The Benson signal., 1917-06-16
ney, and so devoted to Bert, that am

"You need say nothing more Miss
Illingworth. know all about the stu
alton. Rodney wrote me and"
swell, then, you understand my ..nx-
iety, my reason for aSkingw
"I do"
"And you will tell us?".
81 wish to heaven could"
"Can't you tell us anything?"
"Well, yes, I can."
| "What"
'Tt may be breach Of confidence.~
"I'd take the risk" said the girl. her
bosom heaving. Was she at last about
to hear from her lover?
"Know where he is, old man" asked
Rodney.
81 think so-not sure, but"
"Where" "-from the woman, breath
lessly.
81 didn't agree to tell you :nat."
"What then?"
'"All can say is that after the death
of his father he turned up at my ranch
one day some five months ago and told
me his story"
|
he tell you he was innocent?"
"Not at first. He told me he was
guilty"
"But you didn't believe him, did
you?" asked the woman impulsively.
81 certainly did not"
"Why not?"
"Well, 1 don't know why. / Just
| %hok oil Moodn
know him well. I know his makeup.
We get accustomed to sizing up
mans actions out West here, and it
didn't take me longer than it took
him to tell the story to know that 1t
wasn't true"
"Oh, thank you for that" said the
woman.
"But our beliefs are not evidence.
Dick" interposed Rodney.
"We can't prove it and that's the
point. I told him." continued Winters,
''that it was a da-darned lie-I beg
your pardon, Miss Ilingworth. mean
told him that it was not true and that
he was fool for sticking to it, and
er-he-admitted- floundered
Winters, suddenly realizing that he
was on the eve of breach Of conf
dence and checking himself just In
time. "In fact, the subject was painful
to him, and let him alone, which is
what we generally do to man who
doesn't want his affairs inquired into
too closely" Winters ended lamely,
realizing how near he had come to
betraying his friends confidence and
telling Of Meade's own admission that
he had said what he had to save the
fame and honor of the father.
"Well, what next?" asked Rodney,
understanding as did Helen Hing
worth herself the ranchman's hesita-
ton, and respecting it, although the
unavoidable inference gave her great
Joy.
"He hung around the ranch for
month or six weeks to get his balance.
bachelor myself and don't know
much about those things, but can
say that he loved you, Miss nllingworth,
more than life ITSELF"
"But not more than the reputation of
his father" she said with little tinge
of bitterness.
"Well, take it he looked at that az
matter Of honor. You know mans
got to keep his ideals Of honor"
"Even at the expense Of a woman's
hearth" said the girl.
''It sounds hard, but I guess we've
| fn Init fhot p11tt tIoftc nathan
here nor there" he continued, gliding
over the subject, "the point is I found
that he had to fight it out himself, and
I mainly let him alone. gave MIN a
horse and gun and turned him loose in
the wilds. Best place on earth for Q
man in his condition, Miss Ilingworth.
You can go out into the wilderness and
get nearer to God there than any
place know of. He came back finally,
turned in his gun, borrowed the horse,
bade me good-by, and said he was go
ing out to make new start"
"Where did he go? Which way?"
"He was headed south when saw
him last, and all this lay in his way"
"You mean-?" cried the woman.
"He may be here?" said Rodney.
Winters nodded.
'I have thought so. It's only a
guess, of course, and probably q poor
one. But when read in the papers
that Colonel nlingworth was coming
here, and that you were along, and
Miss Illingworth, thought I'd just
take a run down here and see what
could be DONE"
"Oh, I'm so glad you have come"
Hes not working on the BRIDGE
said Rodney.
''How do you know, Rod?"
II examined all the aay rolls, anC
none of them bears his nGme."
"He wouldn't work under his own
name in the Martlet Bridge company"
said the woman.
"Certainly not. That was only my
first step. l went around among the
| workmen foo and 7 got look at every