The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-09-16

rein, anu, OefOre the 0tner knew Wnat
he would be at, he was of his horse.
God be with you!"
dumbfounded.
Sir" he said, you wear a sword!
And no son of the church goes armed
in these parts"
IF l am not one of your church I
am a Christian" Colonel John an
swered. Mount, father, and ride in
Goods name. and when you are there
send the lad back with the beast"
THE Mother of God reward you!"
the priest cried fervently. "and turn
scrambled to the saddle. The bless
The rest was lost in the thud of hoofs
az the horse started briskly, leaving
Colonel John standing alone upon the
road beside Bales sttrrup.
vh ,lrs b seme 11staSs II Colonel ma !5obn serves yes
Marked.
Bale smiled. And don't betray his
own SIDE" he said. He slipped from
his saddle.
You think it's the devils work we've
done?" Colonel John asked.
But Bale declined to say more, and
the two walked on. n on either side
Of the horse.
They had trrdged the better part Of
two miles when they came upon the
horse tethered by the reins to n Of
the two gate pillars. Colonel John got
to his saddle, n they trotted on. Not
withstanding. 1t was late in h after
noon when they approached the town
Of Tralee.
AS the colonel eyed the NEAR houses
which 1anked the entrance to the
town. he recognized that IL all the
saints had not vouchsafed their COM
pany, the delay caused by the meeting
with the priest had done somewhat.
riding Into the town before them. and
the horse under h man was Flava
McMurrough's lost mare.
Colonel Johns eye lightened as he
recognized its points. With a sign to
Bale he fell in behind h man and fol-
lowed him through two or three i'll
paved and squalid streets. Presently
gateway. crossed by an open space sur
rounded by dreary buildings which no
military eye could TAX for aught but
q barrack yard. The two still followed
the sentry staring after them. On
the far side of h yard the mare and
her rider vanished through q second
archway which appeared to lead to an
inner court. The colonel went after
them. Fortune, he thought. had favored
him.
But as he emerged from the tunnel
like passage he raised his head In as
constituent. A din Of voices. an OUT
break OF laughter and revelry, burst in
q food Of sound upon his ears. He
turned his face in the direction whence
the sounds came, and saw three open
windows, and at each window three or
four flushed CONTINGENCIES. His sud-
der emergence from the tunnel, per-
haps his loo of surprise, wrought an
instant's silence, which was followed
by a ruder outburst.
Cock! cock! cock!" shrieked a tipsy
voice, and an orange, hurled at ran
dom, missed the %colonel's astonished
face by a yard. The mare which had
led him so far had disappeared. and
instinctively he drew bride. He stared
at the window!
Mark one!" cried a second roister-
er, and q cork, better aimed than the
orange, struck the colonel sharply on
the chin. A shout Of laughter greeted
the hit.
He raised his hat. Gentlemen" he
demonstrated, gentlemen-"
He could proceed no further. A
flight Of corks, a renewed cry Of Cock!
cock! c0ck!" a chorus Of "F'etch him
! Ponto! Dead, good dog!" drowned his
remonstrances. Perhaps in the scoWl-
ing face at his elbow the wits of the
It'll found more amusement than In
the masters mild astonishment.
who the deuce Is he 2" cr'.d al