Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1909-12-30
COorR/CHT

of himself, and explained, with run
ming comments, each feature of his
plan as he showed how it had been
carried out through the various rooms.
Surprised at the attractiveness of
mental notes for her own use, and be-
gan asking questions. Sinclair was
superb in answering, but the danger
! of admiring things became at once APP
parent, for when Dicksie exclaimed
over handsome bearskin, a rich dark
| brown grizzly skin of unusual size, Sim
| clair told the story of the killing,
! barred his tremendous forearm to
| show where the polished claws had
ripped him, and, disregarding Dicksie's
protests insisted on sending the skin
over to Crawling Stone ranch as
souvenir of her visit.
Il live great deal alone over here"
he said, waving Dicksie's continued re-
| fusal magnificently aside as he moved
into the next room. I've got a few
good dogs, and l hunt just enough to
keep my hand in with a rifle" Dicksie
] quailed little at the smile that went
with the words. THE men, at least
| the kind | mix with, don't care for
grizzly skins, and to enjoy anything
you've got to have sympathetic COM
pany-dUn't you know that" he asked
! looking admiringly at Dicksie. I've
got another skin for you-a silver-tip"
he added, in deep, gentle tones, ad-
dressing Marion 1t has a fine head,
as fine as | ever saw in the Smithson-
ian. 1t is down at Medicine Bend now,
being dressed and mounted. BY the
way, I've forgotten to ask you, Miss
Dicksie, about the high water How
did you get through at the rancho"
Dicksie, sitting on the piano bench,
looked up with resolution. ''Bravely."
she exclaimed. 'Mr. McCloud came to
our rescue with bags and mattresses
and 100 men, and he has put in a re-
vetment LEGO feet long. Oh, we are
regular river experts at our house
now! Had you any trouble here, Mr..
Sinclair?"
mo, the Frenchman behaves pretty
well in the rock. We had 40 feet of
water here one day. though; 40 feet
that's right. McCloud yes; able fell
low, l guess, too, though he and
don't hit it off, Sinclair sat back in
his chair and as he spoke he spoke
magnanimously. He doesn't like me
but that is no fault of his; railroad
men, and good ones, too sometimes
get started wrong with one another
, Well, I'm glad he took care of you
Try that piano. Miss Dicksie will you
| don't know much about pianos, but
that ought to be a good one. | would
, wheel the player over for you. but
any one that plays as beautifully as
, you do ought not to be allowed to use
, a player. Marion, l want to talk few
minutes with you, may 1? Do you minG
going out under the cottonwood"
RI Dicksie's heart jumped. Don't be
!. / gone long, Marion" she exclaimed, i'm
. pulsively, "for you know, Mr.. Sinclair
t we must get back by two o'clock.
$ And Dicksie. pale with apprehension
looked at them both Marion, quite
. composed. nodded reassuringly an(
o followed Sinclair out of doors into the
O sunshine
t For few minutes Dicksie fingered
J. wildly on the piano at some half-for
:. gotten air. and in a fever of excite
{ ment walked out on the porch to SCI
r where they were. To her relief, sh,
saw Marion sitting near Sinclair I'm
t der the big tree in front of the house
f where the horses stood. Dicksie, witt
h her hands on her girdle, walked fol-
J. lornly back and forth, hummed a tune
sat down in rocking chair, fanne'
l. herself, rose, walked back and fort
b again, and reflected that she was pei
e fectly helpless, and that Sinclair Nigh
e kill Marion a hundred times befor
d she could reach her. And the though
e that Marion was perhaps wholly ur
r conscious of danger increased he
v anxiety
d She sat down in despair. How coul
r. Whispering Smith have allowed an
y one he had a care for to be exposed i
,r this dreadful way? Trying to thin
If what to do, Dicksie hurried back t
a. the living room, walked to the piano
o took the pile of sheet music from th
top, and sat down to thumb it owe
h She threw song after song on tn
s. chair beside her. They were sheet
K of gaudy coon songs and ragtime wit
lie flaring covers, and they seemed
e. give of doors of cheap perfume. Die
s, sic hardly saw the titles assshe passe
i'd them over, but of sudden 81
IN stopped. Between two sheets of mus
lie lay small handkerchief. 1t W;
lie mussed, and in the corner of it "Ne
IT, lie" was written conspicuously in
st laundry mark. The odor of musk b
ne came in an instant sickening. Dicks
IN threw the music disdainfully asid
e, and sprang up with a flushed face
as leave the room. Sinclair's rema
mt about the first woman to cross b
H. threshold came back to her. Fro
that moment Dicksie hated him. B
ed no sooner had she seated herself
n, the porch than she remembered s
had left her hat in the house, a.
rose to go in after it. She was