Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1912-07-06

1T Is OQQ you SlOuiO TRUST
me so wholly" l ventured. "a Yankee
and a stranger and one under such
grave suspicion OF crime Why should
you trust me. Miss Denslow:"
Indeed l do not know" as If the
thought had but just occurred to her.
-onIy the act is natural to me. L Ell
Their trust fully or not at all. have
been like that from a child-the serv-
ant of first impressions"
Yet you have not forgotten my uni
form"
NO. although there are times when
1 seem to forget" her voice hesitated-
II was brought up TO hate my enc
mics. to fight them bitterly and to the
death That was the feud spirit. and
we took this feeling with US into the
war We of the south chung together.
l sincerely wish 1 could take broad
er view
And you do already You are here
now with a Yankee whom you trust
Peculiar conditions have brought us
into sudden intimacy. We are really
friends. are we not?''
IL am hardly ready to promise
that 1 feel kindly toward you. but
do not know you. Lieutenant King.
and-and all my friends are on the
other side"
"Oh. no they are not. Miss Denslow.
am your friend in spite OF every
difference between US. So long as
live there will be one heart under
blue uniform you may feel confidence
in do not even believe you are as
hard hearted as your words would in
dictate. Shall l be entirely forgotten
as soon as this episode is over? Will
you not retain some kindly memory
of me?'
II could not be Indifferent to the
claim of gratitude"
Nor can you refuse friendship
while 1 show myself worthy. can
you?"
She remained silent. silence L did
not understand. yet l was unwilling
to accept it as a negative.
You gave me your hand a few mo-
ments ago because you were frighten-
ed and nervous. 1t was comfort
then for you to feel the nearness OF
one upon whom you relied for protec-
ton Will you not give me the same
hand now in token of friendship"
1t seemed to me l waited long
while. NV own heart beating like n trip
hammer. as she sat there motionless
in the dark Then there was slight
rustic of her loose sleeve. as her hand
slipped hesitaungly along the arm OF
nv chair | held it for a moment in
silence not daring to utter the mad
words that came throIsGing to my lips.
Il thank you" ! said at last: your
friendship will mean much to me-"
Il do not know why 1 am SO foolish"
she confessed. as though the words es-
capped her control Somehow you
make me do things. even against my
will IL haven't liked Yankees. you
know. and it is pretty hard to learn to
like even one Yankee
But you are going to try2"
1 could hear the breath between her
half opened lips,
II don't think 1 shall have to try
very hard Somehow you do not
seem like a Yankee at ALL
Good! am not going to seem like
one-at least not in the sense you
mean"
If could have read the expression
in her eyes 1 might have dared more,
but in that darkness, her words barely
audible from the cautious whisper in
which we conversed. my courage fail
ed. Already / had gained much. more
even than l could justly have expected
She had trusted herself to me. and
were to take unfair advantage of the
situation it might cost me all L had
already gained of her. good will
l tiptoed forward and peered into the
library Judge Dunn sat just as be-
fore. his posture unchanged. his head
bent forward upon the table. Sud
denly my ears caught the creak of a
board sounding from the top of the
stairs l was not even certain actual
iy heard it. yet l stepped aside into
the deeper shadow of the coat rack.
every nerve a-tingle. my hand reach
ing for the revolver at my belt
l could see nothing. the circular
staircase a mere dark blur barely dis
tinguishabie. yet. faint as the sounds
were. 1 was convinced some one was,
steaithily descending step by step. feel
ing a way cautiously through the
gloom Who could it be? What pur-
pose could account for such pres
ence? l felt no doubt that this was
the murderer. seeking to complete his
work of blood. but how could 1 meet
him? With shot. ending his career
with one pressure of my finger against
the trigger. or should 1 attempt TAX
ing him alive. thus the more thorough
ly vindicating myself of all suspicion?
Had been older undoubtedly l
would have chosen the safer method
but as it was l felt confidence in my
strength and in the advantage of sur
prise and was urged into recklessness
by desire to prove before Jean Dens
low the extent of nv courage Thrust