The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1915-03-04

girl naA starteA. II was ike fsiiins
off a log.
Susan" said Florence as she came
ints breakfast after her exhilarating
ride, did you lei pistol shots last
nightr'
sleepy l didn't try to figure out what
1t was"
did you, Jones!"
YES, Miss Florence. The shots
came from the street. A policeman
came running up later and said he
evidently there wasn't anybody hurt.
One has to be careful nj night now
adays. There are pretty bad men
abroad. Did you enjoy the rider
Very much. But there were spots
of blood On the walk near the ornax.
"Blood?' Jones caught the back OF
a chair to steady himself.
Yes. So some one was hqrt. Oh,
let's leave this place." impulsively.
Let us go back to Miss Farlow's.
You could find a place in the village.
Jones. But if | stay here much longer
in this state of unrest | shall lose
faith in everything and everybody.
Whoever my fathers enemies are,
they do not lack persistence. They
have made two attempts against my
liberty, and soone or later they will
succeed. keep looking over Day
shoulder all the time. IL | hear .
noise | jump
Miss Florence, II / thought 1t wise.
you should be packed off to Miss Far
lows this minute. But not an hour OF
the day or night passes without
house being watched. | seldom ses
anybody about. | can only sense the
presence of a watcher. At Miss Far
lows you would be far more like q
prisoner than here. ! could no &C
company you. | am forbidden TO de-
sert this house"
MY fathers orders?'
Jones signifed neither one way nor
the other. He merely gazed stolidly
at the rug.
THAT bloodt" She sprang from her
chair, Mortified. 1T was his! He was
here last night and they shot
him, o."
There, there, Miss Florence! The
man was only slightly wounded. He's
where they never will look for him.
Then Jones continued, as with an ef-
fort: Trust me, Miss Florence. II
..--1l -, -a,v 90 n.y. uFn Tina
whole affair would be repeated else
where. We might go to the other end
of the world, but 1t would not serve us
in the least. 1t is not a question OF
escape, but of who shall vanquish the
other. There is nothing 10 DO but re-
main here and fight, fight, fight. we
have put -four of them in the Tombs,
to say nothing Of the gunner. That
is what We must do-put them In q
safe place, one by one, till we reach
the master. Then only may we
breathe In safety. But IL they watch,
so do we. There is nevsr a moment
when help is not within reach, no mat
ter where you go. So long as you do
not deceive me, no real harm shall be-
fall you. Don't cry. Be your fathers
daughter, as | am his servant
81 am very unhappy" And Flor
ence threw her arms around Susan
and laid her head upon her friends
shoulder.
Poor child" Susan, however, rec.
ogni2ed the wisdom of Jones state
ments. They were safest here.
The morning rides continued. To
the girl, who loved the open, it was
glorious fun. Those mad gallops
| along the roads, the smell of earth and
sea, the Jingle in the blood. were the
second best moments Of her day. The
first? She invariably blushed when
she considered what these first best
moments we're. He was a brave young
man, good to look at, witty, and al
ways cheerful. Why shouldn't she
like him? Even Jones liked him
| Jones, who didn't seem to like any
body. 1t did not matter whether he
was wise or not; a worldly point OF
view was farthest from her youthful
thoughts. 1t was her W affair; her
own heart.
Five days later, as she and the rid.
ing master were cantering along the
road, enjoying every bit of 1t, they
heard the beat Of hoofs behind. They
drew up and turned. A rider was ap
preaching them at a run. 1t was thu
head groom. The man stopped his
horse in a cloud of dust.
"Sir, the stables are on fire." d
"Fire?'
All the riding masters savings were
invested in the stables. The fact
that he had solemnly promised neve.
to leave Florence alone, and that he
had accepted a generous bonus slipped
from his mind at the thought OF FIRE.
4 terrible word to any horseman. Ee
wheeled and started off at breakneck
speed, his head groom Gathering be-
hind him.
Florence naturally wondered which
| OF two courses to pursue: follow them.
when she would be perfectly helpless
| to aid them, or continue the ride and
save at least one horse from the ter
ror of seeing flames. She chose the
latter. But she did not ride with the
! earlier zest. She felt depressed. She