Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-02-16

TO the little south room. scratching
luxuriously. and promptly Jumped as
the door swung swiftly inward Again
Fate smiled impishly and sent at that
suspicious moment the first good
breeze of the warm day sucking up
the valley, 1t caught the papers on
the floor under the typewriter table.
luttered them daringly. and with a
whistle and whoop bore them tuIn-
| bling out across the swept boards of
the eating-room floor. to lodge against
the rocker of Mas little chair.
The girl in the doorway turned.
reaching out half-unwilling hand to
| save her rivals property. Not yet had
Siletz learned tenth of Sandry's
code, else she would have folded the
packet and laid it asi6a.
Instead. with the freedom of camp
life and utter innocence. she began
to read wonderingly at first, then. as
she saw Sandrys name, with hushed
breath anu parted lips When she had
finished the first part she paused and
Z
meadow. already sere and brown with
the summer heat Puzzled. but half
comprehending. yet filled with a name
less fear, she felt her fingers shaking
as she turned the page TO Sandry's
letter.
paily''s Camp. Toledo. July %, 80
! John II. Musseldorn-
] d ina faf aEff i'm hue hnaFrf A.
| YOU made the structure of my fathers
fortune but a Quilted and empty shell, so
you alone have the knowledge and the
cunning to MI II 10 its former substance,
unknown to the outside world. Wilton
Sandry Is gone, bur his pride remains
and il must be upborne Here is the re-
mittance which l told you would some
day be forthcoming. Take IL and obtain
ihe deed to the Meadowlands Farm which
you sold, squandering the money. Put II
III my name as part OF the Sandry es-
tate. No matter what you have to face
10 get tt--get il This is a threat. Re
member that those proofs. which you and
your aecomptiee thought destroyed, are
safe IN my possession.
From time to time YOU will be called
/ upon 10 manage the buying back Of ev-
cry piece of property. every horse on the
| breeding farms, every stock and bond
| that you, under the power-of-attorneY
which an honorable and trusting old man
invested IN you when he could no longer
be about. sold-for your own profit
Through travail and bloody sweat / kept
my father In ignorance of his ruin until
his death,
AS / had no mercy on James b. Whit
by for his share with you in the infam-
cusly legitimate deals which made VIII
ton Sandry an unconscious pauper. Sc
Will ! have no mercy on you. You know
what l know. and shake IN your shoes
oee be d oe 80 fsF sG%q shf Farms
as speedily as it can be arranged.
WALTER sANDRY.
Trembling with premonition Of dis
aster to Sandry. Siletz sat holding
the strange documents. great anger
began to well In her against the other
woman She opened the buttons of
her blue shirt and dropped the folded
packet inside it's blouse
On the Siletz road Sandry and Miss
Ordway were strolling back. They
stopped a moment at the forked stick.
and Poppy Ordway dropped Sandry's
letter, re-sealed, into the sack before
his very eyes. 1t was daring thing
| tr do and it set her blood leaping for
Joy in her own GOODNESS. When they
reached the camp she went directly
to her room.
It was a long time before she came
NuA Of dAAAs anu iAtAn kDAAb. W AA6Al
she did she stood in the doorway and
looked at Siletz, white aud filed with
towering anger. and 5iletz. looked
back as white. They were women.
pure and simple and they matched in
that moment their wit and their
strength. Miss Ordway knew by that
look that Siletz had those papers
! ,,,c~a 4ho+ che brav- THAR nnufauts-.
but she dared not say a word If tho
girl should show them to Sandry.
should destroy them She was al.
most on the point Of fiinging herself
upon the slim, dark creature. risen
along the doorpost. and fighting for
possession of her property. But there
was something siGkening in the steady
CLINT Of those dark eyes, in the half,
wild crouch of the slender body. and
she only stood and held TO the Intel,
consumed with a wrath that could
have killed
But the wrath of Siletz was worse
lit would have killed forgetful of the
Preacher, whose word had been her
simple law of life. forgetful of Sandry'
who had become her pattern in his
sanity and judgment.
With an effort the woman moistenec
her lips.
'Did-did you fnd-a bunch of-iet-
ters?" she asked between her gripping
teeth.
And Siletz, for the first time in her
life, choked down her literal fear OF
damnation and lied.
Lord. forgive me-" she whispered
first, and then. NO"
CrO BE Continued
| E,.,;ffar nh;ao4c 60 LIfna