Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-10-19

seemed to know 1t subiectiveEy. to
have retained a memory of it from an
other existence.
ously near, and he was debating
whether or not they should alight at
once and try to make better pace
afoot when the decision was taken
wholly out of his hands.
Blindly staggering on, wilted with
WEAKNESS, the horse stumbled in the
shafts and plunged forward on its
knees. Quick as the driver was to pull
1t up. with cruel jerk of the bits.
Kirkwood was caught unprepared.
Lurching against the dashboard, he
lost his footing, grasped frantically at
the unstable air and went over, bring
ing up in sitting position in the gut
ter with solid shock that Jared his
very teeth.
For moment dazed, he sat there
blinking. BY the time he got to his
feet the girl stood beside him, ques-
tioning him with keen solicitude.
NO." he gasped. mot hurt-only
surprised Wait"
Their cab had come to complete
standstill. Calendars was no more
than twenty yards behind. and as
Kirkwood caught sight of him the fat
adventurer was in the act Of lifting
himself ponderously out of the seat.
Incontinently the young man turned
to the girl and forced the travelling bag
into her hands.
Run for it," he begged her. Don't
stop to argue. You promised-run!
| III come.
philip" she pleaded
"Dorothy!" he cried in torment.
Perhaps it was his unquestionable
distress that weakened her. Suddenly
she yielded, with whatever reason. He
was only hazily aware of the swish
of her skirts behind him. He had no
time to look round and see that she
got away safely. He had only eyes
and thoughts for Calendar and Stryker.
They were both afoot now and rum
ming toward him. the one as awkward
as the other, but neither yielding jot
of their malignant purpose. He held
the picture of it oddly graphic in his
memory for many day thereafter.
To this mental photograph another
succeeds of the same scene an instant
later, all as it had been before. their
relative positions unchanged save that
Stryker and Calendar had come to a
dead stop and that Kirkwood's right
arm was lifted and extended, pointing
at the captain.
So forgetful Of self was he that ii
required moments thought to con.
vince him that he was really responsi.
BILE for the abrupt transformation. In.
credulously he realized that he had
drawn Calendars revolver and pulled
Stryker up short in midstride by the
mute menace Of it as much as by his
hoarse cry of warning:
"Stryker, not another foot!'
With this there chimed in Dorothy's
} voice, ringing bell clear from little
] distance:
Philip"
Like flash he wheeled to add yet
. another picture to his mental gallery.
| Perhaps twoscore feet up the side
J walk gate stood open. Just outside
1t man of tall and slender figure, rig
, ged out in bizarre costume consist
: ing mainly of lowered dressing
! gown and slippers. was waiting in al
( attitude Of singular impassivity. With
in it, pausing with foot lifted to thu
doorstep, bag in hand, her head turned
t as she looked back, was Dorothy.
3 AS he colnprehended these essentia
1 details of the composition the man II
l the Powered dressing gown raised I
hand. beckoning to him in name
as imperative as his accompanyin,
/, words.
, Kirkwood choked on a laugh tina
) was half sob. "Brentwick" he cried
restoring the weapon to his pocket ant
J. running toward his friend. "Of al
: happy incidents!'
Y you may call it that" retorted tn
: elder man, with a feeting smile. a
< Kirkwood slipped inside the dooryart
0 Come" he said; let's get into tn
j house."
e But you said-I thought you wen
l. to Munich" stammered Kirkwood. an
g so thoroughly impregnated was 81
d mind with this understanding that
d was hard for him to adjust his pei
e ceptions to the truth.