Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-01-26

attitudes of the others Orme would not
have known but that she had gone. Az
it was, he could read in their bearing
the disconcerting effects of her contin-
ued disdain.
The Japanese spoke. VIII you en-
ter, miss, or shall we direct you on
your way? Arima will come out and
talk with you, if you 20 WISH"
Still no answer. To Orme, in his
hiding, there was something uncanny
in her failure to respond. But he could
picture her-Truth, calm in the pres
ence of ~subterfuge.
"Wtll you not state your desire?"
Again the Japanese. He was smiling
now, with the false r~oliteness of his
race.
And then she spoke: THAT envelope
on the floor was stolen from my faith
er's home. 1t bears my fathers
name"
Before Alcatrante could stop him,
little Poritol, with some vague hope Of
making amends, had snatched up the
torn envelope and taken it to her. He
returned to the range of Orme's vision
with an air of ~virtuous Importance.
THE contents" said the girl
where are the papers?"
Alcatrante and the Japanese looked
at each other. 1t was as if they said,
IN view of our failure we might as
well make a clean breast of it." But
Alcatrante was too cunning to take the
initiative in confession. He left that
to the Japanese, who spoke unhesi
tatingly.
"The only papers in the envelope
were these" He picked up the tori
prospectuses from the floor and held
them extended in his hand. "Our sur
prise is as great as yours"
DO you expect m to believe thatT'
Whether you believe 1t or not, M
dear young lady, it is true"
There was a moment of silence, thel
the Japanese continued: we have rea
son to think that the envelope was TO
a time last night in the possession 0
an American, and that he substitute,
these circulars for whatever the en-
velope may have held"
Orme's impulse to declare himseI
was almost irresistible. A man who's
instincts were less cautious would hav
thrown the table over and ranged hin
self beside the girl. Orme was nc
fearful, but he knew that the chance
of a successful outcome would be lei
sened by exposure. Even if he and tn
girl got safely from the room, Their
would be a pursuit, and the risk {
losing the papers would be great.
t AS for the girl, she clearly raj in 4
/ danger. These men would not harl
} her.
: But would the assertion of the Jap
nese lead her to doubt Orme? Wou,
she believe that he had actually r
covered the papers the night befol
Q and kept them for his own purposes
o He remembered that he had given h
only the scantiest account of his a
n venture at the tree, for he had wisht
to spare her the details Of an incide
that meant her disappointment as we
as his own. She might now readily
tribute his r%eticence to a desire
conceal something.
And then came her voice. Her mr.
words brought a glow to Orme's hear
n II know that you are mistaken, !
a American has those papers" Orr
breathed his relief. Then she add
+? the dubious word-"Unless-"
So she did doubt him after all. VIZ
G he could not blame her. The scene
e the room-the frankness of the JaI
nese, which could only be attribut
to discontinue; the empty envelop
the torn ~prospectuses on the floor,
these conditions pointed to the truth
the explanation she had heard.
1T On the other hand, there was his
or pearance on the lake, IN hour or me
r. after the episode on the campus. Mig
N it not occur to her that, had he AREA
se secured the papers, he would have b
no object in the further pursuit Of t
IN Japanese? But, perhaps she woI
I'd think that he was seeking Arima
I'd sell the papers back to him; or tn
SO in spite of his appearance of surpri
ty he had been a witness of her add
m ton and had gone out on the water
save her. There were so many thir
k she might think! Indeed, that dubiC
word unless" might even signi
unless he has secured the pap
We since | last saw him But no; s
e. would gather from thu situation
N, which she found her enemies that
envelope had not been out of their ?
,e, session since 1t was taken from
., tree. Orme shut his lips hard. /
ed doubt of him would have to be
dured, even though it shattered
Ill pleasant dream of her complete
sympathetic understanding.
ng A~lcatrante, meantime, was study
tx the girl with curious eyes. His !
- L-4I -zu-Ioyol o-l oIYoirino