Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-10-07

quite positively. II am not such .
weakling as thati"
Besides" / added, II am frightfully
hungry; I must have something to eat,
II I commit murder for It."
You viii not expose yourselff" she
asked quickly.
mo; there is no danger" I assured
her.
Il shall pray for you" she added
calmly. and l fear there In one thing
/ must ask Of you"
ASK it" I said.
Before I left my room at the cha
teau," she continued. Il chose the
heaviest shoes I had
There was no heed that she should
say more. 1 nent and touched one or
the little feet, Just peeping from be-
meath the cloak. However heavy the
shoes had been. they were certainly
far too light for the rough service
which had been exacted Of them.
They were almost In t~atters, and I
could guess how the sharp stones
which had torn the leather had
bruised the tender feet within. Yet
she had followed me without a sigh,
without a murmurl Impulsively /
bent n kissed the instep OF the little
shoe, then rose unsteadily to my feet.
Il will get you another pair" !
said; "and II am to have any peace
OF mind, mademoiselle, you must not
again permit me to forget your well
fare, as I have been doing. With the
best Intentions In the world. I am
only a selfish and obtuse fellow, with
a brain not bright enough to think Of
more thu one thing at a time"
II saw how your thoughts were &C.
cupied." she protested. Il knew that
our safety depended upon you. and I
did not wish to disturb YOU"
ITO disturb me7" I echoed. "Ah, for
once, mademoiselle, you were not really
kind, for by keeping silent, you have
lone more than that-you have made
me suffer. But there-I am wasting
time, and I a guess your hunger by
my own. I will go. You are not
afraid?"
NO" she murmured; land yet I hope
that you will not be long"
NO." I said; mo-" and not daring
to trust myself further, I turned and
strobe away through the darkness.
Only the biting need for prompt and
well-directed action enabled me to
master the sweet emotion which those
words. so softly uttered, had awakened.
But / managed to crush II down, to
put 1t behind me, and to address my
self wholly to h task In hand. I
must get food at once and at any price.
But food in such q w~ildernessl
But fortune favored me-or perhaps
the country was not a wilderness as I
imagined-for at the end Of 10 minutes
brisk walking, I collided with a hedge,
and, too rejoiced at the discovery to
feel the scratches I had sustained, !
felt my way along II and came at last
TO a gate. II was not even latched. so
/ pushed It open and passed through.
Once on the other side Of 1t, / found
myself In what seemed an orchard.
Arguing that where there was q
hedge, a gate and an orchard there
must also be a house. / pushed forward
among the trees. not without difficulty,
and came out at last into the clear air
beyond. At the first glance, ] perceived
q light just ahead of me, and made my
way towards II with a deep thankful
ness readily imagined. AS I drew near
err. I saw that the light proceeded from
the window OF a small house, which I
was evidently approaching from the
e a / advanced cautiously and
looked within. Three men were sitting
about a table on which was a bottle OF
wine and the remains OF g meal. They
were talking together with great ear
nestness.
There was no time for hesitation or
the Weighing of risks, so / waited to see
IO LlOIot Jul Hd6tcu6Q dTOunQ TIC
house. 1t fronted upon a road which
seemed wide and well-kept-undoubt-
edly G. high-road n not a mere coun-
try lane. A creaking sign proclaimed
the place an inn, but the device paint
ed upon II had so faded under wind and
rain that l could not make 1t out. I
raised the latch n entered, and with
out pausing to look about me, sat down
at the nearest table and raped loudly.
One Of the three men whom I had OBJ
served through the window arose and
came TO me.
You are the innkeeper7" I asked.
Yes" he answered gruffly, his brows
drawn close with annoyance, not In the
least IN the names OF a man welcom-
ing g. customer.
'Well citizen" I continued, ct am
in great haste-I am on an errand of
Importance must be Off at once. Can
/ have some food to take with me-a
fowl, say, and whatever else Is at hand;
together with two bottles of wineY"
"All that may no doubt be had, citi-
gen." he answered, relaxing nothing Of
his sinister expression. but there are
certain difficulties in the way"
Money you mean?" and I laughed
and threw two silver crowns upon the
table. Well, there 1t Is. and you cam
not quarrel with II, either. I don't
offer you a~ssignats, mind you-and one
doesn't often near the ring OF honest
coin nowadays"
THAT Is true he admitted, and his
face relaxed a little as he Eyed the
money. But there is yet another dir
acnlty"
And what Is it7" I demanded.
"The other difficulty" he answered.
watching me keenly, as that In giving
you these provisions / may be succor-
ing an enemy of the nation"
I threw myself back in my chair and
burst into a roar OF laughter. Looking
back upon it, there is no of my
life of which / am more proud than ]
am OF that one.
CONTINUED Next Week.)