The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-12-14

mission, / shah make 1t my business t
see that he gets it,"
What do you mean" she said, wild
eyed. How could you punish your
self You cannot still deny that 70,
wrote the letter."
II still deny that I wrote It, or. eve,
saw 1t until you handed it to me Jus
l now"
The girl looked at him. nonplussed
more than half convinced, ia spite o
! reason.
Blu isn't that your handwritingg'
1T is not. Look"
Tie took out his fountain pen and
holding tile letter on the arm OF he1
chair, he wrote rapidly in his natura;
Hand her wv name and address be-
meath the address on the envelope, Their
! held 1t up to her.
DO they took aIike?"
The two writings were as utterly I'M
IKE as possible. the letter being I'd
and the fresh writing standing fine and
clear, in a script that spoke of char
acter and business ability. Even a
child could see at a glance that the
two were not written by the same hand
and yet, OF course, it might have been
practlced for the purpose of deception.
This thought flashed through the
minds OF both even as he held it
out for her to look.
She looked from the envelope to his
eyes and back to the letter, startled,
not Knowing what to think.
But before either of them had time
FOR another word, the conductor, the
porter and several people from the car
behind came hurrlediy through. and
they realized that while they talked
the train had come to a halt, amid the
blazing electric lights of a great city
station.
why" said Gordon, startled, I'VE
must have reached Pittsburgh. Is this
Pittsburgh" he called out to the van
!shing porter.
"Yas. sah!" yelled the porter. putting
his head around the curve of the pas
sageway. You bettah hurry, sab. fob
dis train goes on to Cincinnati pretty
quick. Yves late gittin' in, you see."
Neither of them had noticed a mar
in rough clothes with SLOUGH Ia and
hands in his pockets who had board
ed the train a few miles back and
walked through the car several times
cycling them keenly. He stuck his head
IN at the door furtively me drew back
quickly again u of sight.
Gordon hurriedly gathered up the
baggage, and they went out of the car,
the porter rushing back as they reached
the door, to assist them and get a last
Tip. There vas no opportunity to a
anything more, as they mingled with
the crowd. until the porter landed their
baggage in the great station and hur-
RED back to his train. The man with
the SLOUGH hat followed and stood un-
obtrusively behind them.
Gordon looked down at the white,
drawn face of the girl, and his heart
touched with compassion for her
trouble. He must make her some sat
isfactory explanation at once that
would set her heart at rest, but he
could not do it here, q for every seat
about them was filled with noisy, chat
tering folk. TIe stopped and whispered
and tenderly:
Don't worry, little girl! Just try to
trust me, n I will explain ALL"
Can you explain it?" she asked anx-
iously, as if catching at a rope thrown
to saw her life.
Perfectly" he said, IF you will be
patient and trust me. But we cannot
talk here. Just wait in this seat until
/ see il | can get the stateroom on the
sleeper
He left her with his courteous bow,
and she sat watching his tall. fine fig
ure as he threaded his way among the
crowds to the Pullman window, her
heart filled with mfngling emotions. In
spite of her reason, a tiny bit of hope
for b future was springing UP in her
heart and without her own will she
found herself inclined to trust him. At
least 1t was all she could do at present.