Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-06-06

until reach town. Besides, l get a
bit lonesome, and I'm always hoping
that some time I'll get letter"
He was looking out into the fading
light as he said this, and Miss Fasset
thought she saw CLINT of moisture In
his blue eyes. But there was no let
ter
Then day after day as she watched
him she saw that his clothes was
thread5are and soiled; that his face
was thin and pale; that his big, nerv-
Gus hands trembled, and that the light
in his eyes was growing brighter, more
restless and fierce.
Letter for you'll" she laughed gayly
one cold evening when the first norther
Of coming winter was blowing down the
dusty street. He took 1t nervously, al
most rudely, and almost staggered
across to the coal-oil lamp that f1ickered
dimly in the corner. She watched him
open it and examine It's contents He
paused a moment and looked about to
see If he was alone. Then he took a
pin from his lapel, put the contents into
an envelope, pinned and wrote some
thing outside with a lead pencil Miss
Fasset was just closing the window
when he came up, looking CHASTITY pale,
thrust the letter back at her and said /:
That's not for me, Miss" He had
written Opened by mistake" across 1t,
but as she looked at him she smiled re-
assuringly and answered: "It 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. It was addressed plainly to "Mr.
Conynghame, Alvaretta, o. t." in type
writing.
1T must be yours" she decided.
30, but it isn't. Besides, there's
money In it. L"
'How much?
'Ten dollars"
"Oh, Their, that settles it! If it isn't
yours the real owner will come along
looking for his money. Then I'll call
on you"
He would have protested, but she
slammed the window shutter with q
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 crisp, new $40 note.
There wasn't word with it, not even
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 growIed
to himself as he turned up his collar
and faced the driving storm of sleet
and rain, "but I've got SO left, and If
the other Conynghame asks for his let
ter III return what's left of It," And
he staggered out across the prairie to-
ward the lonely dug-out that he called
"home."
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 another's letter and
money, or whether she suspected that
he had gone off 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 Conynghame came
not the next day, nor the next, nor any
day thereafter for a week, and Miss
Prim, sure at last that he had Jumped
the country" was doing her very best
to despise or forget him when there
came letter postmarked Liverpool and
addressed Dudley Conynghame, Esq,
Alvaretta, Oklahoma Territory, q. S.
A." At least there could be no mistake
about that letter, and it got so strongly
upon Miss Fasset's nerves that she was
obliged to quit her duties before noon.
eve got a nervous headache" she
explained to her indulgent papa, land
I'm going to take a long drive in the
country"