Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-01-01

that the letter had been forwarded
from his California address.
Il wrote you at the time" he ex-
planned in surprise Jim BoIan took
IT to town with him and mailed il
there. 1t was shortly after got out
there. The company changed. and !
went over to Wyoming to prospect"
did you meet your wife there or
after you went to Arizona? 2" she asked.
well, that's good one" be laughed.
'Who told you that | was married?"
you wrote that you were tired of
hard work and that you had married a
half breed woman who had mine.''
did the letter come from Arizona?'
"No; 1t came from San Hernandez.
You explained that you were going to
Arizona the next week"
when did this happen:" he cried.
'Do you remember the dateT
sit was some time in February" she
explained Il got the letter on St Val
entine's day..
'That was a pretty sort of valen-
tine" he commented. Ruth. did Jim
Boland ever ask you to marry himg'
Twice" she said, "once before you
went away and again when he was on
here last summer"
Il think I can sec how il was" he
said quietly. "Jim was book seper at
the mine and made up the mail. He
must have forged my letter to you, and
when he received one of yours after
left he steamed open the flap. inserted
a forgery and forwarded it to me.
"He knew us well enough to feel GER
tain that We should not write each
other and compare notes, and he
thought he had disposed of me and
would be able to gain your consent to
marriage to him."
II don't think he is clever enough to
forge" she declared.
HE was sent to prison for forging"
he said. "When he came east last
summer they went over his accounts
and found that he had been forging
signatures to vouchers right along.
They sent him TO jail. but he escaped
somehow and has never been located"
Then that is the way 1t was" she
said. Somehow ! could not believe
that 1t was true"
"And there Is no one else?" he asked.
She shook her head.
There never has been any one else"
she said softly. Unmindful of the
crowd, he caught her in his arms.
There never has been any one else
here" he said. "and there never will
be-"
Just as their lips met revolver shot
rang out above the din of horns. There
was cry, and In an instant a ring
had formed on the outer edge of the
sidewalk
Berrsan, with hasty injunction not
to move away. sprang into the crowd
pressing his way through the crush.
Presently he came back, with white
face.
Another one Of those fools who did
not know 1t was loaded" he said
gravely. Lets get out of this as
quickly as we can"
With Jeff's huge bulk it was an easy
matter to stem the crowd, and pres
emily they found themselves out of the
din In a side street. A sleepy caaman
doZed IN his seat In the hope of getting
a faro. JEFF woke him up and. giving
him IN order. helped Ruth into the
cab, taking his place beside her.
81 have told him to drive to DR..
Molntford's," he said. 1--WE do not
need a license, and want to begin the
new year a married man. is it all
right. dear?"
1T seems almost too good to be
true" she whispered as she pressed
the arm through which she had thrust
her own. ITO think that Jim Boland's
Feachery might have kept us separat-
ed forever"
"Dop't let's speak of that" he said,
with a slight shudder 1T was Jim
who was killed by that pistol shooting
fool. He had grown a beard, but |
recognized him by the scar on his fore.
head"
Poor Jimp' she shuddered. After
all 1t was because of his love for her
that he had committed crime.
"Don't let's think about it." he plead.
ed as he put his arm about her. 1.-THE
clocks are striking Let us think of
the Joy that the new year is bringing
to u.s."
''It's such a different New Years
from what | anticipated" she smiled
up at him as the cab drew up in front
of the minister's residence.