Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-13

O4N itCS WAAlS
While h talked, her trmebling fling
ers had taken a folded, crumpled letter
from her little handbag, and this she
reached over and laid upon the arm of
his chair.
Read it," she said. Read it and see
that you cannot deny it,"
II should rather not read it" he said.
Il do not need to read it to deny that
l ever wrote such things to you"
But l insist hat you read it," said
the girl.
IF you insist i will res it," he said,
taking the letter reluctantly nj OPEN
ing it.
She sat watching him furtively
through the tears which he read, saw
the ngr flush steal into his cheeks
as the villainy of a fellow man was re-
vealed to him through the brief, coarse.
cruel epiStle, and she mistook the flush
for n OF shame.
Then his r brown eyes looked up
and met her fearful gaze steadily, a
fine anger burning in them.
And you think l wrote that" he
said, a something in his voice she could
not understand.
What else could l think? 1t bears
your signature" she answered coldly.
The letter is vile" he said, land the
man who wrote it IS u blackguard, and
deserves the utmost that the law all
lows for such offenses. With your per-
mission. L shall make it my business to
see that he gets it,"
What do you mean?' she said, wide
eyed. How could you punish your
self? You cannot still deny that you
wrote the letter."
II still deny that | wrote it, or e
saw 1T until you handed it to me just
now"
The girl looked at him. n%onplussed.
more than half convinced, in spite of
reasOn.
But isn't that your handwriting"
1T is not. Look"
He took u his fountain pen and,
holding the letter on the arm of her
chalr, he wrote rapidly in his natural
hand her own name and address be-
meath h address on the envelope, then
held it up to her.
DO they ook alike?'
The w writings were as utterly un-
like as possible, the letter being adj
dressed in an almost unreadable scrawl,
and the fresh writing standing fine and
acter n 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 a been
precticed for the purpose of deception.
This thought flashed through the
minds of both even as he held 1t
out for her to look.
She looked from the envelope to his
eyes n 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 hurriedly 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
ishing 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 man
in rough clothes with SLOUGH hat 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
n at the door furtively n drew back
quickly again out 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 n get a last
tip. There was no opportunity to say
anything MORE, as they mingled with
the crowd. until the porter landed their
SAHS 6AS~S GAA1A
ried back to his train. The, man with
the SLOUGH hat followed and stood UNI
obtrusively behind them.
Gordon looked down at the white,
drawn face of the girl, and his heart
was touched with compassion for her
trouble. He must make her some sat
lsfactory explanation at once tha
would set her heart at rest, but he
could not do it here, for every seat
about them was filled with noisy, chat
tering folk. He stopped and whispered
low and tenderly:
rus me. and l will explain ALL"
Can You explain it?" she asked anN-
touSly, as if catching at a rope thrown
out to saw her life.
Perfectly" he said. IF you will be
patient and trust me-. But we canno
l see II l can get the stateroom ON the
sleeper"
He left her with his courteous bow,
and n sat watching his tall, fine fig
ure as he threaded his way among the
crowds to the Pullman window, her
heart filled with mingling emotions. In
spite OF her reason, a tiny bit of hope
for the future was springing up in her
heart and without her own will she
foun herself inclined to trust him. At
least 1t was all h could do at present.
CHAPTER XII.
Back at Milton an hour before, when
the shades of dusk were falling and q
slender moon hung timidly on the edge
of the horizon, a horse drawing q
spring wagon ambled deliberately into
town and came to a reluctant halt be-
side the railroad station, having made
a wide detour through the larger part
Of the county on the way to that me-
tropolis.
The SUI had been hot. the road much
of it rough., and the jolts over stones