The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1919-05-30


necessary to put IN this hat, OF course,
but I did it simply to make the char
acter complete. l might just as well
make beds and clean washstands in a
picture hat as in a low-necked gown, so
here l am"
She was a tall pleasant-faced girl
OF twenty-three or four. not unlike her
father in many respects.
II am very sorry" he said lamely.
Il have heard something Of your mis-
fortunes from your father and-the
others. lists really hard luck"
II call 1t rather good luck to have
got away with the only dress in the lot
that cost more than tuppence," she
said. smiling again. lord knows what
would have happened to me if they
had dropped down on us at the end of
the first act. / was the beggar's daugh-
ter, you see-absolutely in rags. Glad
to have me you. I think you'll find
everything nearly all right. Good night,
SIR"
She closed the door behind her,
leaving him standing In the middle Of
the room, perplexed but amused.
"By George" he said to himself, still
staring at the closed door. they're
wonders, all Of them. l wish I could
do something to help them out Of"
He sat down abruptly on the edge Of
the bed and pulled his wallet from his
pocket. He set about counting the
bills, q calculating frown in his eyes.
Then he stared at the ceiling, sum-
ming up. "Ill do it," he said, after a
moment of mental figuring. He told
OF a half dozen bills and slipped them
into his pocket. The wallet sought its
usual resting place for the night: Un-
der q pillow.
He was healthy and he was tired.
Two minutes after his head touched
the pillow he was sound asleep.
He was aroused shortly after mid
night by shouts, apparently just out
side his window. A man was calling
in aVoud voice from the road below !;
an instant later he heard a tremendous
pounding on the tavern door.
S~pringing out Of bed. he rushed to
the window. There were horses In
front OF the house-several Of them
and men on foot moving like shadows
among them.
Turning from the window, he un-
locked and opened the door into the
hall. Some one was Gathering down
the marrow staircase. The bolts on
the front door shot back with resound-
ing force. and there came the hoarse
tumble Of excited voices as men crowd
ed through the entrance. Putnam
Jones' voice rose above the Glamour.
Keep quiet! DO you want to wake
everybody on the placer he was cay
ing angrily. whats up7 This 10 .
fine time o. night to be- Good Lord !
What's the matter with himr'
Telephone for Z doctor. Put-damn'
quick! This ones still alive. The
other one IL dead ~ q door nail up at
Jim Conley's house. Git ole Doc
James down from Saint Liz. Bring
him in here, boys: Where's your lightf
Easy now! Easel"
Barnes waited to hear no more. His
blood seemed to be running ice cold
a he ~retreated into the room and be-
gan scrambling for his clothes The
thing he feared had come to pass. Dis
aster had 0vertaken her In that Wild.
senseless dash up the mountain road.
He was cursing half aloud ~ hi
dressed, cursing tho fool who drove
that machine and who now was per-
haps dying down there in the taprO0m.
ssThe other Is dead as q door nail"
kept running through his head-Atho
other one"
A dozen men were In the taproom,
gathered around two tables that had
beAn drawn together. Tia men about