Charlevoix county herald., 1918-12-06

Dual, whom ] suspected of having fol-
lowed his usual custom of rising with
the sun.
The warm glow of the outer day
streamed into the room, filling its at
mosphere with light, while we waited
for the serving of our mornings
meal.
AS for the Lawton girl, she was pale
but composed with a sort of pensive
composure. She seemed hardly to real
ize fully her new position and stood
beside Miss Foote, with the elder wo-
mans arm about her supple waist. She
was a pretty little thing in her way,
with wide eyes which told one why she
had fallen so easy victim to the dap
per and plausible Reich.
One could sum her up as an inno-
cent-a creature without experience
of mems falsity-one to give trust to
the one who spoke kindly-one who
had Numbered through ignorance in
to her fate.
Colonel Mac fairly sparkled with
good humor this morning, did the
colonel, and the whole world was his
friend. All his life he had been a man
who did nothing by half, and when he
took charge of this girl as her pro-
tector, he had taken her welfare to
heart. That he had her back unscath-
ed, save for the shock of her peril,
brought him into jovial mood.
l glanced at Semi. He was sitting
in large chair, from where he could
command straight sweep of the
down dropping length of Powell till it
jutted into Market. could see his pro-
file from where stood. 1t was quiet,
calm, composed, yet with firmness
about it which spoke to me of a men,
tai introspection.
For a man who had done what he
had accomplished, he struck me more
as a detached spectator than the prin-
cipal actor in a drama of human pas
sion and pain.
He felt my gaze as he seemed al
days to do, when my eyes dwelt upon
him, turned his glance to my own,
and smiled in slow, almost enig-
matte fashion. A moment more and he
was once more watching the human
ants which scattered about the streets.
Yet i felt sure that he saw them only
with his physical eyes and that his
mental vision was turned toward some
other point
In that moment it came to me that
our little celebration might be in some
way premature-that even as he had
led us through the maze of plot and
counterpart which had brought us at
last to the woman we sought, who now
stood with Lucille by the window, so
now he might still know more of the
final issue than any of us others sus-
pected. 1t was almost as though that
slow smile of his had said as much to
me in a voiceless message, unmeant
for other ears.
A waiter came in with the break
fast and set it forth with its service.
Lucille and Lily whispered by the win
dow, and / saw the girl glance more
than once at Semi Dual. 1t appeared
to me that she wanted to thank him
for her salvation and hardly knew
how to approach him.
After all she was only child at
heart.
Before we eat, / want to express
my feelings" Sheldon began. This
here is one of tn happiest moments of
my somewhat busy career. I've lived
long time an done some things l
thought rather nifty myself, an seen
some nifty things done, now an then.
But tn thing which skins tn whole lot
and caboodle is tn thing which makes
it possible for us five to sit here an
be glad we are here, an we all know
what it is.
so before we eat this breakfast /
want you to all join me in a toast to
Mr.. Semi Dual-th' one man Twin
who never misses shot an always
rings tn bell.
II knowed he could do it when l
asked him to help us, but darn me if
l see how he done it-now. Here's
howl"
Dual fiddled with glass of milk,
which he held in his long, supple fin
gers. Once more that slow smile
twitched his lips as l watched
Il am glad" he began, that l have
been able to justify Colonel Sheldon's
expectations. l am grateful, as we
should all be grateful, for sincere
appreciation of our efforts at any
time, and l am thankful that by my
means the Great One who guides the
universal round, has seen fit to pre-
serve the innocence of one who walk
ed unawares."
He lifted his glass and drank.
Lily Lawton raised her blue eyes
to his face. May / thank you now,
Mr.. Dual, for what you have done for
me?" she questioned. Il know that |
must seem a very foolish girl to you,
to have done as l did, but l really
trusted the man who said he loved me.
And didn't know didn't dream
that man-that any man-could be
$3.50 base"
Dual smiled, and now the inscruta-
BILE quality which marked the spread
of his lips at times was lacking. II
was ompassionate-that
smile