The Red Cloud chief., 1906-05-11
(CDNTINUED.)

~ think It's best for you to tell me-"
said Crailey.
"You think sOE" Toms cmborrass.
meat increased yisibly. and there was
mingled with it an odd appearance of
apprehension, probably to relieve which
he very deliberately took two long
cheroots from his pocket. laid one IN
the desk for Crailey and lit the other
himself with extreme carefulness at
the candle. After this ceremonial he
dragged a chair to the window. tilted
back In 1t with his feet on the low sill,
his back to the thin light and his friend,
and said I'm Il slow, gentle tone:
well. Crniley?"
II suppose you mean that l ought to
offer my explanation firstY' said the
other. still standing. "Well. there isn't
any" He did not speak doggedly or
sullenly, as one in fault, but more with
the air Of a man ~curiously ready to
throw all possible light upon n cloudy
phenomenon. ITS very simple-all
that l know about 1t. | went there
first on the evening Of the Madrillon
masquerade and played n little ONE
dy FOR her, so that some of my theat-
rical allusions-they weren't very illu-
minating-to my engagement to Fan
chon made her believe / was Nanrevel
when her father told her about the
pair of us. / discovered that the night
his warehouses b~urned-and | saw
something more, because | can't help
seeing such things-that yours was just
the character TO appeal to a young girl
fresh from the convent and full of
honesty and fine dreams and fire. No
body could arrange Il more fatal fasci-
nation for a girl of nineteen than to
have a deadly quarrel with her father.
And that's especially r when the ia
TIERS like that mad brute of a Bob
Carewe! Then, too, you're more or
less the town model Of virtue and pop
ular hero, in spite of the a~bolitionism,
just as l am the town scamp. So | let
1t go on and played n little ut being
you, saying the things that you only
think-that was all. 1t isn't strange
that it's lasted until now, not more
than three weeks, after all. Shes only
seen you -four or five times and me not
much oftener. No n speaks of you to
her. and I've kept out Of sight when
others were about. Mrs. Tanberry is
her only close friend and, naturally,
wouldn't be apt to mention that you
are dark and l am fair or to describe
us personally any more than you and
i would mention the general appear.
ance of people we both meet about
town. But you needn't tell me that II
can't last much longer. Some petty,
unexpected trihe will turn up, of
course. All that l want to know is
what you meal to do"
ITO doT" repeated Tom softly and
blew a long. scarf of smoke out of the
window.
"Ah!" Crailey's voice grew sharp
and loud. 'There are many things you
needn't tell me. You need not tell me
what I've done to you nor what you
think of me. You need not tell me that
you have others to consider; that you
have Miss Carewe to think of. Don't
you suppose l know that? And you
need not tell me that you have a duty
to Fanchon''-
EYES," Tom broke in, his tom not
quite steady Eyes, I've thought OF
that"
"Well?"
"Have you-did you He hesitated
but Crailey understood Immediately.
"No; / haven't seen her again.
"But you
Eyes, l wrote. l answered the let
ter"
"As'-
"Yes; I signed your name. I told yor
that I had just let things go on" Graf
ley answered, with an impatient move
ment of his hands. "What are you go
ing to do?'
I'm going over to see the governor
in the morning. I'll be away two On
three days, l imagine"
"Vanrevel," exclaimed Crailey holly
twill you give me an answer and moi
beat about the bush any longer, or dc
you mean that you refuse to answer?'
Tom dropped his cigar upon the bricl
window ledge with an abysmal sigh
"Oh, no; it isn't that" he answered
mildly. 1--WE been thinking it all ovel
for three days in the country, ant
when | got back tonight l found tina
l had come to q decision without know
ing 1t and that l had come to 1t ever
before l started. MY leaving the lette,
for you proved it. It's a little like thl
Mexican war-a mixed up problem
The thing Is bound to happen, and yol
can't stop it. l believe the men VIII
make this war for their own uses will
suffer for 1t. But 1t is made, and there
only one thing I can see as the thin