Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-05-31
Captains Double
ny L1LL1As CAMPBELL DAVIDSON
CHAPTER XII.
The Shoot.


early spring that this climate Of sur
prises sends to delude us into the be-
lief that April is close at hand. 1t
smiles serene and sunny, and the next
step is snowstorm or blizzard.
There is skating tomorrow on the
meadows where to-day we looked for
ccrouses and primroses The too bold
young buds are nipped and shrtveled,
4 and the birds stop their counting in
dismay.
Winstanley, walking his horse in the
dog cart slowly as he approached the
level crossing at Cosham, saw that
Z the gates were shut, glanced up at the
green slope OF hill beyond him, where
the white chalk pits yawne5 like snow
cayerns, and felt his heart light. He
was bound on that most agreeable of
all errands to iover-the errand that
takes him to the house of the woman
he loves. 1t had come to that now
with Winstanley; there was no more
delnsion Of himself in the matter. He
knew that unless he could win Ursula
Hamilton for his wife he would never
] be content. He was all Impotence for
the chance to tell her how he loved
her; he was incapable OF keeping his
own secret from her any longer. AS
he looked up the hill behind which she
waited for him, he could hardly wait
for open gates.
The station gates were closed, and
while Winstanley halted for them to
swing open, once the lingering goods
train had taken itself off, he was
# aware of figure approaching with
some. haste from the nearer platform,
and holding up hand to attract his
attention. 1t was, in fact. the figure of
Baron Taxona, attired in shooting
garb. HeSwas correctly English for
the most part, Shooting coat and lsnick-
erbocker sand gaiters,s his only devil
alton from conventionality was an en-
hroidered game bag. He held up one
hand on high to arrest Winstanley, a
somewhat unnecessary proceeding, as
I the gates did that on their own ac-
count, He ran along the platform and
through the little ticket gale with a
speed that made the porters turn to
look at him-a gentleman in such a
hurry must be a little strange.
All. It Is you.' he cried, as he came
rear the dog cart, and found his, breath
and his voice. II was sure Of 1t, even
from that distance. 1 said to myself,
i & Twill so aud ask my friend You can
tell me which is the way to get to
Nutfield. Il Is over that high hill, is
{ its not Is there far to walk? ! am a
poor hill CLIMBER. Or can one take one
take one. Of these cerriages?''
BY, this polite term he designated
one OF the shabby, rafting wagnnettes
which fay in wait round the station pre-
cincts to take stray excursionists To
Watehlooville,
II shall be very glad to give you a
iii, said Winstanley There was vir-.
tually nothing else to say. He could
not possibly know that the baron had
been. lying there in wait for; him for
the last three-quarters of an hour,
though It did strike hi mthat he was
rather openly limiting at. his readiness
to be, helped. 10
Thanks thousand. q thousand!
Y win then fetchsn,y gun and the rest
The baron ran back to the platform
with alacrity, and returned CARRYING
his own gln-case. Winstanley's groom
Jumped down, rather shocked, to take
{ IL ana put It beneath the seat. Win
stanley, though as fond Of waiting on
h himself as any man. thought the baron
remarkably averse to using the serv-s
Ices 81 porters Some one had told
HIM that when one travelled abroad
one had to do a LOT OF that for oneself
4 Probably the baron had not been long
4 enough III this country to understand
what porters were meant for In this
country
Ah, now, this lis good!" exclaimed
! Baron Taxona, with an air OF satisfac-
\ Ition. AZ he settled himself In the seat
beside Winstanley and accepted the
Hall 81 the fslr rug. "a friend Id want
III real friend Is not that your Eng
4 lish saying shall have pleasant
company up the hill now, and my legs
( Shall sbe saved. II was great good for>
tune Tint sent me nv this train from
oslthaea instead Of BY one Of the slow
Il Il trans. 33s
& echoed Win STANLEY, vague.
4; AZ didn't know there had been q
q ffafla from Soalthsea for the last hour.
d III aurelY haven, Il waited all this time