Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-01-14
1.-THE WILD GEESE1
* BY Stanley J Megyman.

lounged there, whistling, and now and
again peeping.
Suddenly, on the upper floor, Colonel
John heard a door open and the clamor
of a voice raised In anger. IL was
James voice. Tell him? Curse me II
you shalt" Colonel John heard hin
say. The next moment the door was
sharply closed. and he caught no more.
But he had heard enough to quicken
his pulses. What was 1t she wished
to tell him? Was she seeking to follow
up the hint which she had given him
on Bales behalf? And was the sur
velllance to which he had been sub
tected for the last two days aimed at
keeping them apart?
Colonel John suspected that this
might be so; and his heart beat more
quickly. At the evening meal he was
early In the room, on the chance that
she might appear before the others.
But she did not descend, and the meal
proved unpleasant beyond the ordinary,
James drinking more than was good
for him and taking a tone brutal and
churlish. For some reason the colonel
reflected, the young man was beginning
to lose his fears. Why? What was he
planning?
Secure as I seem, / must look to
myself" Colonel John thought. Aud
he slept that night with his door
bolted and a loaded pistol under his
pillow. Next morning he took care to
descend early, on the chance of seeing
Flavla before the others appeared. She
was not down; he waited, she did not
come. But when he had been in the
room five minutes a serving girl slipped
in at the back, showed him a scared
face, held out a scrap Of paper and,
when he had taken it, fed in a panic
without a wore.
He hid the paper about him and read
1T later. The message was in Flavia's
hand; neither James nor the O'Beirnes
were capable of penning a grammat-
rose as he read the note.
BE at the old Tower an hour after
sunset. You must not be followed"
That is more easily said than done"
he commented.
Nor did he see how It was to be done.
He stood, cudgeling his brains to
evolve a plan. But he found none that
might not, by awakening James sus-
picious, make matters worse. He a
at last to let things take their course,
in the hope that when the time came
they would shape themselves favora-
bly,.
They did. For before noon he gath
cred that James wanted to go fishing.
The O'Beirnes also wanted TO go fish
ing, and for the general convenience 1t
became him to go with them. He said
neither no o yes, but he dallied with
the idea until 1t was time to start n
they had made up their minds that he
was coming. Then he declined.
James swore, the OBeirnes scowled
at him and grumbled. Presently the
three went outside and held a confer
ence. His hopes rose as he sat smiling
to himself, for their next step was to
call Darby. Evidently they gave him
orders and left him in charge, for a
few minutes later they were off, spend
ing their anger on n another and on
the barefoot gossoons who carried the
tackle.
Later In the afternoon Colonel John
took up his position on the horse block;
there he affected to be busy plating
horsehair lines. Every two or three
minutes Darby showed himself at the
door; once in a quarter of an hour the
old man found occasion to cross the
court TO count the ducks or rout a
trespassing beggar. Toward sunset he
came less often, having to busy him
self with the evening meal. The colo
mel smiled and waited, and presently
the butler am again, found him still
seated there and withdrew-this time
with IN air of f1nality. He's salts
fled" the colonel muttered, and the
next moment he was gone also. The
light was waning fast, night was fall
ing in the valley. Before he had trav-
eled a hundred yards he was lost to
view.
When he had gone q quarter OF d
mile he halted and listened, with his
ear near the ground. for the beat of
pursuing footsteps. He heard none,
nor any sounds but the low of a COW
whose calf was being weaned, the
WHO'D! hoo! hoo!' of owls beginning
to mouse beside the lake and h creak
of oars in a boat which darkness al
ready hid. He Strengthened himself
with a sigh of relief and fastened at
speed in the direction Of the water
fall.
Before he stood on the platform and
made out the shape of h Tower loom
ing dark AMI huge % him. he had
come to the conclusion that the need
which forced Flavia to such a place at
such an hour must be great. The moon
last simmer OF the water had faded
into unfathomable blackness beneath
him; he had to tread softly and with
care to avoid the brink.
He peered about him, hoping to see
her figure emerge beside him. He did
not and, disappointed, he coughed
Finally, in a subdued voice, he called
l1GI ny III Oti1C VI I1C. AID III
the wind, softly stirring the grass and
whispering in the ivy, answered him
He was beginning to think that she
had failed TO come when, at no great
distance before him. he fancied some
one moved. He CROPPED his way for.
ward half a dozen PAGES, found a light
break on his view and stood In aston
ishment.
The movement had carried him be.
yond the face OF the Tower and so re.
vealed the light, which issued from a
doorway situate in the flnak Of the
building. He paused, but second
thoughts reassured him. He saw thai
in that position the light was not visi-
BILE from the lake or the house; and he
moved quickly to the open door, ex.
pecting to see Flavia. Three steps LED
down to the basement room of the
Tower: great was his surprise when he
saw below him in this remote aban-
doned building-in this room three feet
below the level of the sofia table SET
handsomely with four lighted candles
in tall sticks and furnished besides
with a silver inkhorn. pens and paper
Beside the table stood a couple o.
chairs and a stool. Doubtless there
T WAS other furnifure In the room. bll1