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

tograph is a peach Just look here,
Bill! What did | tell you? Amt
Christie dead ringer for this girl?"
You bet she is, Bart" admitted the
other in maudlin admiration. only,
reckon, maybe some older"
We'll, she ought to be accordin' to
Willoughby's story, an them papers
bear him out all right, so | reckon
he's told it straight-this Phyllis
would be twenty-six now, and that's
just about what Christie is 1t wouldn't
have fit better if we had made it on
up to the part we won't need any 9TH
or evidence-her face would be
Aa6agh."
Keith could hear the beating of his
own heart in the silence that follow
ed Here was new thought, a new
understanding, complete new turn
to affairs. Christie Maclaire, then,
was not Willoughby's sister Hope The
girl he rescued on the desert-the
girl with the pleading brown eyes.
and the soft blur of the South on her
lips-was not the music hall singer.
He could hardly grasp the truth at
first, it antagonized so sharply with
all he had previously believed. Yet,
if this were true his own duty became
clearer than ever; aye, and would be
more willingly performed. But what
did Hawley know? Did he already
realize that the girl he had first met
on the stage coach, and later inveigled
into the desert, was Hope, and not the
music hall artist? He, of course, fully
believed her to be Christie Maclaire
at that time, but something might
have occurred since to change that be-
lief Anyhow, the man was not now
seeking Hope, but tbs other. Appar
emily the latter was either already
here In Sheridan or expected soon.
And exactly what was 1t the gambler
desired this Maclaire woman to dot
This was the important matter, and
for it's solution Keith possessed mere
iy few hints, few vague suggestions.
She was expected to represent herself
as Phyllis-Phyllis who? Some Phyl-
lis surely whose physical resemblance
to Hope must be sufficiently marked
to be at once noticeable. Willoughby
had evidently revealed to Hawley
some hidden family secret, having
money involved, no doubt, and in
which the discovery of this mysteri-
GUS Phyllis figured. She might, per-
haps, be sister, or half-sister, who
had disappeared, and remained ignor-
ant as to any inheritance. Hopes
picture shown by the boy, and re-
minding Hawley at once of Christie
Maclaire, had been the basis of the
whole plot. Exactly what the details
of that plot might be Keith could not
figure out, but one thing was reason
ably certain-it was proposed to de-
fraud Hope. And who in the very
truth was Hope? 1t suddenly occurred
to him as a remarkably strange fact
that he possessed not the slightest
inkling as to the girls name. Her
brother had assumed to be called Will
loughby when he enlisted in the army,
and his companions continued to call
him this. If he could interview the
girl now for only five minutes he
should be able probably to straighten
out the whole intricate tangle. But
where was she? Would she have re-
NAMED until this time at Fort Larned
with Kate Murphy?
There was noise Of movement in
the next room. Apparently as Hawley
arose carelessly from his edge of the
washstand he had dislodged the glass,
which fell shiyering on the floor Scott
swore audibly at the loss.
Shut up, Bill" snapped the gam
bier, irritated, you've got the bottle
left. I'm going; there's nothing. for
any of US to do now, until after / see
Christie. You remain here! Do you
understand ?-remain here. Damn me,
IL that drunken fool isn't waking up"
There was q rafting of the rickety
bed, and then the sound of Willough-
by's voice. thick from liquor.