Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-02-08
XIII
A HOUSEwARMING.

| lIliO lie IOulllAc Vi III z ~
neither of US had shown by word oil
look that a thorough understanding ex-
listed between us. My part was to be
unobtrusive. friendly, neither indiffer-
ent nor eager, n l held to II by tax
ing care never to be left alone with
Anita; Alva's part was to be herself
simple and natural and sensible. full OF
life and laughter, hooking at those
moods that betray us into the absurd
ity OF taking ourselves to seriously.
/ was getting ready a new Gus In
town as a surprise to Anita, and | took
| Alva into my plot. Il wish Anita's
part OF the house to be exactly to her
liking" said /. Can you set her &c
dreaming aloud what kind Of place she
would like TO live In. what she would
like to open her eyes on In the morn
ing, what surroundings she'd like To
dress IN and read in, and all that"
Alva had no difficulty in carrying out
the suggestions. And by harassing
Wcstlake necessarily. / succeeded in
realizing her report OF Anita's dream to
the exact shade OF the draperies and
the silk that covered the walls. BY
pushing the work, i got the house done
Just as Alva was warning me that she
could not remain longer at Dawn Hill,
but must SO home and get ready for
her wedding. When | went down to
VI ciilSG Win lINI CIUG ldSL hCidiiS VI
the surprise, who should meet me at
! the station but Anita herself? / took
one glance at her serious face and,
much disquieted, seated myself beside
he. in the little trap. Instead of fol-
lowing the usual route to the house,
she turned her horse into the bay shore
road.
Several days ago. she began, as the
bend hid the station, II got a letter
fran. rlr1A wxr, -a4 49, -.
uncle of mine had given me a large
sum OF money-a very large sum. /
have been inquiring about 1t, and find
1t is mine absolutely"
! braced myself against the worst.
"She Is about to tell me that she is
leaving" thought /. But / managed
to say. I'm glad 10 hear of your luck, .
though j e my tone was not espe-
cially joyous.
80" she went on, Il am IN G position
TO pay back to you, / think, what my
father and Sam took from you. 1t
won't be enough I'm afraid 10 pay what
you lost indirectly. But | have told
the lawyers to make it all over to
you"
/ could have laughed aloud. 1t was
too ridiculous. this situation into which
| had got myself. ! did not know what
to say.
Aillld. 4 SdlQ nStedul Anita
The color famed In her cheeks: we
were silent for a long time.
"You-your people owe me nothing"
/ at length found voice to say. Even
II they did, l couldn't and wouldn't take
your money. But, believe me, they owe
me nothing"
You cannot mislead me-" she an
gwered. when they asked me to be-
come engaged to you. they told me
about It,"
1 had forgotten. The whole repulsive.
rotten business came back to me. And,
changed man that / had become in
the last six months. / saw myself as
! had been. l felt that she was looking
at me, was reading the degrading con-
~fession In my telltale features.
But With all my love making and
trouble at home. my financial plans
matured. In fact. they were ripened to
rottenness py the urgency of my enem-
les, open and hidden. However skill
fully they plotted, my plans outran
theirs. The suspicious that had beer
fown, the natural conditions OF trade,
the secret springs In currency, led to
d great financial cataclysm.
There was a week of stress and
storm, u with my sails reefed / ran
before the wind. my assets all secure
and clewed down like the sails of the
| HCId sup A~AIN II Which Il WAS running.
The millions of others melted before
their eyes. absorbing all that lay about,
but nothing of min run down.
However, 1t seemed advisable that I
should leave New York. 1t was told
TO the chief OF police that my presence
might cause d riot. Personally, | had
no feeling OF fear. l was serene with
my conscience, But as the storm bcat
about there was nothing for me to 40
/ md L went off IN my yonhf m rAgt 49,
think and give the skies tine to clear.
My enemies caused IL to be widely
believed that wild Week was my de.
liberate contrivance for the sole pur-
pose OF cnriching myself. Thus they
got me a reputation for almost super
human daring, for satanic astuteness
al cold-blooded calculation. L do not
deserve the admiration and respect that
my success-worshipping fellow country
men lay at my feet. True, / did greatly
enrich myself; but not until the Mon.
day after Wild Week.
Not until l had pondered on men AND
events With the assistance OF the news
papers and my detective protectors and
jailers permitted to be brought aboarc
mot until the last hope OF turnins
Wild Week to immediate public ad.
vantage had sputtered out like a lost
mans last match, did l think OF bene.
fitting myself. OF seizing the opportun
lty TO strengthen myself for the future
ON Monday morning / said to Sergeant
Mulholland: II want 10 go ashore a.
once and send some kilograms"
The sergeant Ia one of the detectiv,
bureaus "dress-suit men," He Is b,
nature phlegmatic and cynical. His ex
perience has put owe that a veneer o
weary politeness. We had becom,
/ great friends during our enforced In
scparable companionship. For Joe. VIII,
looked on me somewhat as a mothe,
looks on a brilliant but erratic son, had
as / soon discovered. elaborated a won
derful program for me. Ii included |
watch on me day and night, lest
through rage or dependency. | shout,
try to do violence TO myself. A fin,
character. that Joe! But, TO return
Mulholland answered my request TO
shore leave with a soothing smile
Cant do II. Mr.. Blncklock." he said
"Our orders are positive. But whel
we put in at New London and SEM
ashore for further Instructions, and 70
the papers, YOU car send in your mes
! sa-eS."
~As you please said I. And I CAV
him a cipher telegram 20 Joe-an orde
To invest my store or cash. which mean
practically my whois fortune. IN tn
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