Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1909-06-17
Louis Joseph Vance
~interposed Kirkwood without raising

down without favor. Then: BEG par
don, sir. l see my mistakc," said the
detective brusquely.
81 am glad you do" returned Kirk
wood grimly. u fancy it will Dear
Investigation"
He mounted the steN. 'lmperiai the
alter" he told the driver. giving the
first address that occurred to him. 1t
could be changed. For the moment
the main issue was IT, ret the girl out
Of the range of the detectives interest.
He Slipped into his place as the ham
rom wheeled into lhr turgid tide of
westbound traffic.
So Calendar had escaped, after all!
Moreover, he had told the truth to
Kirkwood.
BY his side the girl moved uncasily.
who was that man." she inquired.
KirkwooG sought hor eyes and found
them wholly ingenious. 1t seemed
that Calendar had not taken her into
his confidence, after all. She was
therefore in no way implicated in her
fathers affairs, ImeXplicably the
young mans heart felt lighter. ~
mistake. The fellow took me for
some one he knew" he told her care
lessly.
The assurance satisfied her. She
rested quietly, wrapped up in personal
concerns. Suddenly Kirkwood was re-
called to a sense of duty by a glimpse
Of Hyde Park Corner. He turned to
the girl. 81 didn't know where you
wished to go"
She seemed to realize his meaning
with surprise, as one whose thoughts
have strayed afar recalled to an i'm
perative world.
"Oh, did forget: Tell him, please,
to drive to No. 0 l'rognall street.
Bloomsbury"
Constraint hung like Il curtain be
tween the two, a silence which the
young man forbore to moderate, find
ing more delight than he had cared COR
dared) confess to in contemplation of
the pure girlish profile so close to him.
She seemed quite of him,
lost in thought. large eyes sober, lips
! serious that were fashioned for laugh
ter, round little chin firm with some
occult resolution. 1t was not hard to
fancy her nerves keyed to a high pitch
of courage and determination mol easy
to guess for what reason. Watching
always, keenly sensitive to the beauty
of each salient line betrayed by the
flying lights, Kirkwood's W con-
sciousness last itself in a proitless,
even a perilous. labyrinth OF conjecture.
! The cab stopped. Both occupants
came to their senSeS with a little start.
The girl leaned out over the apron,
recognized the house she sought in n
swift glance, testified to the recogni-
ton with a hushed exclamation and
began to arrange her skirts. Kirk
wood, unheeding her faint hearted pro-
tests, jumped out, interposing his cane
between her skirts and the wheel. 81
simultaneously he received Il vivid men,
tai photograph of the locality.
Frognall street proved to be one Of
those byways a short block in length
which. hemmed in on all sides by a
meaner purlieu, have (even in Blooms
bury escaped the sordid commercial
eye of the keeper of furnished lodg-
ings. retaining jealousy something of
the old time dignity and reserve that
were their pride in the days before So
ciety swarmed upon Mayfair and Eel
gravia.
Its houses doomed tall, with many
windows. mostly lightless, materially
aggravating that afr of isolate, cold
dignity which distinguishes the Eng
lishman's castle. Here and there stood
one less bedraggled than its %neighbors,
though all, without exception, spoke
assertively of Responsibility down at
the heel, but fighting tenaciously for
existence. Some. %vanguards of that
imminent day when the boarding
house . should reign supreme. Wore
with shamefaced air placards Of estate
agents advertising their susceptibility
to sale or lease. In the company of the
latter was No. O..
The American noted the circum-
stance subconsciously at a moment
| when MISS GuiSludl . llllO, SIltlll tlS Il
child's, warm and compact in its white
glove. lay in his own. And then she
was on the sidewalk, her face. up
turned to his. viyacious with excite
ment.
"You have been so kind" she told
him warmly. that one hardly knows
how to thank you. Mr. Kirkwood."
81 have done nothing-nothing at
ALL" he mumbled. disturbed by a sud
den unreason1ng alarm for her.
She passed quickly to the shelter Of
the pillared portico. He followed
clumsily. On the doorstep she turned,
Offering her hand. He took and re-
tanned it.
Good night" she said.
"I'm to understand that Pm dis
missed, them" he stammered ruefully,
She evaded his eyes. "I-thank you
have no further need"-
"You are quite sure? Won't you be
lieve me ut your services"
She laughed uneasily. "l'm all right
now"
II can no nothing more-sure!"
Nothing. But you-you make III
almost sorry can't impose still fur