Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-13
the GIANT KILLERS q GEORGIA WOOD @a pAsosoer
Z: z
GEORGIA WOOD PANGBOI

He closed eyes, and covered the face with balaam
boughs
Enough for you and your girl"
The words seemed to go on In spite of the balsarn
boughs that hid the lips. Probably Hiram had over
estimated the purchasing power Of the packet The
Prince began to wonder how much there was-not
that it made any difference. He picked it UP from the
bottom of the boat-at least II could lie there
The seal was already broken spruce shooting into
sudden flame made the place like day and showed
the crisp yellow ends of the bills.
One hundred" he read the uppermost II It
were a package Of hundreds Hiram had not under
estimated so badly 1t would be interesting at least
10 know how many bills package like that contained
He counted them, grew very pale, and stared for a
long time at the mysterious obscurty of the ever
green in the bottom of the boat Then his eyes sought
the red shore carefully, though there were the
possibility of spectator in that lifeless arena He
delayed for long time. and his thoughts were many
and whirng At last, with only the flaming trees to
see he put the package in the pocket OF his trousers
Just for start" he muttered to the gesticulatng
flames which whispered and cracked as If comment-
ing upon his action. He's partly right you know
in a way-why should it shock one SO to get down to
first principles like that? 1t wasn't any worse than
their roundabout way of robbng him. But the trees
only whispered among their fames and the roar of
the forest was like waterfall.
"Just for a start" argued the Prince 'In sure To
win out-then can make it all right" But some
how, even to the trees he did not mention it as the
Right isn't always right" said the Prince .snor
wrong, wrong" And with that he sat down in the
boat to wait for morning
When parents averse to ones friends If be
comes necessary to be surrepttious and have trusting
places places week after the fire the Prince and the
Princess met among the musical instruments at the
Metropolitan Museum. He was there before she cama
his nervous and absent-mnded fingers drumming Out
a rogues march upon the tom -tom and his face was
like burnt-out ashes.
"You ILL"
NO" said he "but-" Then he souared his
shoulders and looking her between the eyes told her
all the story of the night upon the mountains what
manner of giant he had met there, and how it had
i'm Tn daat tbo
took the neat, oblong package from his pocket ran
his thumb across the crisp exposed edges of the bills
that she might the face of his tempter and laid
the thing the rich and venerable case of harm
sichord There was gray rain upon the window, and
no fear of an intruder.
"The Patno chap didn't seem to have anu dn,h+
about having done the right thing but that was his
business, and he's dead. reasoned for while that
his title to it was good enough to give him right
to pass it over to / reasoned all sorrs of ways
I've had rather bad time. It's been worse CARVING
tEat t about than 1t was carrying poor PaJno down
the brook. knew even less where was going
only, it seemed if any road that led to
you couldn't be wrong If had been sure that il was
wasn't Are you-that is-youll probably
throw me over for dreaming of keeping it."
her eyes were old with the wisdom of women, the
wisdom OF understanding and forgiving If something
of the former hero worship gone out of them psr
maps 1t was of little consequence. She over to
him and kissed him. The color came back to his face
with rush, and he lifted his head as he had not
lifted it for week
"Prncess-if you mean that really and truly-will
you waltz"
"Ill watt said the Princess.
When at last the safe of the Nimrod Accommoda-
tion Bank was dug out of the hot ashes and opened
the officials of that institution became very grave and
silent, all but the cashier who burst into a storm
OF assertions. The fire came he swore at the moment
when he was putting the envelope into the safe.
While 1t was in his hand there fash at the
window and he saw the dry underground Of the
forests edge alight. Then the of the
women. and the stampede of teams into which the
guests were packed like passengers into the boats of
burning ship, and hurried down the road to the
Valley; but all this, asserted the cashier, had not
prevented him from putting that newly arrived sieaf
of notes into the safe. OF course he admitted, he
ought to have taken it with him, but at such times
one does things Observation-Disclosures the gentlemen
would bear him out in that-they bowed with grave
assentand he put it into the safe and locked it be-
fore he fed
The president asked-the president was the father
OF the girl called the Princess-the president asked
whether any one had been him at that moment
and first he answered, "No"-then, confusedly, Yes
he thought he remembered bell-boy running IN as
If on some errand-he seemed to remember the light
from the window shining in on his brass buttons
yes he remembered 1t might have been the one called
Hiram, he thought-the one that had been Killed py
a tree that night.
"of course, if l didn't put it in the safe-or, If
hadn't locked the safe thought put it in the safe
he muttered sadly.
The president, the Prncesss father, had listened
throughout with face more grave and puzzled than
any OF the others. Now he eyed the uncomfortable
cashier long and searchingly though trying to fit
him into some role that was not altogether convinc-
ing But at the end of his scrutiny he took out OF his
pocket the missing bills and laid them the blistered
safe.
As have the notes, perhaps we had better let
this problem remain problem. 1t is possible under
the influence of fear to do strange things Perhaps
Mr. Grimshaw dropped them and ram and the
bell-boy-evdently not Hiram, since he died tnat
night, and his only companion at the time was
young man of whose honesty there can be no dountL
but some bel-boy, will admit, picked up the Dis
Mr.. Grimshaw dropped them. AS to their COM
ing into my possession, they were returned under
very peculiar circumstances They were on the tanle
when awoke. My door locks with a spring on the
inside aud there bars at the windows could
have sworn that my daughter was the last person
who entered that night. She read me TO sleep as
usual and know she closed the door as sne Went