Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-03-31
CHAPTER xxII.-(continued.)

Valentine Imroth, but upon a human
Interest 1 believed powerful enough to
protect me. And this step I tool that
1 might return TO Joan and say: Here
Is the truth: here is the story which
o M / will guard while we live"
The danger could be nothing to me In
the face OF that which success must
mean. l was as a miner lifting his
pick for the last time. All, my God!
what hopes and fears / carried to that
lonely island, what a burden Of doubt
and dreadl
We left st. Katherine's wharf late
In the afternoon, and 1t was almost
dark when the great orb Of the Chap
man Light came TO our view. A rough
diagram on the back OF Imroth's let
ter had indicated to me where / must
land upon the island, and at what
point his ~eryants would await for me,
Had ] been in doubt. a green lantern
swinging by the low wall OF a decrepit
f~armhousa-the first you see when the
island comes to % yiew-would have
called my attention TO the place and in
vited me to go ashore there. / had by
consent passed my word to take none
but Okyada to the meeting, and faith
full to the promise he alone followed
me to the landing stage and prepared
TO go up to the house with me. The
launch itself had been lent to me by
MessTs. Yarrow, and was commanded
by one of their engineers. / did not
dare ask ven Captain Larry to be
with me upon such a highland as for
my friend, the loqu8cious Timothy, ii
would have been madness to bring him.
Imroth Ia told me in the plainest
terms that my very life depended upon
a faithful Interpretation Of the terms
OF the compact, and l knew my man
too well TO doubt his meaning. This
lonely shore. / said again, would be
watched by a hundred eyes.
An old negro stood on the landing
stage as the launch canN,, alongside,
and he 1t was who carried, the lantern.
No n else appeared to be about,
though l heard a whistle blown sharply,
n answered by another owe toward
the Essex shore. The negro himself
hid his face as much as possible from
me, nor did he utter a single word or
betray the slightest emotion at my
coming. / noticed, however, that he
waited for the launch TO cast a little
way off into the river before he moved
from the stage, and when this was lone
and the whistle had been sounded q
second time. he led the way up a mar
row grassy path to the farmhouse, and
quietly left me at it's DOR. Night had
quite come down by this time, and a
dank white mist began to rise above
80 AC ANPCAi up
peared to be a structure built by some
honest EutohHman who had helped 20
save Canyey Island from the sea when
Essex was still washed by the waters
OF the estuary. A single light burned
In n OF it's windows, but elsewhere
IL was lark as the river which flowed
SO blackly before its gates.
I knocked three times upon an an
cient door, and was answered immedi-
ately by a trim maidservant. Yes. she
said, Mr.. Iniroth was at home and ex-
pecting me. And so she ushered me
into the presence of that master Grim
inal for whom the police had searched
h cities of the world
. Gaatad I'm a lou armchair in n little
ToS..ss. =. .sa.s s=e.A. &c the haase-a neer,
shabby apartment furnished with no
better taste than a Margate lodging
house, I perceived that Valentine Inn
roth wore a green shade low over his
eyes. but not so low as TO impair his
vision: while the chair he had placed
for me n the lamp set upon the table
would permit him TO follow every pass
ing thought OF mine with the eyes OF n
human artist upon whom nothing is
lost. Careless i'm his attitude, he
smoked an immence cigar with evident
satisfaction, n had by his side q
black bottle. which, as / knew by its
shape, should contain Holland gin. In
many ways a changed mar from the
Imroth l had met upon the heights at
Santa Maria, the ferocious aspect OF
him was but little abated; and as
though to emphasize it, he had laid a
great stick by the side of his chair
while one OF the ugliest boar hounds
I have ever seen blinked at his feet, and
lifted a savage head silently at my
coming. These things / observed in
stantly. and drew my own conclusions
R-Aw. 49, aGXTA H. - $500 % n Ill
"but somewhere near by my friends are
concealed-the dog would hold me IL
he gave the word. and half a score OF
the ruffians would do the rest" A
place OF peril surely-and yet / had
known that IL must be so when / set
out to meet him.
7 put my hat npon the floor and drew
the chair a little back from the table
TO which ft had been drawn up.
II am here" I said shortly. I'm an
swer to your letter. The conditions
| upon which we meet are faithfully OBJ
served between MS. My servant is
waiting for me at your door, and my
| launch is out in the river. Let us get
to business at once. That. ] hope, is
| your wish"
He thrust the shade back upon his
forehead, and showed me a pair OF red-
! limned eyes, watery and blinking at
| the dogs az his feet. The long, thin
| hand which held the cigar seemed to
be silver backed like a brush, with
nails as black as ebony. An immense
! diamond glittered upon his little fin
| ger.
1T is my hope" he repeated. not
| without dignity-which, however. he
lost instantly I'm the manner of a broker
OF Houndsditch selling shabby furni-
ture-'.to see the great DIR. Fabos OF
London. 20 have him in my house:
that Is an honor for an humble old man
what have I done to deserve it-how
has this pleasure come into a poo oid
life7"
He Uttered like some old witch max
ing peat fire by a roadside. But II
was tho laughter of a vanity not to be
hushed. and I passed 1t by with a ges-
ture.
sThe pleasure came into your house
at your own invitation" I ~rejoined. 1T
will go again very shortly by the same
road. Please give me -FOUR attention
| / am here neither for mutual express
sion or standardization nor the desire
| OF your amiable company. In a word,
| I have come to ask you for the story
or Joan Fordibras.v
SIC nodded his head. still tittering
convicts a. Farmers.
From tho Survey.