The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-09-28

WIS uOue, Ut WIS HOt uoue, ~ US, anu
that we have lost all we put in"
Il urged Gordon to obey that ruling
asst spring" Natalie saw that his face
vas dark with indignation. and the
knowledge that he really cared set her
heart to pounding gratefully. She was
half tempted to tell about that other,
that greater trouble which had stolen
In upon her peace OF mind and robbed
her OF her girlhood, but she shrank
from barring her wounds-above all. a
wound so vital and 80 personal AS this.
Does your mother known he que
ried.
mo, l preferred to tell her In Mr..
Gordon's presence" Murray noticed
that she no longer called the man I'M
Gle. But now that the time has come
I'm frightened"
"Never allow yourself to be afraid.
Fear is something false: 1t doesn't
exist"
1T seems to me he waS-unfaithful
to his trust. Am l right"
THAT is something you must judge
for yourself" he told her gravely.
You see, l don't know anything about
the reasons which prompted him to
sacrifice your rights. He may have
had very good reasons l dare say he
had. In building this railroad ! have
felt but n regret--that is the indirect
effect 1t may have upon you and your
mother. Your affairs are linked close
ly with Cordon's, and the success of
my enterprise will mean the failure
of his"
you mustn't feel that way. I'm
sure It won't affect us Mt all, for we
have nothing more to lose. Sometimes
| think his Judgment is faulty, e%rratic,
wonderful man though he Is. Mother
trusts him blindly, Of course, and so
do /, yet l hardly know what to do. 1t
is impossible that he did worse than
make n mistake"
Her dark eyes were bent upon Muir
ray, and they were eloquent with the
question which she could not bring her
self TO ask. He longed to tell her
frankly that Curtis Gordon was a
charlatan, or ever worse, and that his
fairest schemes were doomed to fail.
urc by the very nature of his methods,
but instead he said:
I'm deeply distressed. | hope things
are not as bad as you think and that
Mr.. Gordon will be able to %straighten
them out for you. If yer l can be of
service you must be sure to call upon
me-"
Her thanks were conventional, but I'm
her heart was a deep, warm gratitude,
for she knew that he meant what he
said and would not fail her.
Dan Appleton, eying Natalie and his
chief from a distance. exclaimed ad-
miringly:
shes a perfect peach, sis! She reg
istered a home run with me the first
time at bat"
"She is nice"
you know a fellow gets mighty lone
ly In a place like this. She'd make a
dandy si~ster-in-law for you. wouldn't
shep"
Forget it, said Eliza sharply.
That's rank insubOrdination. Omar
Khayyam snatched her from the briny
and tried to die for her. He has
bought her two acres Of the most ex.
pensive roses and he remembers the
date Of her birthday. Just you keep
your hands Off"
How does she feel about himT"
ooh, she heroizes him, Of course. |
don't know just how deep the feeling
goes, but l got the impression that 1t
was pretty serious. Two women can't
borrow hairpins and mix powder puffs
for a week and remain strangers"
Then, as for Daniel Appleton, G. E..
good night!' exclaimed her brother rue
fully. "If l were n woman I'd marry
him myself. provided I could get
ahead Of the rush; but, being a male
Of the species, I suppose l shall creep
out into the jungle and sulk."
"Right-o! Don't enter this race, for
I'm afraid you'd be a bad loser. Per-
sonally, l can't see anything in him to
rave about What scares me pink Is
the knowledge that l must tell him the
wretched business that brings me here.
II he strikes me, Danny. remember
I'm still your sister,"
When the big gong gave the signal
for luncheon Appleton conducted Ma
talie and Eliza to the company mess
room, where the field and office force
dined together. and presented them to
his fellow l~ieutenants. At supper time
those who had been out on the line dur
ing the day were likewise introduced.
and after a merry meal the whole par
ty escorted the two girls back to the
green bungalow.
"Why, here's a piano!" Eliza exclaim-
ed upon entering the parlor.
IL borrowed 1t for the evening from
the Elite saloon" O'Neil volunteered.
tits a dissipated old instrument, and
some of its teeth have been knocked
out-in drunken brawls, I'm afraid
but the owner vouched for its behavior
On this occasion"
At her first opportunity Eliza under,
took to make that confession the
thought Of which had troubled her all
the afternoon. Drawing O'Neil aside,
she began with some trepidation,
"Have you any idea why I'm here?"