Evening star., 1909-09-05

/ Couldn keep last nlght supper too. our
friend Mr. Bostwick was here about eight
but told him he'd have to wait if it took you
a week to come down.
You didn't tell him I'd been away. |
hope," said Beth. suddenly alarmed at the
thought of Searle's presence in the town.
I'D rather knew but YOU
Lord. | wouldn't tell him If rat was
dead in his pocket" Mrs. Dick expostulated.
. | can't abide the man, and you might well
know 1T, even If it does hurt your feelings.
Beth sat down to her breakfast. She said,
You're good you can be-.
We'll. the breakfast amt; 'taint fresh.
SAID Mrs. Dick. But | IL see you git a decent
lunch She hustled off into the kitchen.
RETH had barely finished eating when Bost-
- wick again appeared. The man was tan
ned from his trip in the desert. He seemed
alert. excited keen over prospects rapidly
coming to head
Well well. Beth" he said as he came inside
the dining room. " m back. you see; but
I've certainly had a time of it The
broke down, and Glen had left Starlight when
at last | arrived. and | hunted for him all
through the mountains and found him only
| couldn't write: but | did feel cut up. | assure
you. about leaving you here alone SO long
time
He advanced as if to kiss her. but Beth
avoided his caress. She was calm and pos
sessed She meant to ascertain just how far
the man was trying to deceive her.
Won't you sit down and tell me all about
it," she said. You saw Glen four days
ago." She resumed her place in her chair.
Three or four days ago-I' m mixed in my
dates, he said, as he also took seat He's
looking fine, and sent his love. of course
That the man was lying in every particular,
she began to feel convinced. i" You left him
wells He was feeling strong and wells'
Never better, he assured her. You
see what this wonderful sunlight does even
to me-.
Yes, see. And you left Starlight yes
terday?"
Yesterday afternoon. l had trouble
ming back. Otherwise, we'd have been here
in the evening
She said, ''Wes Glen didn't come along,
He isn't here9"
''Oh, no. no. certainly not!' he hastened to
say. Il brought in a who-who is in
terested in the purchase We have made"
That served to arouse her sense of wonder
ment as to what he had really been doing with
her money and his own. He was attempting
to deceive her concerning Glen, and perhaps
his entire story fabrication. oh" she
said. Then you have purchased the mine.
you and Glen?
concluded" he said offhandedly. We are not
yet in actual possession of the property. There
will be further bitches, however. And the
claim is certainly rich.
FOR the life of her she could not tell what lay
at the bottom of the business. The strange
conflict and discrepancies between Glens
own letters made the riddle SO utterly obscure.
She felt that Searle was fashioning falsehoods
in every direction. That he had not visited
Glen at all, was her fixed conviction She
knew that sudden dlstrust. almost loathing.
for this heavy browed settling down
on her, inescapably Someway, somehow.
she must know about Glen for herself. Her
own attempted trip to Starlight had dis
couraged all thought of further adventure.
and no reliance whatsoever could be placed
upon Searle's reports. Perhaps the reputed
mining property likewise a myth. or, if
such property existed. Glen might never
have heard of it at all. But Gens letter.
she was always forgetting that letter, the
he had written to Searle
She said, Where is this mine that Glen
has found?"
He colored slightly. I'VE have all agreed
not to talk too much about it yet. It's not
very far from here, | tell you that Pre-
cautions are necessary where hundred men
follow every prospector about night and day,
if he happens to have found bit of valuable
ore. thousand men would be after this
property if they knew the way to secure it.
Perhaps. after all, Glen had purposely con-
cealed this matter from herself Bostwick
sounded plausible. Her mind reverted to her
brothers illness; for Glen to her was of far
more importance than all the mines in Nevada.
Il am glad to hear that Glen is WELL she
Al ,o1- HI