The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-11-10

WITH anger. she QetermlneQ never TO
see Sornmers again. She hated Kim.
She knew she did! And to make it
sure she told herself so over and over
again.
The next day she was still enraged
when he called. 1t cost no effort t.
have him turned from the door. When
his note arrived she started impul
sively to open 1t. then checked her.
self She would be firm: she would
punish him.
And so with some slight effort she
handed the letter to the servant with
instructions to return it to Lieutenant
Sommers at his hotel,
Passing her ord lover on the street
had been an effort. but that. too. she
managed to do. It took the last of
her anger. however. The reaction he'd
come She began to regret, then to
forgive and finally to long once more
FOR the one man who, she felt sure,
could make her happy.
A little discreet questioning had
Brought out the cause Of his anger.
She foand out the real reputation Of
Pinckney among the work people. The
| discovery shocked her.
| She understood then why Sommers
had been so enraged She saw it was
not against her or brought about by
any doubt of her, but merely fierce,
uncomfortable rage against Pinckney
that he had dared-sa man OF his kind
Ito put her in position that his char
;acter at once made questionable.
When she had finally come to a real
understanding the girl longed to write.
but Sommers by that time was away
| on sea duty, and she could not reach
him. Against her own Judgment she
| had longed for and expected some
| word from him. But the naval Off
| GERS pride was too great to pursue a
! further fntrusien after SO signal a re-
| buff.
Then the sgftl began to grow pale
| and to worry. Her parents noticed
| the change without realizing the cause
| No one had any suspicion of the real
| relation between Frances and the
| young naval officer. That good
| night" on the vine covered porch was
| secret-a tender memory locked i'm
| her heart and in his to be brought out
| by each, regarded fesldiy and incurred
\ tover when alone.
sSommers had his work, but Frances
>naa Nothing ter distract her mind. No
j wonder she grew potter and seemed to
| 'iose interest in wergtning! air. and
Mrs Durant became alarmed. They
teonsnlted, doctors. but there was moth
| ing wrong physically with their
| daughter. Finally one big expert pro-
/ posed a sea voyage, land for the first
time Frances showed some sign of in
terest. Mr.. Durant paid a double
size bill cheerfully. thinking that doc
tor a wonderful man.
Ihe Durant yacht, the Irvessa, was
got ready as quickly as possible. Mr..
Durant could not go himself, and he
decided it would be good plan to
send his wife and daughter away for
cruise. in charge of Pinckney.
Now for month they cruised. but
Frances sh~yed little sign of interest
Rinckney was the only one Wko
the "trip. He now felt that victory
must in the end be his.
He was not deceived by the result
OF the first test of the Sommers gun.
1t had stood the first test safely, but
in his heart thes conspirator knew that
soon the badly tempered gun mlsst
fan, perhaps with shocking results.
That p,attoro1 Iittlo 70 t,;~,
worse the accident the greater the dis
grace Of Sommers and the surer the
result in his favor The government
must then accept the Rhinestrom gun
der than ever.
He had no fear of an investigation.
That had been web attended to. Smith.
under another name, was working far
away. There was no one else who
knew anything except Marsh. and he
could 0e depended on to keep quiet
The ultimate success of all that he
had Planned now seemed to the GEN
erai manager certain He gave him
self up to tine enjogments of7the cruise.
dreaming now and then of the time to
come when he and Frances as man
and wife should go on long trips to-
gether .&s ~ s# tgCsi1@s sese
The first sign of real interest the girl !
showed after starting was. when the /
yacht cast anchor in the broad harbor |
of Ponce. Porto Rico. and she learned I
quite by accident that the cruiser /
Roanoke was expected there in few
days. a. t.;4r
Then. to the intense establishment of /
Mrs. Durant and Pinckney. Frances
once more asserted herself. She de-
clared that she loved the old Spanish
town. Even the dirty plaza, two miles
away from the main city, interested
her. She insisted on staying over be-
cause, she declared, she was deter
mined to study the town and the peo-
pie and even ride over the famous mil.
1tary road constructed by the Span
fards at a terrible cost OF labor and
fcAS -. II