Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-03-27

7 about! Cannot you remember where
we are nor which way the river should
be? If the lawn were ON we could
tell"
But with the dawn
THE streets would fill. True. and.
Master Philip giving the alarm, we
should be detected before we had gone
far. The more need, girl. To lose no
time. | nave my breath again, and the
child is asleep. Let us venture n way
or the other, and heaven grant it be
the right one!"
Let me see, the younger woman
answered slowly. as If In doubt. Did
we come by the church? No. We came
the other way. Let us try this turning,
then"
Why. child. we came that way" was
the decided answer. ''Wha are you
thinking of? That would take us
straight back into his arms, the wretch.
Come. come. You %lolter,' continued
this, the more masculine speaker.
the difference between a prison
and freedom. If we can reach the
Lion wharf by lit is like to be a dark
morning and foggy-we may still es-
cap before Master Philip brings the
watch upon u.s.
They moved briskly as she spoke
n her words were already growing
indistinct from distance, while / re-
NAMED still. idly seeking the clew &c
their talk II muttering over and over
again the name Clarence, which seemed
familiar to me, when a cry of alarm, in
which / recognized one OF their voices,
cut short my %reyerie, / craWled with all
speed from my shelter and stood up.
being still In a line with the boards
and not easily distinguishable. AS she
had said, 1T was a dark morning, but
the roofs of the h~ouses-now high. now
low-could be plainly discerned against
a gray, drifting sky wherein the
first signs OF dawn were Wis
ible, and the blank outline OF
the streets, which met at this point,
could be seen. Six or seven yards from
me, in the middle of the roadway, stood
three dusky figures, OF whom l judged
the nearer, from their attitudes, to be
the two women. The farthest seemed
to be a man.
/ was astonished to see that he was
standing cap in ~hand-nay. | was dis
gusted as well. for | had crept out hot
listed, expecting to be called upon tC
defend the women. But, despite the
cry / had heard, they were talking to
him quietly enough as far as | could
hear. And in a minut or so / saw
the taller woman give him something.
He took it, with a low bow, and APP
peared almost to sweep the dirt with
his bonnet. She waved her hand in
dismissal, and he stood back. still un-
covered. And-hey, presto!-the women
tripped swiftly away
BY this time my curiosity was in
tensely excited, but for a m /
thought it was doomed to disappoint-
ment. | thought that it was all over.
1t was not by any means. The man
stood looking after them until they
reached the corner. and the moment
they had passed it he followed. His
stealthy manner of going and his fash
ion of peering after them was enough
for me. / guessed at once that he was
logging them, following them unknown
10 them and against their will. and
with considerable elation / started after
him, using the same precautions. Whar
was sauce for the geese was sauce for
the gander. So we went-two. one.
one~-slipping after one another through
half a dozen dark streets, tending gen.
orally southwark.
Following him in this way ] seldom
caught q glimpse of the women. The
man kept at a considerable distance be-
hind them, and | had my attention fixed
on him. But once or twice when, turn
ing a corner, 1 all bur trod on his heels.
/ saw them, and presently an odd point
about them struck me. There was a
white kerchief or something attached
apparently TO the back of the ones
cloak. which considerably assisted my
stealthy friend to keep them in view.
1t puzzled me. Was il a signal TO him9
Was he really all the time acting in
concert with them, and was | throw.
ing away my pains? Or was the white
object which so betrayed them merely
the result OF carelessness and the lack
of foresight of women graphing with
a condition of things to which they
were unaccustomed? OF course / could
not decide this. the more as, at that
distance, / failed to distinguish what
the white something was or even which
OF the two wore IL.
Presently I got a ciew to our position, |
for We crossed Cheapside. close to
Paul's cross, which my childish memoir
les Of the town enabled me to recog-
nize, even by that light. Here my
friend looked up and down and hung
a minute on HIS heel before he fol-
lowed the women, as II expecting or
looking for someone. 1t might be that !
he was trying to make certain that the
watch were not in sight. They were
not. at any rate. Probably they had
gone home to bed, for the morning was
growing. And after q momentary hest
tation he plunged into the narrow
street down which the women had
fitted.
(Continued Next Weekly