Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-09-01

only tenable one, and yet, with tho
memory OF Miss Lawrence's pure face
before me. I could not believe II. !
could not believe that those clear eye
sheltered such a secret. I could not be-
iieve that anything shameful had ever
touched her. She q kept herself un-
spotted from the world. n / would
prove It!
AS / reached the Kingdom house and
turned in at the gate, / remembered
with a smile the resolution I had made
the night before to buy a revolver. 1t
seemed absurd enough In the light of
the clear day-that / should arm my
self against two womenl
There was a flower bed on either side
the walk, well kept and In a riot of
bloom, n along the hedges and about
the house were others. Evidently the
women who lived here not only loved
flowers, but had ample time to tend
hem AS / approached the house, I
saw that the blinds were drawn, and
there seemed no sign OF life about the
place, but the door was opened almost
instantly in answer TO my knock.
The woman who opened IT, / knew
at once for the elder Miss Kingdom, and
my eye were caught and my attention
held by he bold, virile beauty OF her
face-a beauty which had, in q way,
- $500 S1N w = < lAtI CtllGSSs
She resembled her sister, n yet there
mas something higher and finer about
her. She gave me the impression of
one who had passed through q fiery
furnace-and not unscathed. / WON
deredi as Godfrey had, at the dark
splendor of her eyes; l could fancy how
they would burn n sparkle once she
was reused to anger.
This is Miss K~ingdon?" I asked.
She bowed.
I'm going to ask a favor, Miss King
DON" | said, "the favor Of a few mo-
ments' conversation"
Are you a reporter p" she demanded,
without seeking to soften the harshness
OF the question, and in an instant I
knew that 1t was she who had threat
ened me through the door the night be-
fore, for the voice was the same and
yet not the same. Then it had been
edged and broken by a kin Of frenzy;
now 1T. was almost domineering in it's
cool i~nsolence. What was 1t had so
shaken her? Fear at my knock at that
hour Of the night? Yet she seemed
anything but a woman easily alarmed.
mo, I'm not a reporter I answered,
smiling as well as l could to hide the
tumult OF my thoughts. MY name is
Lester, and I'm acting for Mr.. Curtiss.
l hope you'll grant my request"
. oll lOOhGu dI iHe IlOE6 CLOSELY, ana
her lips curved derisively.
I've heard of you" she said.
From you sister, no doubt. had
the pleasure Of meeting her yester-
day afternoon"
l could not wholly keep the irony out
of my o n
Il guess you didn't find out much
from her" she retorted.
Not half as much as she knew. I
| hnna NpII'll hn mara fro II y,-ffh 49, ~ .
She hesitated a moment longer, then
stood aside.
Very well; come in" she said, and
as / entered. she pointed the way into
a room at the right.
1t was a large, pleasant room, we'll
furnished and in excellent taste. On
my first glance around, my eyes were
caught and held by a portrait which
occupied the place of homer on the wall
opposite the front window. II was O
woman's head, life-size, evidently done
from life, crude enough in execution,
but of a woman SO brilliantly beautiful
that her face seemed to glow through
the canvas, to rise superior TO the lack
of skill with which the artist had de-
picted her. There was something ia
miliar about Ii, too-at least, I fancied
so-and then / shook the thought away
impatiently.
"Well?" asked a voice, and I turned
to see that Miss Kingdom was waiting
for me TO speak. "Sit down." she added
abruptly, and herself sat down opposite
me, and gazed at me with fierce eyes
that never wavered.
Mr.. Curtiss is naturally anxious"
1 began ito find Miss Lawrence and to
near from her own lips the reason Tor
her fight. He ever thinks he has 9
certain right to know that reason. I'm
trying to find where Miss Lawrepce is."
And why do you come here?" she
asked with compressed lips.
Because" / answered boldly, IT be-
lieve that Miss Lawrence came here
when she left her home. She went first
into the library, where she sat for q
While until she decided what to do;
then she opened the library window,
descended from the balcony, and ran
here along the path which leads
through the trees to that gate out yon-
der. You received her and refused to
allow anyone to see her."
II refused to allow the reporters to
see herl" she cried. Surely, you would
have Zone as muchl"
Yes" I said, REFRESHING as well as I
could the sudden burst OF triumph
which glowed within me. "Yes-per-
haps / should. But you'll not refuse
me?"
She smiled grimly.
THAT was cleverly done, Mr.. Lester"
she said. fortunately it's no longer a
question Of my consent or refusal"
Miss Lawrence Isn't here?"
mo, Miss Lawrence left here late
last night"
.Ane vent
"Ah, that I shall not tell"
I looked at her again M saw that
by arguing I should be simply wasting
my time. I saw something else, too
this woman also knew the reason for
Marcia Lawrence'S flight.
CONTINUED Next Week.D