the same) and after
ward in his ordinary dress would sally
forth to spend his last evening with
Fanchon. Tom wondered how Crailey
would feel and what he would think
about himself while he was changing
his clothes, but he remembered his
partners extraordinary powers Of men
tai adjustment, and for the first time In
his life Vanrevel made no allowance
for the others temperament, and there
came to him a moment when he felt
that he could almost dislike Crailey
Gray.
At all events. he would go out until
Crailey had come and gone again, for
he had no desire to behold the mas
Q%uerader's return. So he exchanged
his dressing gown for a coat, fastened
his collar and had begun to arrange
his cravat at the mirror when sudden
ly the voice Of the old negress seemed
to sound close beside him in the room:
"He's settin' dah-waitin'w
The cravat was never tied. Toms
hands dropped to his sides as he start
ed back from the staring face in the
r mirror. Robert Carewe was waiting,
and Crailey- All at once there was
|! but one vital necessity in the world for
!, Tom Vanrevel - that was to find
. Crailey. He must go to Crailey even
, In Carewe's own house. He must 60