The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-01-06

J. Weyman. ~
lounged there, whistling, and now and
agRin peeping.
Suddenly, on the upper floor, Colonel
John heard q door open and the clamor
OF a voice raised in anger. It was
James voice. Tell him? Curse me II
you shalt" Colonel John heard him
say. The next moment the door was
But he had heard enough to quicken
his pulses. What was it she wished
to tell him? Was she seeking to follow
up the hin which she had given him
on Bales behalf? And was the sur
veillance to which he had been SUBJ
Keeping them apart?
Colonel John suspected that this
might be SO; and his heart beat more
quickly. At h evening meal he was
early IN the ROOM, on the chance that
she might appear befor1 the others.
But she Gid not descend, and the meal
proved unpleasant beyond the ordinary,
James drinking more than was good
for him and taking a ton brutal and
churlish. For some reason the colonel
reflected, the young man was beginning
e lose big fears. Why? What was he
Secure as I seem, I must look to
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
FlaNia before the others appeared. She
was not down; he waited. she did not
come. But when he had been in the
room v 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 1t, fed in q panic
without a word.
He hid the paper about him and read
it later. The message was In Flavia's
hand; neither James nor the O'Beirnes
were capable OF penning a grammat-
ical sentence. Colonel Johns spirits
rose as he read the note.
b at the old Tower an hour after
sunset. O must not be followed"
"That is more easily said than DONE"
he commented.
Nor did he see how 1t 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 had
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 nor yes, but he dallied with
the idea until it was time to start and
they had made up their minds that he
was coming Then he declined.
James SWOre. the nReirnaS Sc0w1ad
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 OF, spend
ing their anger on one 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
minute Darby showed himself at the
door; once in a quarter Of an hour the
old na found occasion to cross the
court to count the ducks or rout a
t~respassing beggar. Toward sunset he
came less often, having to busy him.
self with the evening meal. The colo
mel smiled and waited, and presently
~AS AAA1 "a AOu1lA aIlllll Sui
seated there and withdrawals time
with an air Of f1nality. He's salts
fed h 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-
cleo a hundred yards he was lost to
view.
When he had gone a quarter OF a
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
"Whoo. hoo: hoo!' of wis beginning
of oars in a boat which darkness al
ready hid. He Strengthened himself
with a sigh of relief ard hastened at
speed in the direction of the water
fall.
Before he too on the platform and
made out the shape of the Tower loom
ing dark and huge above him. he had
come to h conclusion thai the need
which forced Flavia to such a place at
such an hour must be great, The moon
would not rise before IL o'lcock. the
last simmer of the water had faded
into unfa.homable 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
Finally. in a subdued voice, he called
her by name once or twice. Alas! onlv
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
n moved. He CROPPED his ,way for
ward half a dozen PAGES, found a ligh
break on his view and stood in aston
ishment.
The movement had carried him be-
yond the ace of the Tower and 30 re-
vealed the light. which issued from a
doorway situate in the Anak of ~