The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-02-07

! we're dark blue, with a thin stripe
running through the cloth, and they
We're new. On the center table there
was a straw hat. Shoes stood beside
he chair at the head of the bed. An
immaculate white shirt hung over the
back of the chair, while on the seat
were undergarments. He rubbed his
eyes. then he sat down on the chaise
lounge and stared, with growing COM
prehension. The coverlet on the bed
was neatly turned down; a night
gown was there, clean and white.
Beside it was another, soft and
lilmy.
Braddock put his hands to his face
and sobbed dry, choking sobs that
We're not of anguish, bat Of beWilder-
ment.
At last he pulled himself together
and arose to make a tour of the
On the dressing table there We're col
lars and neckties and cuffs. His own
old-fashioned silver watch lay there
before him, with it's heavy gold chain
attached. He remembered with a
pang that he had given it to her
long ago because it had once be
longed to his grandfather and he was
sentimental about it.
He looked again at the clothes he
wore, the clothes the state had placed
on him when he left the peuitentiary.
With a cry of disgust he began tear
ing off the hated garments.
Half al hour later he came from
the bath. He was clean. He was
shaved. His hands were amazingly
white. Like a boy lie tried on the
fresh, new, clean smelling clothes.
She remembered cyerything-the size
of his collars, the size of his shoes,
the length OF his sleeves. the meas
urements of Tom Braddock as she
had known him when they were
young together,
lie picked up the flmy nightdress
and kissed it a dozen times. He sat
down on the side of the bed and
dropped his chin to his hands, sud
denly a prey to widely varying
thoughts. desires and emotions.
Over in a corner stood a small new
leather bound trunk, He did not get
up to look at it or into il. He knew
without looking.
Its like a fairy story" he MUIR
INJURED over and over again. "Tll GO
anything in the world for her as long
as | live"
Suddenly he started up. He would
go down to her. He would renew his
pledges, his promises. AS he opened
the door to pass out to the stairs he
heard her moving IN the hall below.
She tried the front door. Then the
lower light went out. He heard her
mounting the stairs slowly, She was
coming up to him.
When she got to a point where she
could see the streak Of light from the
partially open door she came to a
stop A slight shudder went over her
body. Her steps were slower after
that, dragging, detected, with one or
two complete pauses, Braddock
understood. He had been listening
to that pitiful approach Of the
woman who was his wife. He could
almost see the expression in her face.
A sudden wave of pity swept over
him. He gently closed the door and
locked it en- the inside.
She came on and turned the knob,
feebly. t~imorously.
Good night" he called out from
the most distant corner Of the room
Fully ten seconds passed before she
responded. He felt somehow that
she held her breath during that time.
Good night" she cried, a vibrant
note in her voice. He heard her as
she went down the hall. She was
running.
Christine had been mistress of Jeni
son hall for three days when the eX
pected and %anxiOusly looked for letter
t came from her mother. David had
seen the newspaper accounts of the
murder of Colonel Grand and had
) been UNNECESSARILY shocked to fine
that Dick Cronk was the self-con-
fessed assassin. There was no men
|, ton of B~raddock's name in the dis
patches, yet he could not Danish the
fear that ultimately the man would
be implicated.
n Dick Cronk's story of the crime, as
presented by the neWspape rs, was
\ clear and unwavering, lie said that
5 he had shot the man in the heat OF q
quarrel over money matters. The
p newspapers devoted considerable
= space to the excellent reputation O
= the cripple and the unsavory record O
the noted ~pickpocket.
The letter from Mary Braddock was
\ addressed to Christine. The mothers
heart cried out in the opening pages
David. at least, could read between
o the lines. There were the tenderes'
4 p~rotestations Of love and the mos
confident of prophecies, uttered Will
n a bouyancy of spirit that convinced
f and delighted the girl.
Your father" wrote Mary Brad
dock, has changed his mind abou
n going to the mines in the southwest
saw him after that dreadful thins
b,d bannened to R~rCadSO'S. He wa!