The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-02-13


where ~ she inquired, iii a tone OF SUR
prise did not md Il: Il was given
eBy Robin Freemantleia it mot sogs
he eagerly interrupted.
Robin Freemantlet What could
make you imagine that ne gave II to
me ~ n cried, in an accent OF in-
tense astonishn1ent.
"My dear Viscountess. surely you are
aware that this rascal, disguised in my
mask and domino, followed o the
whole evening Of the masquerade
ball
as Il possible n cried Prue, with the
prettiest imaginable air; of incrednlity.
la! what strange things happen at g
| masquerada!n
Possible? 'Tis d fact" replied
Beachcombe; "and It's easy to under
stand that having fallen madly In love
THE outrageous monster" shrieked
Prue. ~
EVEN monsters are human, dear
Viscountess, and who can wonder that
the beauty that has wrought such
havoc In my-in our--in all beholders,
reported to have Swallowed your foot
steps all Monday night, disguised IN
a red domino and mask. That mask
and domino were mine, n he robbed
me of them in the same house by h
river side where you were taken last
night. al den OF thieves, Viscountess,
from which your escape unframed was
hardly less than a miracle"
My escape2 Nobody attempted to
detain me. In fact i saw no one, and
the only danger I escaped was OF be-
ing taken prisoner by the soldiers who
came to search for-rebels, / under
stood them to say" Nv
Rebels! Ha! hal tits true, this jail
bird has the audacity to mis- himself
up with Jacobite plots and claim that
he only steals purses or the chance
OF their containing papers OF value TO
the p~retender's cause! Speaking OF
| papers brings me back to my own at
fairs. When this villain stole my dom
inc, he also robbed me of a packet OF
papers. He returned the dornino-after
putting It to the use YOU wot of--but
the papers, of great value, he refused
to give up. Is 1t possible, dear Lady
Prudence, that while you were In this
Prue shook her head. The sol
| diers took everything they could
find in the place." h said refec-
lively. IF / were you. l would make
inquiries of them"
II have done So" he said: shut they
brought away no such packet"
Perhaps It was opened and they
1 ZIG NS NAAS
1T have reason to think that unlike
ly." replied ~Beachcombe, biting his lips
and scowling. 80
cor d~estroyed?" she suggested.
mo, indeed; If l could hope for
what, hope for the destruction Of
valuable private papers? 1t is not to
you. then, that they are yaluable?".
she cried shrewdly.
He started and eyed her suspicious
ly for a moment. ITO no one else,' he
replied emphaticaIly; "but you can
that same family documents would be
better destroyed than In the hands Of
AN enemy"
was Rob-Captain Freemantle--
your enemy?" she asked ingenuously.
1T seems to me that some one-who
can 1t have ~been?-said he was your
relative. He calls himself De Cliffe.
doesn't he2" ~.
|. Lord B~eachcombe looked at her
again with growing mistrust. did he
have h impudence to call himself De
Cliffe, when he addressed you at the
ball, Viscountess?" he demanded.
La! no: and If he had-peopie can
say anything behind a mask, without
fear Off being believed" h retorted.
laughing. 81 ,recollect now that twas
Barbara Sweeting, when she told us
of the loss Of the queens necklace.
She told us how you had obtained his
pardon when condemned to be hanged,
and afterward set h soldiers upon
him y. l~. .&Nt G PIT "a
Beachcombe bent his suIlen glance
upon the carpet, tracing out fits faded
pattern with his Malacca a Every
family a its painful secrets, Lady
Prudence" he began, land this packet
contains one of the De .Cliffe family
secrets-a painful one, but not impor-
tant-oh-not at all important. Had
the soldiers found IL. It would have
a few g~uineas at most-but IL It In
still in his possession " .
What like wal itR" Prue inquired
listlessly, for she was growing weary
of a subject that had so little Of per-
sonaI interest for her.
1.-THE packet? oh, a small thing,
about the size and appearance OF a let
l-''sealed and addressed to Mistress
Mistress--the name has escaped me Cor
| the moment, but twas in care OF the
hostess OF the Fox and Grapes,'f T. .
A sudden glow of color swept across
Prue's face. In her joy at finding that
the source OF many q Jealous pang
was not Robins after all, It Is to be
feared that she quite overlooked the
| gravity Of Lord Beachcombe's accusa-
ton. What did II matter to her whose
letter 1t was--if 1t were not Robins
written to another woman? She had
an impulse to return It, and her hand
involuntarily rose to the laces about
her neck, where she had kept it con-
eealed except when h thrust 1t under
her pillow, where it lay all night per-
vading her dreams.
CONTINUED Next Week.)
/ - ,