The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1919-07-10
CHAPTER TX

CHAPTER TX ta5
Eleanor Harrington CAM presently
TO the door and tapped.
YOU'RE not asleep yet,ssare you
Jean?" she called. James Just want
ed me 30 ask AZ thsre WAS. any posi-,
bility thatssome OF those papers were
lost on the way? Did they, fall or did
anything happen where one might
have slipped out? He tbirks that two
most important ones are missing
mot while they were in my pos
session, Eleanor seid Jean positively,
feeling a return, of her annoyance at
her brothers manner. She opened
the door and stood framed in the
doorway, looking adorable in her little
pale blue kimono, with her hair tum.
bling about her shoulders. The elder
sister fell. on her neck anu kissed her
affectionately. o.sa sS-
"You poor little girl, how tired you
look. Get@to bed quickly. Il was a
shame to trouble you any more about
those horrid papers. There, good
night, dear! This is positively my
last appearance" and she closed the
door and went downstairs.
Five minutes later Jean turned to
put out the light and saw, lying on the
floor on the farther side OF the little
bed stand, q slip of paper folded once,
across, and about the size OF the wal
let which she had givenlier brotherin-
law. She bounced upon 1t and took IT
nearer the light 1t looked more like
an old letter that might have slipped
from her trunk tray than a business
paper.
AS she opened the paper the name
of Jasper Holt caught her eye. and
her interest was at once enlisted. How
came a paper bearing that name IN
the guest chamber Of her brothers
house? It could not POSSIBILITY have
come through her. Nothing of his
could have caught in her garments,
there was. no place for anything to
catch, and no way that his; possessions
could get Into her bag. II could not,
OF course, be the missing paper from
the wallet, since IL bore his hated
name. Yet, her brother had spoken OF
disagreeable business relations. Would
this paper, perhaps, by any chance,
explain to her the aninfosity that had
sprung up between the two men? She
felt she had the right to know. She
glanced quickly down the page.
1t was a simple contract, the grant
of certain water rights TO Jasper o
In consideration Of payment received,
and to the veriest child who could read
ut all it would he patent that the pa
per must be the private property OF
.Jasper Holt himself. How came 1t
here in the house of his enemy? -"
She rsad the few lines over many
times, until she knew them thorough
,y; and slowly there grew In her
heart a conviction that something was
wrong somewhere Tier first impulse
TO call her sister and consult her, she
could rot bring herself TO follow IL
seemed, somehow, that here was some
thing she must think out for her
self. ,E.
However aud whatever her brother
ard sister felt. she owed o loyalty to
Jasrer Holt. She might do a wrong,
ven,iradxertently. to him who saved
her life and cared for her so tenderiy.
II he were here she would unquestion-
iagly nave put the paper into his hands
and asked him what to do about it.
She had promised to trust him, and
she felt such great confidence In him,
from what she already knew about
him, that she was convinced he would
send the paper back to Harrington IL
Ii belonged to the latter.
Eut Holt was not here, and the
croilem Of the future was still
sbrcuded in difficulty. Would she
ever see him to consult? Was this,
PERTAINS, one Of the missing papers
James wanted, and why did she not
trust James to give it back to Holt as
quickly as she would have trusted
Hot to give 1t to James? The ques-
tioa brought a look OF trouble to her
brow, and q flush to her cheek. Did
she mistrust her brotherinlaw Just a
little bit? Had she always done so
without knowing it? Or was 1t just a
prejudice because he seemed not quite
SO fine in his nature as her beloved
sister? Besides, James was Iludicsd
against Holt. II might be hard for
him tc be generous and true under
those circumstances. Yet her heart
rebuked her for the thought
She stood uncertainty holding the
bit Of paper for a long time, and
finally put out the light and went and
sat by the open window. trying to
clear her mental vision and under
stand what she ought to do. r.,
Out on the lawn the shadows were
dark under the great tree where she
and Jasper Holt had said goodby, She
thrilled again as she remembered.
The stars were clear and friendly
Is though they. too, remembered. The.
leHg stream OF light fstH marked the
divide between the shadows and the
path TO tho house. for the lamps were
burning brightly downstairs, though
all seemed quiet. Jean had heard
Eleanor come upstairs again, and tip
toe softly by her door as IL fearing to
wake her. She felt almost guilty, at
kipp shero In TIA darI; awake