The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1917-01-04

His arms went around her hungriiy.
as IL he would draw her to him in spite
of everything; yet he kept them so en-
circling, without touching her, like a
benediction that would enwrap the very
soul OF his beloved. Looking down In
TO her face he breathed SOFTLY:
oh, my dear, it seems as II I must
hold you close and kiss you'll"
She looked up with bated breath, and
thought she understood. Then, with a
lovely gesture of surrender, she whis-
pered: II can trust you" Her lashes
were dropping now over her eyes.
Not until you know all" he said,
great arm chair, with a look of rever-
ence n self abnegatton she felt h
never would forget.
Then tell me quickly" she said. a
swift fear making her weak from head
to foot. She laid her hand cross her
He wheeled forward the leather
couch opposite her chair. and sat down.
his head dropping, his eyes down. He
dreaded to begin.
She waited for the revelation, her
eyes upon his bowed head.
Finally he lifted his eyes and saw her
look, and a tender light came into his
face.
1T is a strange story" he said. Il
don't know what you will think of me
after 1t is told, but I want you to know
that, laundering, stupid. even criminal,
though o may think me, l would
ooner die this minute than cause you
one more breath of suffering"
Her eyes lit up with q wonderful
light, M the ready tears sprang into
them. tears that sparkled through the
sunshine Of a great joy that Illuminated
her whole face.
please go on" she said softly. and
added very gently. II believe you"
But wen with those words in his
ears the beginning was not easy. Cor
don drew a deep breath and launched
forth.
Il am not the man you think" he
said, and looked at her to see how she
would take it. my name is not George
Hayne. My name is Cyril Gordon"
As n might launch an arrow at a
beloved victim and long thai it may
not strike the mark, SO he sent his
truth home to her understanding, and
waited in GREATNESS silence. hoping
against hope that this might not turn
her against him.
"Oh!" she breathed softly, as if some
puzzle were solving itself. "Oh!"-
this time not altogether in surprise, nor
as if the fact We're displeasing. She
looked at him expectantly for further
revelation, and he plunged into his
story headlong.
I'm a member OF the secret service,
headquarters here in Washington
n day before yesterday I vas sent to
New York on an important errand. A
message of great import written in a
private code had been stolen from one
OF u men. l was sent to get it be-
fore they could decipher it. The mes
sage involved matters of such tremen-
dous significance that I was ordered to
go under an assumed name, and on no
account to let any one know Of my
mission. My orders were to get the
message, and let nothing hinder me in
bringing it with all haste to Washing
tor. l went with the full understand
ing that / might ever be called upon to
risk my life"
He looked UP. The girl sat wide
eyed, with hands clasped together at
her throat.
He hurried on, not to cause her any
needless anxiety.
Il won't weary you with details.
There We're a good many annoying
hindrances on the way, which served to
MAKE me nervous, but I carried out the
program laid down by the chief and
succeeded in getting possession of the
message and making my escape from
the house of the mar who had stolen
it. AS I closed the door behind me,
knowing that it could be but a matter
OF a few seconds at longest before six
furious men would be on my track,
who would stop at nothing to get back
What | had taken from them, I saw a
carriage standing almost before the
house. The driver took me for the man
he awaited, n 1 lost no time in taking
advantage of his mistake. I jumped in.
telling him to drive as fast as he could.
l intended to give him further direc-
lions, but he had evidently had them
from another quarter, and I thought I
could call to him as soon as we were
out of the dangerous neighborhood. To
d to my situation l soon became
sure that an automobile and a motor
cycle We're following me. I recognized
n of the men in the car as the man
who sat opposite to me at the table al
few minutes before. My coachman
drove like mad, while l hurried to Sc
cure The message SO that if 1 were
caught it would not be found, and to
put on a slight disguise-some eve
broWs n things the chief had given
me-. Before l knew where I was. the
carriage had stopped before a build
ing. At first I thought it was a prison
ana the car and motor cycle came to
a halt just behind me. l felt that / was
pretty well trapped"
The girl gave a low moan, and Cor
not daring to look up, hurried on
with his story.
There isn't much more to tell that
you dc not already know. soon dis
covered the building was a church, net
a prison. What happened afterward
the result Of my extreme pertur-
baton Of mind, 1 suppose. I cannot ac-
count for my stupidity and s~ubseouent
cowardice in any other way. Neither
1t possible for me to explain mat
tiers satisfactorily at any time during
the whole mixup, on account Of the
trust which / carried, and which e
could on no account reveal even In CON
fidence, or put in jeopardy in the
slightest degree. Naturally at first nv
commission and how to get safely
through it all was the only thing Of
importance to me. II you keep this
judge me less harshly. MY only thought
when the carriage came to a halt was
how to escape from those two pur-
suers. and that more or less pervadod
my mind during what followed SO HAT
ordinary matters which at another
time would have been at once clear to
meant nothing at all. You see,