The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-11-13

He checked his speech in amaze
meHt, for the man grasped the yellow
manila envelope containing the letter
to Rose.
These papers are for me-" the man
stated, with a false mildness smooth.
ing the surface of his gutteral voice,
Il was to call for them, Senior. Par
don my cluInsiness, / beseech you"
Without releasing the mans bony
wrist, Bruce put on his s%pectacles,
shaking them into place with a jerk
OF his head. He looked again, and
verified his first impression; the
stranger indeed grasped the yellow
envelope.
You're crazy" he snapped. Paper?
You've got a private letter. A letter
OF mine"
The mans pale lips spread into an
ingratiating smile. He offered no re-
siStance to Bruce's grasp upon his
wrist but he continued to hold the
yellow envelope. ooh, there is no need
OF 50 much caution with me, Senior! l
am in his e~xcellency's confidence. He
sent me for these
He sent you-for what?" l tell you
that you hold a letter of my own"
so! And what you said when I
entered, what of hat Senor?"
Why, what did 1 say?'
The man repeated Bruce's vexed ex-
clamation of a moment before, in
strongly accented, but correct English,
as it had been spoken:
Il do beat the Dutch at ev%erything!"
"Well?" querried the puzzled Bruce.
You perceive hat | am well in
formed, Senior"
Il perceive that one of us is crazy"
Bruce exclaimed in evaporation. Let
go my letter:
They were standing close together,
Bruce's face almost touching the pale
bony face of the other with it's pointed
yellow beard, as the American pressed
down upon the desk the hand he
had pinioned.
His excellency sent me for it," the
man mildly insisted.
He did nothing of the kind. What
ever he sent you for, it certainly was
not this letter.
"And, the Dutch, as you wrongly
name them?"
Bruce stared at his captive in COM
plete bewilderment and irritation. The
a~llusion had no meaning for him. He
utterly distrusted the man, but he
could imagine nc reason why anyone
should want to gain possession of his
lettre, and there was no other dcou-
ment on the desk. Indeed, no docu-
ments were kept in this little music
room. All of Noels work was done
in the library, all important papers
were kept in the safe, locked in by
the me%ticulously careful Valdez.
IF Dom David sent you here, why
did you sneak up behind me that
way?" he challenged, "and why did
you try to snatch the letter while /
was picking up ny glasses? You are
not telling the truth. There is some
thing wrong"
@You doubt my word?" reproached
the man. Ring for a servant, and
send to Dom David. Ask him if he did
not send for the papers,"
Shaken by the apparent candor of
his request, Bruce wayered. Certainly
he might send for Milo Valdez and ask
him If the stranger had been sem
for any documents. There was no
why he should not do this.
Valdez would not ask to see the con-
tents Of Bruce's letter, of course. Bruce
ho6 N0tyrnd nrf hto Shyr or1 ro4;o1-k
heart in those pages; the mere idea of
their being read by another than the
iady named nose made mis- writhe. But
he could e no harm in accepting the
mans suggestion; indeed it seemed
the only way to convince him that he
did not want this particular letter.
Slowly he released the wrist he held
and turned toward the call bell set in
the wall, keeping between the sus-
pect and the door.
Scarcely had Bruce moved across
the room when the man leaped for the
open window. 1t was a well calculated
attempt; by no possible means could
Bruce turn and reach him in time to
prevent his escape. But the American
lldu uOI AC6iCCISu w SC0 LuhC lance
Catching up a light chair, he hurled
it spinning towards the fugitive's legs.
The chair glided across the polished
floor like a sled, and struck it's target
with accuracy. The awkward missile
was effective. The man went crashing
down. Before he could GOV and
rise, Bruce was upon him, grasping at
the letter. The man tried furiously
to free the envelope, striving to re-
gain his feet and disentangle his limbs
from the projecting legs. Of the chair.
"Get up" Bruce painted, savagely.
-"Here-"
The yellow envelope tore across, too
roughly handled. From between the
clutching hands it poured out it's con-
tents; the pages Slipping and flutter-
ing over the floor. Bruce promptly
dropped his man to make a wild dash
after the scattered letter. The other
made a similar move; then. arrested,
crouched staring at the pages nearest
him as he stopped forward. Corey
Prince WROTE a rO1nd. lepihla hand not