Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-11-08
BY Tom Gallon.

there"
He did SO; to the accompaniment
of friendly mods and rustic courtesy
ings and salutations. But at the
Chatter Arms he received shock.
1t was bright little place-much
better and more clearly kept than the
house he had patronized on the preyi-
Gus day. From it's well sanded floors
to the black beams which crossed its
ceilings it was a picture Of comfort
and prosperity And, seated behind
the pitable-looking bar was the
neatest and trimmest landlady imagin-
able.
Yet it was precisely this landlady-
or the sight Of her-which gave Mr..
Philip Crowdy such an unpleasant
shock AS he entered the door, and
she turned her head to look at him,
he had but one glance at her; yet
that glance was sufficient to sweep
him back through many years, and
across many miles of land and sea. II
the woman had risen calmly and aw-
fully from the grave her appearance
could not have been more startling to
the man.
The landlady, for her part, appeared
to be troubled in no such fashion by
| his appearance. She nodded-some-
what CURLY, he thought-and evident
! ly saw in him merely the idle Dandy
Chatter she had been in the habit OF
seeing almost daily for years past.
Recognizing the Importance of keep
ing a steady hand upon his emotions,
Philip Crowdy nodded in reply, and
approached and leaned over the bar.
Afternoon, Master Dandy" said
her work. Yet how familiar her
voice was in his ears, and how he
| longed to jump over the bar and take
! her portly person in his arms.
Good afternoon" he responded.
"And I wonder" he thought, what
your name is now"
There was long pause; and then,
in sheer self-defense, he ordered
something to drink adding at the
same time, Its so deadly dull up at
the Hall that thought I'd look down
to see you" He stopped lamely,
wondering if she expected him to say
anything else
Very kind Of yer, Master Dandy"
she retorted, quickly, flashing her
black eyes at him for moment as
she set his glass before him.
Wouldn't yer like to step into the
parlor, Master Dandy?" she added.
There was no graciousness about the
speech, and she was evidently in a
bad humor.
Thanks think I shall do very
well here replied Crowdy. ".And if
you only knew, old Betty, whose eyes
are looking at that dear old gray
head OF yours at this moment. think
you'd jump out of your skin" This
latter, 1t is scarcely necessary to add,
passed through his thoughts only, and
not his lips.
Presently, to his establishment, the
old woman, after making several
false starts, got up quickly and came
round the bar and faced him; he saw
that there was some extraordinary ex-
element upon her; he could hear one
foot nervously beating the ground.
Master Dandy" she said, in
voice little above whisper, Il must
speak to you"
On the instant the man felt that she
had made some discovery-that she
knew he was not Dandy Chatter. But,
the next moment, he saw that. this
was matter which had been consum-
ing her for some time, and had now
boiled up, as 1t were, and could be
| held no longer-some grievance which
she imagined she had against Dandy
Chatter. knowing that he had a part
| toaplay, he spoke lightly and easily.
"Well--I'm here; speak to me-. by
all means" he said, with little
laugh.
| Not here-not here, Master Dam
| dy," she said, hurriedly. IF you
there amt likely to be no one in this
time O. the day, Master Dandy She
indicated as she spoke the door of
\ the little parlor near at hand.
AS you will" replied Crowdy, and
4 he followed her into the room, in
wardly wondering what was going to
happen. .s s.
Inside the room he seated himself
4 upon table, and looked questioning
4 " at her. She was evidently at loss
how to proceed for a few moments,
and stood nervously beating her fing-
ers on the back of chair. When at
last she broke the silence her question
was a startling one.
Master Dandy, for the love of
heaven, where's Patience Miller?"
The man stared at her In amaze
ment. He knew the in an in
slant; remembered the interview in
the darkness and the rain upon the
road outside the village; almost felt
i again, for an instant. the warm
i pressure Of the girls lips upon his. He
shook his head In dazed fashion.
How on earth should / know" he
asked, slowly. y
How should anybody know. better,
Master Dandy?" she retorted, sn the
same suppressed, excited voice.