The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-07-04
Another Mystery.


T>HERE was that In potn tone
and action u urge me for
ward.
rIt h odd you should trust
me 20 wholly" ventured. n Yankee
and \ stranger anu one under such
grave suspicion OF crime. Why should
you trust me. Miss Densiow?
-lDdeed 1 do not KNOW" as II the
thought had but just occurred to her.
'only the act Is natural to me. ell
ther trust fully or not at all. ! have
been like that from . child-the serV-
ant OF first Impressions"
yet you have not forgotten my uni
form"
mo, although there are times when
1 seem to forget" her voice hesitated.
Il was brought up TO hnte my enc
mics, to fight them bitterly and to the
death. That was the feud spirit. ana
we took this feeling with Us into the
war. We Of the south chung together.
/ sincerely wish could take broad
er view"
And you do already. You are here
now with q Yankee whom you trust.
Peculiar conditions have brought US
into sudden intimacy. We are really
friends. are we not?''
I'll am hardly ready to promise
that. 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.
l 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 / be entirely forgotten
as soon as this episode is over? Will
you not retain some kindly memory
of me?"
81 could not be Indifferent to the
claim of gratitude"
Nor can you refuse friendship
while l show myself worthy. can
your
She remained silent. a silence did
not understand. yet ! was unwilling
to accept 1t as q negative.
"You give me your hand few mo-
meuts ago because you were trighten-
ed and nervous. 1t was a comfort
then for you to feel the nearness OF
one upon whom you relied for proiec-
ton. Will you not give me the same
hand NOW in token OF friendship:
1t seemed to me | waited long
while, my own heart beating like trip
hammer, as she sat there mot1onless
in the dark Then there was a slight
rustic of her loose sleeve. as her hand
slipped hesitatingly along the arm OF
nv chair. held 1t for moment IN
silence, not daring to utter the mad
words that came thronsins to ny lips.
II thank you" | said ut last: your
friendship will mean much TO me
Il do not know why am so foolish.
she confessed. as though the words es-
caped her control Somehow you
make NE do things. even against my
will IL haven't liked Yankees. you
know. and 1t is pretty hard to learn to
like even one Yankee
"But you are going 10 try:"
| could hear the breath between her
half opened lips.
II don't think l shall have to try
very hard. Somehow you do not
seem like Yankee Mt all"
Good! am not going to seem like
one-nr least not IN the sense you
mean"
If ! could have read the expression
in her eyes | might have dared more.
but in that darkness. her words barely
audible from the cautious whisper IN
which we convcrsed. my courage fail
ed. Already I.had gained much. more
even than could Justly have expected.
She had trusted herself TO me. and
were | to take unfair advantage OF the
situation 1t might cost me all had
already gained of her good will.
| tiptoed forward nnd 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
board sounding from the top Of tho
stairs was not even certain actual
ly heard 1t. yet stepped aside into
the deeper shadow OF the coat rack.
every nerve a-tingle. my nand reach.
ing for the revolver at my belt
could see nothing. the circular
staircase mere dark blur barely dis
tingulshable. yet. faint us the sounds
were. 1 was convinced some one was
stealthily descending step by step. feel
Ing a way cautiously through the
gloom. Who could 1t be: What pur.
pose could account for such pres
ence? felt no doubt that this was
the murderer. seeking to complete his
work OF blood. but how could | meet
him? With q Shot. ending his career
with one pressure Of my finger against
the trigger. or should | attempt tax
ing him alive. thus the more thorough
ly vindicatinS myself OF all suspicion7
Had | been older undoubtedly |
would have chosen the safer method,
but as It was ! felt confidence in my