The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-12-11
The TWICE AMERICAN
By ELEANOR M. INGRAM
By ELEANOR N. INGRAM

qualntances, +" Meyer SAID, staring
lwoodenly at Bruce. "Your new
secretary / have not before met. 1t
is a pleasure"
"Thanks," returned Bruce. He
took the limp hand offered him
and blinked behind his spectacles
with placid amiability. emo; I
have been out at the villa mostly.
[ have not met many people," He
blinkcd again.
"The sun here troubles your
eyes, Senior Bruce?" questioned
Meyer.
cit does" Bruce declared, un-
truthfully. He took off his spec
tacles and put them on again.
Without my glasses / am about
blind All right for reading, you
know" he added hastily, with a
glance towards his listening en-
ployer. "Just a bit bad for the
strong light; or for pictures. Not
serious, | hope!" He allowed his
voice to trail off into silence.
Meyer murmured something
sympathetic and turned back to
Noel. Apparently he was satisfied
that Bruce did not recognize him.
No doubt he recalled that the
Americans glasses had been
knocked off at the beginning of
their encounter. He did not know,
of course, that Bruce Immediately
afterward had seen him in his Ii
mousine and identified him
through Milo Valdez. Probably he
imagined that Bruce believed his
assailant had fled across the gar
den.
After Meyer had passed on,
Noel nodded approval to his ally.
Remember never to recognize
Meyer at any great distance" he
gave a caution for the future. "He
may test you that way. Even if
he does not, he will never forget
should you betray yourself"
After that encounter, Cory
Bruce and Jacinto Meyer met more
than once around the city. There
arose no awkwardness no hint OF
that combat in which Meyer had
played so ridiculous a role. But
the city fretted Bruce and made
him unhappy. Learning this was
[so, Noel allowed him to remain in
peace at the villa; where, indeed
he was most useful.
What do you do when you are
here alone? / mean, when you arr
not working" queried Milo Val
dez one day.
"Walk, and ride, and read
said his friend, diffidently.
"And write, eh?" maliciously.
eyes, assented Bruce. He die
not color or look sentimental, al
I'll though he understood Milo $ in
Lnuendo. Milo Valdez flirted a!
naturally as he breathed, and wa
much diverted by Bruce taste 70:
soiiitude and ontten1tt1nen with al
occasional letter received from
New York. "A distant love affai
presented no appeal for Milo.
| There had been several letter
from New York, by the tim
t Bruce had quite accustomed him
self to a life SO different from an.
j he had ever visioned as his ow1
With each letter from the north
) his thin, angular face smoothe'
into greater placidity. He lost tn
haggardness Rio Nabuco ha
$ stamped upon him. After a time
{ his morbid shyness became n
? more than his normal state Of stu
1 Ident abstraction.
E Marshal Granados was at tn
8 villa a great deal, during thos
i months. He took q marked ikin
t to the young man who was his OF
posite in almost every trait an
taste, and delighted in DRAWN
Bruce into arguments calculate
to ruffle the eyenness Of tempe
he found so amusing. He late
confided to Noel that he was tr,
ing to find out how Bruce ha
!, ever been goaded to kill q mar
even an Indian. He did not b,
$ lieve the thing was possible, co
fession or no confession.
He is as gentle as Mics siste
Januaria,n Granados declare
dlonce. He had Che fever an
dreamed all that, David"
Noel only smiled. He unde:
stood Bruce better. He was VI
+ varyingly kind to the kinsma
3 Of Constance, without either 81,
d ing or asking condolences. q
i had not very much time to spar
8 hiispretegge, hut he liked to HHaatte
8 Bruce regain assurance and healt
and he sav0red the compliment
the other content in his hous
{ Perhaps, he fancied it indirectl
klprophetic of the content Of al
4 lNfhAFG Bruce.
The progress Of the great vi
81 ~1[~-v- YH1-H -