Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-03-14

Presently she stole down the stairs, paus-
Ing halfway to peep into the hall. The
dining room door was shut. Brinton stood
outside preparing to go. His travelling
bags stood beside him. Miss Winthrop
thought there was grim look about his
face.
mr.. Brinton!" she called.
I1e looked up and saw her leaning over
the balustrade, and the blood rushed into
his face Deliberately putting down his
coat and the hat which he was brushing,
he came and stood beneath her. !,
~ heard what they were saying In the
dining room." she remarked,
He hesitated,
:. 1871 dare say you are glad at this con-
nrmatlon of your - er good opinion OF
me-
1.''Where were you last night?" she asked
slowly.
."That was precisely what sedden want
II promise you will never tell any
one"
"Oh, a lady's PROMISE
Mime" Miss Winthrop replied, betray-
ed into asperity, lis sacred! But-but
won't you tell me? 1t might make "a
difference
He continued to smile. but she noticed
still more grim look about his jaws.
to her calm insolence. 'that even that
supreme inducement cannot unseal my
lips on that point
It was Miss Winthrop's turn to hest
tate.
1--WE just been talking to Mrs. sed-
den," she said desperately.
She looked at him with eyes so shy and
tender that an answering spark came into
his, and he made a quick movement to-
ward her.
'"Listen, Miss Winthrop" he said eager
~. "Wingfoot has not been poisoned. I
saw him run today. No one can fool me
much about horses. He has cold. It
has been coming on for several days.
saw 1t and warned them. They didn't
think so. They laughed at me. / tried
to warn Sedden, but yesterday he angered
me by saving something about-about
some one know. made up my mind to
have done with him. He is-he is really
rather common, don't you think, In some
ways? And told the other men. but they
wouldn't listen, and, then, I'm not very
popular, you know. They-they think be-
cause 1 SO often win, suppose, that-that
I try to keep myself on the outside, but
1t isn't that really do. They never hedge
bets, you know, and I do. I'm very ex-
travagant sometimes, and sometimes
have to. / hedged on Wingfoot, you
know. I felt sure. I felt almost sure. T.
had staked every penny l could rake
and scrape on the horse. III wanted to
do something that would cost-oh. such a
lot of money! I mean wanted to get to-
gether a lot of capital. you see.
sit was abOut-about a. girl. I rather
like her. And she has money, and there's
story got about somehow that it's her
money I'm after. not her. Can't you see?
SOL hedged. And was out, you see, last
night between II and 4, and III didn't
want to explain. although I'm not asham-
ed of what I was doing, and-and-well,
really, it made it rather difficult. But I
wanted you'll mean her-I mean I want.
ed the girl Of whom I have spoken to
know that I am not the sort Of chap at
heart she takes me for, and dare say
am boring you terribly, but I wanted
some one to speak to about it, and, you
see, I'm not really what you might call
fast at all, only, only we'll, I hardly
know how to explain all this to you. Miss
Winthrop. You see, I've been extrava-
CANT and all that, yet-and. upon my soul,
don't know what it's got to do with
what I've just said-yet, as I say, I
couldn't explain to those men, and never
shall to any one, about my absence last
night, and-and''-
Miss Winthrop interrupted him. She
was never afterward able to say whether
at that moment she had been laughing or
Crying.
II told you that I've just been talking
to- Mrs. Sedden," she said, carefully enun-
ciating each syllable.
II think I ought to apologize to YOU
she began hurriedly.
A. radiant change came over Brinton as
he looked into the girls eyes. He lapsed
back into the drawl as he interrupted:
You are so charming when you are
contrite that you-er-tempt me to forget
that las you once said-insult you by
looking at YOU" He held up his hand at
sight of her clouding eyes. Il was jest
ing" he added. HAD you not better
withdraw before I carry my insults far
ther?"
Miss Winthrop knew what he meant.
She leaned over the banisters to him as
he stretched out his arms.
"Gorton!' she said.