Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-01-04

" iASA ~ 1t4A&A ~ ~
OF everything; yet he kept them so en-
clrcilng, without touching her, like a
~oenedlctlon that would enwrap the very
SOU or his beloved. Looking down in
TO ner face he breathed SOFTLY:
On, my dear, it seems as il l must
mold you cloae and kiss you!"
She looked up with hated breath, and
Ihought she understood. Then, with a
lovely gestur. of surrender, she whis-
pereo: Il can trust YOU Her lashes
were dropping now over her eyes.
NOT until you know all" he said.
ana put her gently from him into the
great arm chair. with a look of ever
ence and self abnegation she felt she
never would forget.
Ihen tell me quickly" she said, a
swift fear making her weak from head
to foot. She laid her hand across her
heaft, as IL to help steady its beating.
He wheeled forward the leather
couch opposite her chair; and sat down,
MS mead dropping, his eyes down. He
dreaded to begin.
She waited for the revelation, her
eyes upon his bowed head.
tlnally he lifted his eyes and saw her
look, and u tender light came into his
face.
1t is a strange story" he said. Il
don't know what you will think of me
AFTER it is told, but l want you to know
lhat, laundering, stupid, even criminal,
though you may think me, | would
sooner die this minute han cause YOU
one more breath of suffering"
Her eyes lit up with a wonderful
iisht, n the ready tears sprang into
them, tears that sparllled through the
sunshine of a great joy that Illuminated
her whole face.
please go on" she said softly, and
added very gently, Il believe you"
But even with those words in his
tn .S tho l.,
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 one might launch an arrow at a
beloved victim and long that 1T may
not strike the mark. SO he sent his
truth home to her understanding, and
waited in breathless silence, hoping
against hope that this might not turn
her against him.
'Oh." she breathed softly, as il some
puzzle We're solving itself. "Oh."--
this time not altogether in surprise, nor
as If the fact We're displeasing. She
looked at him eNpectantly for further
revelation, and he plunged into his
story headlong.
I'm a member of the secret service,
Headquarters here in Washington
ana "a before yesterday l was Sent to
New York on an important errand. A
message of great import written in a
private code had been stolen from n
OF our men. l was sent to get it be-
fore they could decipher it. The mes
sage involved matters of such tremen-
dous significance that l 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
ton. l went with the full understand
ing that / might ever be called upon to
risk my life"
lie looked up. The girl sat wide
eyed, with hands clasped together at
her throat.
He hurried on, o to cause her n
needless anxiety.
y won't weary you with details.
There We're a good many nnoying
hlndrances on the way, which served TO
make me nervous, u l carried out the
program laid down by the chief and
succeeded in getting possession Of the
message and making my escape from
lne mouse of the nan who had stolen
1T. As l closed the door behind me.
knowing that it could be but a matter
or a few seconds at longest before six
furious men would be on my track.
~ 'sSp d. ASlll1llS " Scl DdCh
what had taken from them, L saw a
carriage standing almost before the
mouse. The driver took me for the man
he awaited, and l lost no time in taking
advantage of his mistake. | Jumped in.
telling him to drive as fast as he could.
L intended to Civ MIN further direc-
TONS, but he had evidently had them
from another quarter, and I thought |
could call to him as soon as we were
out OF the dangerous neighborhood. To
add to my situation l soon became
sure that an automobile and a motor
cycle We're following me. l recognized
one or the men in the car as the man
few minutes before. My coachman
drove like mad, while hurried to Sc
cure the message SO that if l were
caught it would not be found, and to
put on a slight disguise-some y
brows and things the chief had given
u>A Before l knew whera l was, the
carriage had stopped before a build
ing. At first l thought it was a prison
and the car and motor cycle came to
a halt just behind me. I felt that [ was
pretty well trapped"
The girl gave a low moan, and Cor
don, not daring to look up, hurried on
with his story.
There isn't much more to tell that
you do not already know. l soon dis
covered the building was a church. not
a prison. What happened afterward
was the result of my extreme pertur-
baton Of mind, l suppose. l cannot ac-
count for my stupidity and subsequent
cowardice in any other way. Neither
was 1t possible for me to explain mat
ters satisfactorily at any time during
he whole mixup, on account of the
trust which l carried, and which 1
could on n%o;account reveal even in con-
hdence, or put in jeopardy in the
slightest degree. Naturally at first my
commission and how to get safely
through it all was the only thing OF
Importance to me. If you keen this
IN mind perhaps you will be able to
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 pervaded
my mind during what followed so that
ordinary matters which at another
time would have been at once clear to
me, meant nothing at all. You see.
the instant that carriage came to a
'standstill someone threw open the
door, and l heard a voice cali Where
IS the best man." Then another voice
said, Here he isl l tool it that they
thought | was best man, but would
soon discover that l wasn't when i
came into the light. There wasn't any