Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-07-16

his neck and returned to the girl more l disturbed than he cared to let bei | know.
 1 There resulted from his review oi
 the case but one plan for outwitting
 Mir. Hobbs and that lay in trusting to | his confidence that Kirkwood and Dor.
 othy Calendar would proceed as far
 toward Ostend as the train would take
 them-namely. to the limit of the run
 Bruges
 l Thus inspired, Kirk wood took coun- sel with the girl. and when the train
 paused at Ghent they made an unos- | tentatious exit from their coach. find ! ing themselves when the express had
 rolled on into the west upon q station ! platform in foreign city at nine min
 utes past 1 o'clock in the morning. but at length without their shadow slr.
 Hobbs had gone on to Bruges. kirkwood sped his journeyings with an unspoken malediction and collected
 himself to cope with situation which was to prove hardly more happy for them than the espionage they had just eiuded. The primal flush of triumph which had saturated the American's humor on this signal success proved but Active and transirory when in- quiry of the station attendants esluced the inforrna ton that the two earliest Dunkerque and the 53I for Ostend A minimum deity of four hours was to be endured in the face of many con tfngent features singulariy unpleasant to contemplate. The station waiting room was on the point of closing for the night. and Kirk wood. alarmed by the rapid ebh of The money he had taken from Calendar. dared not subject his finances to the strain of a nights lodging at one of tihent's hotels. He found himself forced to be cruel to he kind to the girl. and Dorothy's cheer ful acquiescence to their sole alterna- tive of trainping the street until day break did nothing to alleviate Kirk. woods exasperarfon
 It was permitted them to occupy a bench outside the station. There the girl. her head pillowed on the treas ure bag. mapped uneasily. while Kirk wood plodded restiessly to and fro. up and down the platform. adding his poor. weary wits with the problem or the future of the unhappy child for whose welfare he bad assumed re sponsibility. Dark for both of them, in hls understanding tomorrow loomed darkest for her
 Not until the gray. formless light of the dawn dusk was wavering over the land did he cease his perambulations Then Il GradCai stir of life in the city streets. together with the appearance of q station pocter or two. opening the waiting rooms and preparing them against the traffic of the day. warned him that he must rouse his charge He paused and stood over her reIuc tant to disturb her rest. such as Il was, his heart torn with compassion for her. his soul imbittered by the cruel irony of their estate.
 If what he understood were true. a kings ransom was secreted within the cheap imitation leather sa,che which served her for pillow But it ayailed her nothing for her comfort. If what he believed were true, she was abso- lute mistress of that treasure of jew els, yet that night she had been forced to sleep on hard. uncushioned bench in the open air. and this morning he must waken her to the life of hunt ed thing. A week ago she had had at her command every luxury known to the civilized world; today she was friendless hut for his inefficient. worth less self and in strange land A week ago. had he known her then. he had been free to tell her of his love. to offer her the protection of hls name as well as his devotion: today he was an all but penniless vagabond and there could be no dishonor deeper than to let her know the nature of his hearts desire
 Was ever lover hedged from dec laration to his mistress by circum- stances so hateful. so untoward? He could have ragged and rallied against his fate like any madman. for he de- sired her greatly. and she was very