Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-06-01

ouc Soiu tNtIAiuS NlcH tHe uTSl uoTluer
of coming winter was blowing down the
dusty street. He tool it nervously, al
most rudely. and almost staggered
across to the ~coal-oil lamp that hickered
dimly In the corner. She watched him
open it and examine its contents. He
paused n momen and looked about to
see ii lie was alone. Then he took a
pin from his lapel, put the contents into
an envelope, pinned and wrote some
thing outside with n lead pencil. Miss
Fasset was Just closing the window
when he came up. looking CHASTITY pale,
ttsrist che iietttss:. back 90 her aat! said :
That's not for me, Miss He had
written Opened by mistake. across it.
but as she leaked IT hin. she smiled re-
assuringly aud answered: 1T must be
for you, sir. There's nobody else OF
that name" Together they looked at
the postmark. but the date and place
OF mailing were blurred and unread
able. 1t was addressed plainly 10 MI.
Conynghame, Alvaretta, o. t." in type
writing.
1T must be yours" she decided
%, u it isn't. Besides. there's
money in it. Il
.IIow much9'
Ten dollars"
sOh, then, that settles It. IL Ii Isn't
Yours the real owner will come along
looking for his money. Then III call
on you"
He would have protested. but she
slammed the window shutter with a
merry laugh and left him alone with
the letter in his hand. He was in the
street before he reopened the envelope
and drew out a crisp. new $40 note.
There wasn't a word with 1t, not even
a scrap OF letter paper. He crumpled
the money in his shaking hand, hurried
down the street and rushed into the
English kitchen to buy the first square
meal he had eaten for months.
II know It wasn't mine," he growled
to himself MS he turned up his collar
and faced the driving storm Of sIeet
and rain, .but I've got 50 left, and If
the other C~onynghame asks for his let
ter I'll return what's left Of IT. And
he staggered cut across the prairie to-
ward the lonely dug-out that he called
.shOme."
When closing time came next day
little Miss Fasset was annoyed The
big Englishman for the first time in
months had failed to appear. Whether
she now regretted trusting him with
what might prove apother's letter and
money, or whether she suspected that
he had gone on on what Westerners
call "a high lonesome" is not certain,
but whatever the cause, she was wor-
ried and showed It In the frown upon
her pretty forehead and the flash OF her
big, black eyes. But Conynghams came
not the next day, nor the next, nor any
day thereafter for q week, and Miss
Prim, sure at last that he had Jumped
the country was doing e very best
to despise or forget him when there
came q letter ~postmarked Liverpool and
addressed Dudley Conynghame, ESQ,
Aiyarctta, Oklahoma Territory, q. s.
Az Az least there could be no mistake
about that letter, and II got SO. strongly
upon Miss Fasset's nerves that she was
obliged to quit her duties before noon.
.I've got a nervous headache" she
explained to her indnlgent papa, -and
I'm going to tnkesa long drive. n the
country. Ia
SO she babe Martha, theiaold negro
houseEeep6r, to hitch up DobbinA, and
set forth f5r her drive. IT was nearly
a o'clock when she found C~onSnghame's
-.