The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-03-25

together, Judith thrust the weapon
into its holster and turned away.
B kind to her. Alan" she said in
an uncertain voice: She didn't under
stand and-and | goaded her beyond
endurance. I'm afraid. Forgive me
but be kind to her always."
Somehow. blindly, she stumbled out
OF the cabin into the open, possessed
by a thought whose temptation was
stronger than her powers of resist
ance. What Rose had failed to ac-
complish might now serve to resolve
Judiths problem. None, she told
herself. bitterly, would seek to hinder
her. But she meant so to arrange the
matter that lone should see or sus-
pect and be moved to interfere.
Round the shoulder of the noun
tain, OF the road along the edge of the
cliff, she was sure of freedom from
observation.
And yet, such is the inconsistency
of the human animal, the instinct for
self preservation was stronger than
her purpose: when a touring car swung
round the mountain and shot toward
her, she checked herself hastily and
jumped aside in ample time to escape
being run down.
The next instant the machine was
lurching to a halt and the sonorous
accents ct Seneca Urine were saluting
her:
Judith! You here! What the devil!
Where We ye been? Where are Mario
phat and jimmy"
Digging the nails of her fingers pain
fully into her palms, she breathed
deep, fighting down hysteria, %reassert-
ing her ~self-control in SO short a space
Of time that her father failed to APP
preciate that there was anything I'M
common in the mind of the girl.
"Where?" he demanded angrily as
she approached the car, where. I
want to know, are Marrophat and jim
my? Haven't you seen or heard any
thing of them? They left me at six
O'Clock this morning, to go after"
Dead" the girl interrupted, SEN
t%entious, cycling him strangely.
Il don't believe it," the old man
screamed, aghast. II won't believe 1t.
You're lying to me, you jade! You're
lying"
Il am not" she broke in coldly. 81
am telling you the plain truth -.
They followed us all morning in that
red racer, firing at us all the while.
Finally they caught up with us here,
about noon-came up this road shoot
ing over the windshield. 1t was our
lives or theirs. We turned the hydrau-
lie stream on them and washed the "a
over the cliff. If you don't believe
me, get somebody to show you their
faces"
She indicated with a gesture two
forms hat lay at a little distance
back from the roadside, motionless
beneath a sheet of canvas-the bodies
of Trine's creatures, recovered by the
mining gang and brought up for a
Christian burial.
But Urine required no more confirm
alton of Judith's word. The light
fickered and died in his evil old eyes;
his stricken co%untenance assumed a
hue of pallor even more intense than
was normal with it; a broken curse
issued from his trembling, thin, old
lips; and his chin sagged to his chest,
heavy-weighted with despair that fol-
lowed realization of the fact that he
no longer owned ever n friend or
creature upon whose constituencies
loyalty he might depend.
The last bitter drop that brimmed
his cup of misery was added when
Alan Law himself appeared, leaving
the miners cabin in company with
his observation-disclosures now soothed and
comforted, smiling through the traces
Of her recent tears as she chung to
her lover, nesting in the hollow Of
his arm.
To Alan, on the other hand, this
%rencontre seemed to afford nothing
but the p~leasantest surprise imagin-
able.
Well" he cried, releasing Rose
and running down to the car. Here's
luck! And at the very moment when
I was calling my lucky star hard
names! How can | ever reward your
thoughtfulness, Mr.. Urine? 1t beats
me how you do keep track Of me this