The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-08-08

givings. Hardly able to believe his
eyes, he slowly read:
Dearest-A wild hope has come to me.
Perhaps we don't know the truth or TINS
terrible story as ii really is. suppose we
should be condemning poor Uncle Duke
without having the real facts? Sassoon
was a wretch, Henry. if ever one lived
a curse TO everyone. What purpose ne
could serve by repeating this story. which
he must have kept very secret TIL now, i
don't know: but there was some reason.
must know the whole truth feel that
/. alone, can get hold of it. and that you
would approve what / am doing II you
were here with me in this little room,
where | am writing at daybreak. to show
you my heart.
Long before YOU get this / shall be
speeding toward the gap l am going
TO Uncle Duke to get from him the eX-
act truth. Uncle Duke is breaking~-has
broken-and now that the very worst has
come. and we must face II. he VIII tell
me what | ask. Whether | can get HIM
10 repeat this to you. to come to you. to
throw himself on your pity. my dearest
one, I don't know. But it is for this |
am going to try. and for this | beg OF
your love-the love of which | have been
so ~proud!-that you will let me stay with
him until / at least learn everything and
can bring the whole story to you. If |
can bring him, l will.
And | shall be safe with Unexpectedly
safe. Gale has been driven away Pard-
aloe, l know l can trust, and he will pe
under the roof with me. Please. do not
try to come TO me. 1t might ruin every
thing. Only forgive me, and | shall be
back with what ! hope for, or what |
fear. very, very soon. Not till then can
bear TO look INTO your eyes. You have
a better right than anyone in the world
TO know the whole truth, cost what 1t
may. Be patient for only a little while
with NAN.
1t was Jeffries who said, afterWard,
he hoped never again to be the bearer
of a letter such as that. Never until
he had read and grasped the contents
of Mans note had Jeffries seen the
bundle of resource and nerve and
Sinew, that men called Henry de
Spain, 20 to pieces. For once, trouble
0verbore him.
When he was able to speak he told
Jeffries everything. 1T is my fault"
he said hopelesSly. Il was so crippled,
so stunned, she must have thought
see it now-that | was making ready
to ride out by daybreak and shoot
Duke down on sight. It's the price a
must pay, Jeffries, for the abil-
ity to defend himself against this
bunch of holdup men and assassins.
Because they can't get me, I'm a gun
mo, you're not a 'gunman.'"
"a gunman and nothing else. That's
everybody, friends and enemies,
me-a gunman. You put me
here to clean out this Calabasas gang.
not because of my good looks, but
because I've been, SO far, a fraction of
second quicker on a trigger than
these dOuble-d-d crooks"
Jeffries, from behind his pipe, re-
De SPANS random talk calmly.
81 do feel hard over my fathers
he went on moodily. "Who
If God meant me to forget
It, why did he put this mark on my
face, jeff? / did talk pretty strong to
Nan about it on Music mountain.
II did feel, for a long time, I'd like
to kill with my W hands the man
murdered my father, jeff. My
must have realized that her
babe, if a man-child, was doomed to a
life of bloOdshed. I've been trying to
think most of the night what she'd
want me to do now. don't know what