The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-05-14

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mysterious darkness of the mere should
shut us In.
For a time I was to be spared this.
Master Lindstrom suddenly topped
rowing. w have forgotten to bring
q tone, lad" he said In q low voice.
"A = 1 answered, turning. I
was pulling the stroke oar, and my
stoneY" ~
ITO sink the body" he replied. eve
cannot bury II in the marsh. and II we
could IT were trouble thrown away.
We must have a stone"
VIVA IS to be done?" I asked, lean.
ing on my oar and shivering as much
In impatience as .;Must
we go back?" 5000 49,
No: we are not far from the causa-
way now" he answered, with Dutch
coolness.. There are some big stones
I fancy. by the end OF the bridge. II
not. there are some lying among the
cottages Just acress the bridge. Your
eyes are younger than min 90 W.,
you" Hu iaiu
assented. and, the boats course
thrns changed a point or two
Sows on the mud some so yards
bridge and Just in the shadow or the
Sauseway. sprang ashore and cIam-
bered up. "Histl'' he cried wa rnSnr
me as 1 was about to start on nv az
N go about It quietly. Master
francis. The people will probably be
IN ned. But be secret
4 nodded and moved Off as warily as
he could desire. I spent a minuts 81
Two peering about the causeway but
1 round nothing that would serve our
There was no course Ieft
men out 10 cross the planks and seek
what 1 wanted In the hamlet. Remem-
oering how the timbers had creaked
ana clattered when / went over them
In h daylight, I stole across on fin
toe. I fancied l had seen a nile 81
stones near one Of the posts at that
emo, 81 l could not find them now
ana AFTER cropping about awhile-for
TINS part was at the In dark
ness-l crept cautiously past the frst
hoyel. peering to right and left as
went: did not like to confess to my
SELF that l was afraid to be alone In
he dark, but that was nearly
the truth. I was feverishly anxious to
companion. ~
Suddenly I paused n held nv
breath. A slight sound. had fallen on
my ears. n~ervously ready to catch the
slightest. I paused and listened. Yes,
there 1t was agaln--a whispering Of
cautious voices close to me. within \
Few feet of me. I could see no one, but
q rev thoughts told me that the speak
ers were hidden by the farther corner
or the cottage abreast OF which I stood.
The sound OF human voices, the assur-
ance of living companionship, steadied
my nerves and to some extent rid me
OF my folly. I took a step to one side.
so as to be more completely IN the
shadow cast by the reed matched
caves. n then softly advanced until /
commanded a view of the ~whisperers.
They were two--a man and a woman
and the woman was of all people
Dymphnai She had her back to me
but n stood In the moonlight, and /
knew her hood In a moment. The man
surely n nan was Van Tree. then,
IL n was Dymphna? I stared
/ felt sure 1t must be Van Tree. If
was wonderful enough that Dymphna
should SO Tar have regained nerve and
composure as to rise and come out TO
e him, But I'm that case her con-
duct, though strange, was explicable.
II not. however. IL the man were not
Van Tree "
Well. he certainty was not. Stare az
/ might, rub my Eyes as 1 might. I
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 II was OBJ
scured as ne bent over the girl by his
cloak, which was pulled high UP about
his throat. was swarthy-swarthy and
beardless. / made out. More. his cap
and feather, and even as he stood still
| thought / read the soldier In his At
titude-the soldier and the Spaniardt
Via did IL mean? On what strange
combination had ! lit? Dymphna and a
Spaniard! Impossible! Yet a thousand
doubts and thoughts ran riot i'm my
brain; a thousand conjectures jostled
one another to get uppermost. What
was 1 to do? Go nearer to them. as
near as possible, and 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 w 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 consequently OF
Dymphna'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-
ton or future proceedings to be de-
cided after I had spoken to her on the
morrow, when a movement diverted
my thoughts. The man at last raised
his head. The moonlight fell cold and
bright on his face, displaying every
feature as clearly as IL 1t had been day.
and though / had only once seen his
face before ! knew It again.
Continued Next Weckl