The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-08-23

the face like whips. But a flying mis-
sile from out of the inky blackness
struck him on the curve of the temple
before he had gone 20 yards, and the
| grip of his fingers loosened, and he
swayed and fell without a word. The
girl threw herself on his body, weiling
that he was killed and that she, too,
would stay there and die. but a Wild
hope seized her that he might be only
stunned, and h TOOK his body in her
arms. n half dragging, half carrying,
began to go with him once more by
tedious inches toward the beach.
Then the cyclone burst out afresh
with all the torrent of its fury. and to
move or even stand against the. wind
was a thing impossible. The girl and
burden was flung heavily to the
ground. ana a mass of driving wreck
| age slid above them and pressed them
down. "Oh, Pat, Pat" she cried. II
did so want to live with you and now
we must.-both die here!"
three terrible hours more they spent
there, the girl expecting violent death
to lai. on her every second, The man in
her arms gradually returning to con-
seriousness. And then, like organ whose
wind chamber has emptied itself, the
cyclone suddenly dropped it's voice. 1t
had arisen in a minute TO the full of
its strength. n in n minute it lulled
to Il breathless calm, leaving the air
secured and sweet and the land a
tangled desert. The sea alone remem-
bered Its flashing actively and funed
IN a swell of sullen majesty in its
deeper parts and sent it's angry waters
back In ripping surf on to those shall
low western beaches from which 1t
had been so ruthlcssly evicted.
1t was from this last returning tidal
wave h q the final danger came, but
the two under that pile of wreckage
managed to slip from beneath the wood
when the waters loosened 1T and run in
the breaking dawn to the higher
ground beyond. They were bruised,
both OF them, and Cambel was bleeding
from a jagged cut on the head; but,
after all, their hurts were triting COM
pared with what they might have been.
Three thousand people died in that
nights work among the southern
states. and the air was torn with the
moan of.taose who were left, lamenting
as they sought their dead.
That day all who could lift a pair of
hands had work to do. and the next and
the next. but on the fourth day from
the cyclone. when the fallen had been
managed for the first time to get a
word en- tete-a-tete with this woman
who had said she loved him and had
promised to be his wife. He had
conned the matter over in his mind.
aEd after heavy argument had decided
not to hold any of his affairs secret
from her, this. of course, having par-
ticular reference to the one affair by
which he hoped to make a competence.
He O. visions of difficulties With her
over it, but he began his confidence
artfully.
Elsie" he said, II came here to Flor
ida on. business"
Then replied: Miss Kildare. I'D
like to give business a knob of sugar
to eat and flowers to wear on his
headsaall. What color was business?
White?"
. BLACK. distinctly black, but valu-
able. In figures slightly more than a
quarter of Il million in English money
ought to come to me for my share out
OF him, or rather. as it now is, our
share. yours n mine, dear"
ooh. you duck, Pat! You don't mean
to say I'm to marry a rich man?
Wherever did YOU steal the money
from? Speculation"
Speculation of sorts, though steal
describes it better. It's there, and that's
the main thing"
Money in the pocket Is better than
ten plans to get it there. any day.
Pat, we'll have a big steam yacht, and
when we get sick OF London We'll go
and see all the rest of the world. And
you of all people to become a successful
speculator! And what have you been
making your corner in? Nothing I'M
clean, 1 hope. like short ribs of pork?"
Gold, if that will suit your lady
"Oh. this is delightful! You've been
trading on American necessities. Tell
me all about 1t. l think [ can follow.
One hears so much about the silver
,,ncf{or thot ~ ro~'t 1-~1-
standing. it a little"
So with a ~pardonable couleur de rose,
tinting was available. Cambel
the story of his finding the cham
mel into the Everglades, his compact
with Shelf, the hazardous voyage Of
the steamship Port Edes and the sub
sequent disposal of the specie. The girl
listened to the tale with close attention
and unmoved face. Even the account
Of the mutiny and the grewsome en-
counter between Mutt and his friend
failed to call up comment, because in
domestic Florida a, Little dashing homi-
eide is such a very common occurrence.
But when Patrick Cambel had finished
his say and. looked to her for approval
hesonly got a grave and decisive shake
Of the auburn head.
We'll. dear" he asked at last. made
very anxious at her silence.
mo, Pat" she said quietly, " 1 can't
share In a fortune (which has been laid
that way. Heaven knows Tn not
squeamish. Hearing what 1 do out
here about trusts and corners and syn-
dicates, and seeing what.I can't help
Of the way the people round
their living and still evade the
and retain respect. my notions of
morality are very easy and slack.
But ] have gone too far?"
She bowed her face gravely.
CONTINUED Next Week.)
DO You Wear a Soup strainer7