The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1913-01-10
By George Barr M'Cutcheon
Copyright lU by Doda Mead x CO..
rhe Stranger at the HalI-continued.

David was sharply cognizant OF a
feeling of r~epugnance.
Did Mrs. Braddock prosecute her
claim in person." he asked.
Not at all. She kept out of sight.
Lawyers did it all"
Did you father say where she was
9ivjng at the timer"
"Oh, l know where she was living
in London"
Yes. We saw her there centennial
year. She had a home in one of those
nice little west end streets. OF course
we could have nothing to do with her
And Christine%
'She was at the Sacred Heart con
vent in Paris-at school, you know.
Father wrote me about her.
He could not ask her the sickening
question that was in his mind; was
Mary Braddock the woman in the
case? But his heart was cold with
despair. He could not, would not be-
lieve 1t Of her, and yet he clrculn-
stances were damnably convincing.
in a month, Mr.. Jenison, | will be
Of age. | am sure that you, having
been such a friend to him, will be glad
to know that | am going to him. II
he wants me / shall stay with him.
"You-you will leave your mother"
he demanded, unconsciously drawing
back his chair
"Just because my mother cast him
~,S Il, -, ,,ror uFIu I chnIl1 do lik o.
wise. | love my father adore
him!"
you intimated that perhaps he
could tell me where Mrs. Braddock is
living" he said.
i've no dou5t &c knows, Mr.. Jeni-
son. She is living In New York
He looked into her eye for a moment
without speaking. A feeling of loath-
ing such as he had never known be-
fore welled up In his heart against
this girl. He hated the sight OF her
face. He almost imagined he could.
see it's soft, warm tints changing sub
fly INTO the gray. putty-like complex
ion Of his old time enemy. A beastly
iowl seemed suddenly to spread from
her smooth round cheek and sag
heavy over her neck: her smile, be.
witching to other eyes than his, took
on a mysterious breadth that horri-
fed him. He knew that there was no
change such as. his mind pictured,
and vet he could not cast out the IL
fusion.
Il beg your pardon he said. and
his voice sounded queer to his own
ears, but | must get off some letters
tonight. May take you to the
stairso' ..r.
At daybreak he arose, without a
single instant of sleep ,bshjnd him,
He could not stay in the Saline house
with Roberta Grand.
Before going into breakfast at eight
o'clock, M of the young men in the
party Of the night before asked the
clerk at the desk If Mr.. Jenison had
come down.
Mr.. Jenison left by the morning
stage, Mr.. Scott. lie had a letter call
ing him back to Jenison hall. Some
thing very important. sir. He left a
note for Miss Beaumont, believe, to
tell her he can't be back in time for
the trip to Natural bridge"
The letter that called David to Jeni-
son hall came. by curious coincidence
at a most opportune time. He had
decided to leave the springs within
a day of two. cutting short his pro
posed stay of a month almost at its
beginning. The advent of Roberta
Grand. heretofore an unknown guam
tity. brought with it new and I'm
pleasant complications. Her revela
tons disturbed him: her attitude
angered and disguised him. His Ma
u revolted against the possibilit,
of constant association with her III
realized that he could not stand b.
and hear the things she doubles
would feel called upon to say in re
spect to Mary Braddock.
All through that dismal night h
had given his thoughts to these pee
pie and to three cities-London, Pari
and New York. In the last OF thes'
Mary Braddock was living. Staring VI
at the dim, Pickering shadows on thu
ceiling, he travelled In horrid conjec
ture from one to the other of thes'
immense wildernesses. Ahead of hin
stalked the ugly figure of Robert'
Grand, who kuew-who perhaps ha'
known all the time; at his side wa
the knowledge that the five years ha'
come to an end. Was Mary Braddocl
after all, in a position to redeem he
promise?
With his mind full of the decision
to 20 to New York as soon as pot
sible, where It would be an easy ma
ter to find Colonel Grand, at least
he hurried down h IN early breakfas'
There were two letters. One was fror
Artful Dick Cronk. The envelop
bore the JenisoL crest and it ha
come from Jenss1n hall. A year ha
passed since ha had heard from tn
pickpocket. The note was brief.
"Just stopped Ut or my way nortl
Niggers say yrn are at the springs
ri wait here tal you come back if
x~, no 1rro esn1A fhic raachoc w