The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-10-16
CHAPTER XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.
Missing.
The Rev. Tom Grayton stood with
his elbow on the mantelpiece, a per.
picked look in his yes and an open let,
ter in his hand. 1t was a brief, type
written letter from the owners Of the
steamship Nebraska, and announced
that no one of the name of Webster
had taken passage in her on her last
voyage-that the only passenger, in
fact. whose name began with a "W"
was a Miss Marion West.
THAT settles the matter" he said
70 himself, at length, and he drew a
long breath.
But the settling OF one matter had
unsettled a good many others. The
look OF perplexity in his eyes, instead
Of clearing away, deepened into a look
Of pain. He had been proud of the
good name OF st. Chloe. Since he had
known anything of it nothing in the
shape OF scandal had ever been con-
nected with the place. 1t was q sim
gularly honest, sober, God-fearing COM
munity that inhabited this little hol-
0A- Ny thu 500 Tho achoruooo Forpo
ers and t~radespeople appeared to be
al Of the same type-men who could
do great deeds, but did not want them
talked about; men who kept the com
mandments because the fear OF God
was constantly before their eyes.
st. Chloe had been lifted into promi-
nonce o than once by its heroisms.
The nearness Of the treacherous Bee
ties" had given all too frequent oppor.
tunity for the display Of courage and
self-sacrifce OF the noblest kind. But
within the memory of the oldest in
habitant 1t had never been lifted into
prominence by ar outrageous de-
parture from the moral law. There
was not . man or woman in st. Chloe
who had ever been In Jail, not one
who had even been fined for wrong
doing
And though it was IN record that
there several people in the vii
lage who held strange and unorthodox
viws IN questions of ritual and dogma,
and others who on Sundays were con-
spicuOus by their absence from both
church and chapel, nevertheless the
ethical sense had been kept SO we'll
alive that every man felt that he, to
the measure OF his influence, was re-
sponsible for the good name Of the
place.
Hence to Tom Grayton, in whom
this feeling VAS particularly strong,
the presence OF Z man who was now
proved to be = liar, and who was un-
doubleday bent on the act Of dishon-
esty. was like the presence OF an cpl
demic In q once healthy community.
He felt that the fair fame OF st. Chloe
Was In danger OF being soiled-that
ne tradition Of . century was in peril
q being broken. And IL that tradi-
don was once broken no one could tell
the moral effect It would have. It
might prove what q bad fall is to 4
horse. The beginning Of svd Is well
- the beginning 0 fstrife il like the
letting out Of water.
0raytcn folded up the letter at
length and put It into his pocket, but
= look Of worry and perplexity still
clouded his strong. handsome face.
Being the only resident minister in
ne place. he naturally felt more re-
sponsible for the good behavior OF the
community than any other man. New
ms, Or whatever his name might be.
would have to be got rid Of. He
would have to b told straight and
plain that he had been found out. that
his story xabout his health and his
relative W. pure fabrication. and that
- was suspected Of intent to COM
nit : felony.
4 would be no easy task, Of course,
g tell 2 man to his face that he was
living IN the village under false pre-
lenses. but it would have to be done.
To- the sake Of the fair name OF st.
Chloe the threatened scandal would
Aave to be prevented, and the sooner
= Was done the better.
Grayton was not lacking In courage,
but he certainly did not like the task.
e was something new In his minis
tetlal career. and he was sorry It had
nllen 70 his lot. TO carry comfort
. the sick o. solace to the sorrowful
40 : delight, but TO tell an apparent
~ innocent and respectable man to
d. face tia the was Z fraud and Z
NJ Jared painfully On the nerves.
- crossed the little square slowly
sxss aara- Overs house, where Nevins
a1oe~ao& AZ was ! raw, wfndless day,
ut 0reetened rain later On. At pres.
~ Nsssything was obscured In q
Mniss naipt That rolled slowly IN from