The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-09-28

clever, or 1t was necessary"
But the Russian had himself well in
hand. He only smiled.
ut has occurred to me-" the chief
went on, that that little town has been
pretty busy lately. There was that
matter Of the country club, you know,
and last Thursday night the parish
house burned down."
eyes," said Boroday. politely.
"And now something else has hap
pened and" Suddenly the chief beat
his desk with his fist-"I am pretty
sick OF It,"
Under perfect control as he was at
critical moments, the Russians hands
had Il way of twitching. So now he
licked the ash from his cigarette and
was politely interested.
"What happened last nights" he in
CURED.
Il think you know. If you don't,
I'll tell you. Yesterday morning Il
tremendous collection was taken up at
the church OF Saint Jude's to build q
new parish house in place of the one
that burned down. The rector has
been away; the assistant rector took
charge Of the money"
II see"
"Of course you see. What / would
like to know is why you fellows"
Boroday spread Gut his hands in his
foreign way.
Il fear you give NE great credit. l
do not deserve It,"
why you fellows" the chief went
on resolutely, waited to do this job
until the rector, who is old and in
firm. had gone away and left a husky
young assistant in his place. And that
isn't all 1 want to know"
'In any way that l can assist YOU"
"What the devil do you mean,"
yelled the chief, "by shooting n mar
down and then going away and leav-
ing the money in his pockets? It's
it's crude-it's w~asteful!"
The Russians fingers twitched In
spite Of him. The chief saw it and
smiled under his heavy mustache.
do you mean that somebody shot
this-er-assistant you speak Of? That
Is rather sad. Was there-much
money!"
"Seyenty-eight thousand dollars"
said the chief, and put his cigar back
in his mouth. There is a story be-
hind 1t, Boroday, and it's that story l
am going to get. I'm warning you be-
cause you've played pretty square with
me. I needed that pearl in my bush
ness"
Boroday rose.
"All right, chief" he said. II am
sorry about young Ward. I hope he
wasn't killed."
HE wasn't killed." replied the chief.
"And / haven't said his name was
Ward. IT. you haven't had your break.
fast yet. WI might breakfast together.
I oversight and haven't had time for
anything
Ward came back to consciousness in
the great foar-poster bedstead in
which old Hilary Kingston had lain in
state. He felt very little pain and no
curiosity at AL as to his surroundings,
only an overwhelming lassitude and
WEAKNESS of iife. Scmething-some-
thing that matrared very much had
gone out of existence. He could not
remember what it was.
There was u uniformed nurse by the
bed. He had a curious antipathy to
asking her anything. He had made
a promise of secrecy to someone
about what?
Toward evening he had managed to
evolve out Of his reviving conscious
ness some faint memory of what had
happened to him. He remembered that
lie was walking down a hill and that
he had fallen forward. For quite a
| half-hour, late in the afternoon, he
struggled to remember why he had
gone down the hill.
Then he got it. He had been up at
the hall to see Elinor. It was Elinor
who had gone out of his life. Ellnor!
Elinor!
He slept very little during the night,
and as his fever rose, he called the
nurse .Elinor," and begged her fran
tically to tell him that something was
not true.
"Of course 1t Is not true said the
nurse, who was accustomed to being
called various things.
You did not mean It at ALI" He
eyed her wistfully. The nurse was
large and plain, with a wide. flat face.
you, with the eyes Of a saint" sa1d
poor Ward, ito try to tell me that you
are wicked. l see that It Is impos-
sible. / think l can sleep now"
The nurse put her hand, which was
large and ill-shaped but very light and
tender, on his head. And so he went
to sleep.
When he was quite settled, the nurse
went out into the hall where Elinor
was sitting on o straight chair. She