Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-05-15

heads. and the rank vegetation. ant
mysterious darkness of the mere should
shut US In.
For a time | was to be spared this
Master Lindstrom suddenly stopped
rowing. I'VE have forgotten to brinp
a stone. lad ne said I'm a low voice
"A n / answered. turning. ]
was pulling the stroke oar, and my
back was TOWARD him DO we want a
| stone?"
ITO sink the body" he replied. 1--WE
cannot bury 1t in the marsh. and If we
could 1t We're trouble thrown away.
We must have a stone
What is to be done?' / asked. lean
ing on my oar and shiyering as much
IN inoatience as nervousness. Mus
we go back"
NO; we are not far from the cause
way now, he answered. with Dutch
coolness. There are some big stones
! fancy. by the end Of the bridge, n
not, there are some lying among the
cottages just across the bridge. Your
eyes are younger than mine, so Won
q better go. ! Will pull on and land
you" ~
assented, and, the boats course
oelng changed a point or two
three minutes rowing laid her
NfN hAbd cplllC Oh NArdS
from the land ward bend of the
bridge and Just In the shadow OF the
causeway. | sprang ashore and clam
oered up. Hist he cried warninp
me as | was about to start on nv err.
rand. Go about it quietly. Master
rrancis The people will probably be
IN bed. But be secret
| nodded and moved off as warilv 40
ne could desire. | spent a minute or
TWO peering about the causewav but
1 round nothing that would serve our
y There a no course left
then but TO cross the planks and seek
what | wanted in the hamlet. Remem-
oering how the timbers had reaked
and clattered when l went over them
IN the daylight, / stole across on tin
toe. L fancied / had seen a pile Of
stones near n of the posts at that
end, but | could not find them now
and after cropping about awhile-for
TINS part was at the in dark
ness-l crept cautiously past the first
mover, peering to right and left as |
went. / did not like 10 confess to nv
self that | was. afraid TO be alone in
the dark, but that was nearly
the truth. / was feyerishly anxious to
find what / wanted and return TO my
companion.
Suddenly / paused and held my
breath, A slight u had fallen on
my ears, n~ervously ready to catch the
slightest. | paused and listened. Yes,
there IL was again-a whispering of
cautious voices close to me, within a
few feet of me. / could see no one. but
a few thoughts told me tina the speak
ers We're hidden by the farther corner
or the cottage abreast OF Which stood.
The sound of human voices. the assur-
ance or living companionship, steadied
my nerves and 10 some extent rid me
or my folly. l took a step to one side.
so as to be more completely In the
Shadow cast by the reed matched
caves. and then softly advanced until |
commanded a view of the whisperers.
They We're two-a man and a woman
and the woman was of all people
Dymphna. She had her back to me,
but she stood in the moonlight. and I
knew her hood in a oment The man
surely the man was Van Tree. then.
II the woman was Dymphna? l stared.
l felt sure it must be Van Tree. 1t
was wonderful enough that Dymphna
should so far have regained nerve and
composure as to rise and come out tn
meet him. But in that ease her CON
duct, though strange. was explicable.
II not, however, if the man We're not
Van Tree
Well, he certainly was not. Stare as
/ might. rub my eyes as I might. |
could not alter the mans figure. which
was of the tallest. whereas have said
that the young Dutchman was short.
This mans face, too, though it was OBJ
scured as he ben over the girl by his
cloak, which was pulled high UP about
ms throat, was swarthy-swarthy and
~beardless. | made out. More. his cap
and feather, and even as he stood still
| thought | e the soldier in his at
titude-the soldier and the Spaniard,
what did 1t mean? On what strange
combination had lit? Dymphna and a
Spaniard! Impossible! Yet a thousand
doubts and thoughts ran riot in nv
brain: a thousand conjectures jostled
n another TO get uppermost. What
was | to do? Go nearer to them. as
near as possible, Inc listen and learn
the truth or steal back the way I had
come and fetch Master Lindstrom? But
first, was 1t certain that the girl was
there OF her own free will? Yes. the
question was answered as soon as put.
The man laid his hand gently on her
shoulder. She did not draw back.
Confident of this, and seque of
D~ymphna's bodily safety, L hesitated
and was beginning to consider whether
the best course might not be to with
draw and say nothing, leaving the ques-
tion or future proceedings to be de-
cided after / a spoken 10 her on the
morrow, when a movement diverted
my thoughts. The man at last raised
his mead. The moonlight fell cold and
bright on his face, displaying every
feature as clearly as il il had been day
and though | had only once seen his
face before / knew II again.
(Cont,nued Next Weekly