Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-11-23

brother had been deceived. She would
not have 1t otherwise. Her dear ones
mus never know what she had gone
through to save them from disgrace
and loss of fortune-disgrace. Of
course, being the first and greatest.
she had feared that George would let
them see through his veneer Of man
ners, and leave them troubled, but he
mad made a better appearance than
she had hoped.
Ten years had mad a great change in
him THAI h had expected. He really
image of him.
Then a sudden desire to look at him
against seized her, to know once for all
just how he really did seem. would
not want to notice him awake any
more than she could help. nor dare,
lest ne presume upon her sudden in
terest, to act as il he had never Of
Tended; but If she should look at him
now as he lay asleep she might study
his face and see what she really had to
expect.
She fought the desire to peer at him
again. but finally it gained complete
possession of her, and she drew back
tho curtain once more.
He was lying just as quietly as be-
fore. His heavy hair, a little disor-
dered on the pillow. gave him a noble,
interesting appearance. He did not
seem at all a fellow of whom to be
afraid. 1t was incredible that he could
have written those letters.
She tried to trace in his features a
likeness to the youth of 10 years age.
whom she had known when she was
put a little girl, who had tied her
bralds to her chair, and put raw
oysters and caterpillars down her back,
or stretched invisible cords to trip her
feet In dark places; who made her
visits to a beloved uncle-whom he
also had the right to call uncle.
Ions list Of catastrophes resulting In
tears; who had never failed to mortify
hef on all occasions possible, and once
- But the memories were too hor-
rlble as they crowded one upon an
other! Let them be forgotten!
she watched the face before her
keenly, critically. yet she could see no
trace OF n such character as she had
imagined h boy George must have
developed as a man; of which his let
ters a given her ample proof. This
mans face was finely cut and sensi-
i've: mere was nothing coarse or
selfish In its lines. The long, dark
eyelashes lay above dark circles of
WEAKNESS. and gave that look Of boy
lshness that always touches the ma
ternal chord in a woman's heart.
George used to have a puffy, self in
dulgent look under his eyes even when
ne was a boy. She had imagined from
MS last photograph that he would be
much stouter, much more bombastic;
but. then, in his sleep, perhaps those
things fell from a man.
She tried to turn away indifferentIv
put something in his face held her. She
studied it. If he had been any other
man. any stranger, she would have
said from looking at him critically that
and generosity( self p
anu respect Tor women, We're written
all g the face before her. There
was fine, firm modelling about the Inns
ana the clean shaver chin: and about
the forehead the look almost of a
scnolar; yet she thought she knew the
mar before her to be none of these
Things. How deceptive were looksI
Sne would probably be envied rather
IMAM p1tied by all who saw her. Well.
perhaps that was better. She could
me easier keep her trouble to herself.
But stay, what was there about this
man that seemed different? The
smooth face? Yes. She had the dim
IMPRESSION that last night he wore a
.luslache. She must have been mis-
taken OF course. She had only looked
at MIN When absolutely necessary, and
ner brain was in such a whirl; but still
there seemed to be something different
about him.
her eyes wandered to the hand that
lay across mis- breast. 1t was the fine
White hand OF the professional man
the kind of hand that somehow ar,
tracts the eye with a sense of clearnass
n strength. There was nothing
flabby about it. George as a bow nseS
TO nave big, stumpy fingers and mills
chewed down to the quick. She could
remember how she used to hate to look
al tpem when she was a little girl. and
NeT Snflahnpr Nt,l.J 80
away. she saw with relief that the
nails on this hand were well sb,nad
and we'll cared for.
lie looked very handsome and AZ
tract1ve as he lay there. The sun shot
one OF Its early daring bolts of lieht
across ms hair as the train turned in
ats course and lurched northward
moment. like a miniature searchliehr
travellng over the head, showing IN
every wave and curve. He had thee
klna OF hair which makes a woman,s
hand lnstinctively long to touch It
Cella wondered at the curiona
.noushts mat crowded through her
mlno, Knowing that all the while there
was the consciousness that when this
man should wake she would think -
nothing but his hateful personaIitx a.
she had known 1t through the years
Ana n was his wife! How strange;
~" teiiiple! HOW impossible 70 live
with the thought through interminahlee
at once before her strength failed and
her mother found out her sorrow, -
n lay back again on her inflow.
very still and tried to think, but snn,es
how, a pleasant image of him. her h,,s-
b. band, fingered in her memory. could t5uI5
1t be possible that she would ever saa
anything pleasant in him? Ever ane
d a,ls, the days Of his companionsh tp?
Ever come to the point where sbo
could overlook his outrageous cone
duct aa toward her, fosgive him, c and
ne ever tolerant Of him? sbanu
crowded upon her. and VIZ
and echoing in her + hea .re
NO, no. nc, 1000 times, moi" She haG
paid his price AND gained redemntian
Tor MS own, but-forget what he had
me long strain Of WEAKNESS. and +ha
monotony OF the onrushing train ln,1ad
her Il into unconsciousness again
n the man on the couch slumbaraS
He came to himself suddenly. with 81,
MS senses on the alert, as the thnmnin.
noise and motion of the train caasaSS
and ~ c,,JSo, SSoSSO,