Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1912-08-08

@suS uusSdFQs EuOStty lneam0ntS or
the mad woman. Our eyes met in the
glass. met as il fascinated. each stand.
ing rigid from surprise. too greatly
startled to cry out There was no
doubt as to the insanity III those wild
orbs staring at me. and for the in,
slant | could not escape their power
They seemed to hold me as the snake
does the bird. Then my fingers grip
ped hard on the dresser and swung
around. desperately resolved to make
the creature captive. With my first
hostile move the door clicked shut.
and before l could touch the latch
my foot caught the edge Of rug. and
fell to my knees.
Could she have gone down the stairs.
| sprang to the railing and glanced
below. A guard. fully armed stood
just within the front door. leaning on
his rifle. No one could pass that Way
unobserved. Then she must be hiding
within one of the rooms. So certain
was Of this that | took time to the
search, opening door after door and
surveying each interior thus revealed
with carefulness which convinced
me they Wore absolutely empty.
Thoroughly puzzled. came out of
the last room. that in which the Irish
lad and ! had been imprisoned. and.
scarcely knowing why. paused ut the
head OF the stairs to glance down once
again at the sentry stationed below.
He was apparently IL young fellow.
roughly dressed in butternut. II wide
brimmed and rather disreputable hat
shading his face. He lifted his eyes to
the stairs. and | nearly cried out in
startled ana.ement. AS | lived. it
was O'Brien. would have believed
it merely Il strange resemblance had
not the fellow impudently grinned up
ut me. making use of a peculiar ges-
ture. which left no doubt of his iden.
tlty. O'Brien. in pretense of Confed-
crate uniform. acting as sentinel here
as one of Donald's guerrillas. What
had 1t to do With my escape-with the
mystery of this house? And. Jean
did she know Could she have passed
and repnssed without noticing the boy
and recognizing him? Could it be that
she was conspiriny in my escape and
had placed him there:
''For the Lords sake. sor." he whis.
pered hoursels. '.av we're goin' to skip
now's the tonne. before the sergeant
gifts here wild my relief
What do You mean? Have yon
been stationed there to let me slip
throIghy"
Sure, that's the program. It's the
girl that liked it all up.
Not Miss Denslow:"
IAN Who the diyil else would 1t be:
Sure she picked me out from the
whole bunch for the job an niver
cracked smoile. but them pretty oies-
OF hers was danrin'. Just now whin
she came down she give me the wink
an said was to pass We out an niver
say nothin'.'
But what are you doing here:
What's the meaning of this masque.
rade?'
The fellow grinned. bringing his
hand to salute.
I'm Private O'Brien, sor. of the
Confed army. l wus lift behind whin
ME fellow sojers departed after the
late fracas. Sometimes l tell thim !
belonged to Dodds squad. sometimes
20 Theilen's. an thin agin came over
here wild I.iftenant Dunn. Divil a
bit o difference it makes so l belong
to some other outfit than the fellow
I'm talkin' to. It's an illigant liar
or1, l,o~rn hat 20, ,r,1l tno
job. Sure. thin divils, shot the horse
undher me. an came down in i, bit
of bush. SO shook up didn't know ME
oN'h name for an hour. Thin there
was no gittin away. an ! lay there
studyin' it all out an watchin thin
rebs lawn. The way they had fixed
me couldn't see how was liver 80.
in to git shut OF thin except by bein
IL reb myself for awhoilc So | shtole
a coat-this beauty I've got OH. sor--
an a hat. an ufthcr the most of thin
had marched away | came out an
reported to the sergeant. He talked
to me loike hell sor. till the girl took
me part. an since thin he's bin civil
enough"
-SI!SSs DCuSIOW LOOK your part -
questioned in surprise. What did she
say.
The Irish eyes twinkled merrily.
"Bedad she said she knew me: that
! was wan OF l.iftealnt Dunn's cavai.
rymen.'
she said tbat:'
!!-@"Regorr., she did sor an stood
lookin' at her purity face wid me
mouth omen. 1t was beautiful Ioi
sor an she niver cracked smoie
while she was givin' it To him. She'd
a fooled betther man than that ser
geant wild the honest way of her an
thin eyes a lookin' sthraisht 1T him
They're great devils. thin girls"
''Rut why did she do this: What
object could she have had"
He rubbed his sleeve across his
mouth. leaning over the railing To
where he could look the full length OF
the hall. Then he Strengthened up. his
face solemn as Il preachers
FAT first thought it was me manly
beauty that did 1T. But nfther awhoile