The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1912-01-11

02 MS OlICny OuJuI, VuCy 8W03I II Ws8
Keith. Owe got me own notion. An
nyhow, there's bout three hundred
dollars, some mules, an a lot o. val
yble papers missin'."
But If 1t wasn't father, where is he
now?"
That's what Owe been tryin' ter
foind out First on he went out to the
Cimmaron Crossing, guarded by a
squad o. cavalry from the fort here.
Tommy .Caine whit along, an told
me all about It, They dug up the
bodies, but niver thing did they ind
on 'em-not paper, nor dollar.
They'd bin robbed all roight. The
ovid Gineral swore loike wild mon
all the way back, Tommy said, an
the first thing he did at Carson City
was to start huntin' fer Black Bart
He was two days gittin' on the trail
av him; then he heard the Teller was
gone away trapsing after singin or
dancin' gyurl called Christie Maclaire.
She was supposed to be ayther at
Topeky or Sheridan. A freighter told
the ovid man she was at Sheridan, an
so he started there overland, hopin'
ter head off Black Bart OF reckon
We could towld morn that"
What do you mean?"
why shure, honey, what's the use
tryin' ter decave me? Didn't Jack
Keith, wild his own lips, tell me ye
was Christie Maclaire?"
"But I'm not! I'm not, Mrs. Muir
ply. l don't even know the woman.
It is such a strange thing; l cannot
account for it-both those men mis-
took me for her, and-and I let them.
1 didn't care who the man Hawley sup
posed me to be, but intended to have
told Mr. Keith he was mistaken. l
don't know why 1 didn't. only I sup
posed he finally understood. But
want you to believe, Mrs. Murphy
am Hope Waite, and not Christie
Maclaire.'
Its little the loss to We not ter be
her, an Dim thinkin' loikely Jack
Keith will be moighty we'll plased ter
know the truth. What's Black Bart
so ayger ter git hold av this Maclaire
gyurl fer?"
81 do not in the least know. He
place in the desert believing me to be
the other woman. Yet he said moth
ing of any purpose; indeed, he found
no opportunity"
Mrs. Murphy shook her head dis
paragingly.
1T was shure some divilment," she
asserted, stoutly Hell be up to
some trick wild the poor gyurl; OF
know the loikes av him. Shure, the
two av yez must look as much aloike
as two payes in pod. Loikeiy now,
it's twin sister we've got?"
Hope smiled, although hfr eyes
were misty.
"Oh, no; Fred and / were the only
children; but what shall l do? What
ought l to do?"
The Irish mouth of Kate Murphy
set firmly, her blue eyes burning.
Its not sthrong Oh am on advisin',"
she said, shortly, but IF it was me
Ord be fer foindin' out what all this
mix-up was about There's somethin
moighty quare in it. It's my notion
that Hawley's got hold av thin papers
av yer fathers. The ovid gint thinks
SO, too, an that's why he's SO hot
afther catchin' him. May the divil
admoire me av OF know where this
Maclaire gyurl comes in, but Oil bet
the black divil has get her marked
fer some part in the play. What
would Oh do? Be goory, Old go to
Sheridan, an foind the Gineral, an
till him all l knew. Maybe he could
Hawley was up ter"
Hope was already upon her feet,
her puzzled face Frightening
"Oh, that is what l wanted to do,
but was not sure it would be best
How can l get there from hersf
'Ye'd have ter take the stage back
20 Topeky; loikely they'd be runnin'
thrains out from there on the new
road. It'll be aisy fer me ter foind
Dut from some av the lads down be-
low"
The only equipment operating into
Sheridan was construction train,
with an old battered passenger coach
coupled to the rear. A squad OF
heavily armed infantry rode along, as
protection against possible Indian
raiders, but there was no crowd
aboard on this special trip, as all
construction work had been suspended
Oh the line indefinitely, and most of
the travel, therefore, had changed to-
the eastward. The coach used had
a partition run through it, and, as
soon as the busy trainmen discovered
ladies on board, they unceremOniouslyl
drove the more bibulous passengers,
protesting, into the forward compart-
ment. This left Hope in comparative
peace, her remaining neighbors quiet
taciturn men, whom she looked at
through the folds of her veil during
the long, slow, exasperating journey,
mentally guessing at their. various oc-
equations. 1t was an exceedingly tedi-
ous, monotonous trip, the train slack
ening up, and jerking forward. appar-
emily without slightest reason; then
occasionally achieving q full stop,
while men, always under guard, went
ahead to tx up some bit of damaged
track, across which the engineer
dorod not odvonca oooh hriHOa