The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-07
Ccntinued.1


 You were -le best sort ( woman" said to him. "You had D, chance with Ellen Meriwether."
 'No. but at least every fellow is worth his own fight with himself. wanted to be a gentleman once more Oh, a man may mate with woman ot any color. He does all over the world He may find mistress in any nation ality of his own color or wife in an! class similar to his own. He does all over the world. But sweetheart and a wife and woman-when a fellow even like myself finds himself honestly gone Ike that-when he begins to fight inside himself, old India against old England. renegade against gentleman I say that's awfully bitter-when b eees the other fellow win. You won"- 'No," said I. ''l did not win. Yon know that perfectly we'll. There is no way in the world that can win. AL I can do is to keep Larole-well. with myself. suppose"
 "You touch me awfully close" h. unused again. "You play big and fair You're fighting man and a gentle man and-excuse me. but it's true-an awful ass all in one. You're such an ass almost hesitate to play the game with you.'
 Thank you," said I. "But now take . very stupid fellows advice. Leave this country and don't be seen about here again. for if so yon will be kiIled.r Precisely" he admitted. "In fact was just intending to arrange per manent departure. That was why was asking you to promise me to-iL short, 10 keep your own promise There's going to be war next spring The dreams of this strange new mar Lincoln, out in the west, are going tC come true. There will be catastro phies here. That is why I am here War. one of the greatest games, is something that one must sometimes cross the globe to play. I will be here to have a hand in this one."
 You have had much of hand in il already" hazarded. He smiled frank ly.
 ''Yes," he said, lone must live. ] admit have been what you call SC cret agent. There is much money be hind me. big politics, big commercial interests. I love the big games. an6 my game and my task. my duty to m. masters, has been to split this countr.: along . clean line from east to west from ocean to ocean, to make twt countries of 1t. You will see that hap pen. my friend"
 'No one will ever see it happen" said to him soberly.
 Under which flag. then, for your he asked quickly. '-The flag you saw on the frontier. Orme," answered him. '"That is the flag of America and will be. The from tier Is free. It will make America free forever"
 "Oh. we'll" he said, "the argument will be obvious enough by next sprinG in April, should guess. And what ever you or I may think the game will be big, very big-the biggest until you have your real war between black and white and your yet bigger one between yellow and white. I imagine old Eng. land will be in that with you or with one of you if you make two countries here. But I may be a wandering Jew on some other planet before that time" He sat for a time, his chin dropped on his breast. Finally he reached me his hand.
 "Let me go," he said. ''I promise you to leave"
 'sTo leave the state?"
 ''No. will not promise that" 'To leave the county?"
 "Yes. unless war should bring me here in the course of my duty. But will promise to leave this town. this residence, this girl-in short, must do that. And you are such an ass that 1 was going to ask you to promise to keep your promise-up there" He mo- toned toward the window where the light lately had been.
 "You do not ask that now?' I que ried. "You are a fighting man." he said suddenly. Let all these questions answer themselves when their time comes. After all. suppose woman Is a woman in the greatest of the games. and one takes ones chances Suppose we leave the debt unsettled until we meet some timeI You know, you may be claiming debt of me-"
 ''will you be ready"' I asked him. "Always. You know that. Now, taay go? Is my parole ended"
 'It ends at the gate." said to him and handed him his pistol. The knife retained. forgetfully. but when turn ed to offer 1t to him he was gone.
 CHAPTER XXI.
 A Confusion In Covenants. H CRlNG the next morning Har-
 " Sheraton galloped down to
 the village after the morn A ing's mail On his return he handed me two letters. One was from Captain Matthew Stevenson, dated at