Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-05

H 81 v ASAAO0S AS40~@AAS0
wrist, Bruce put on his spectacles
shaking them into place with q jerl
OF his head. He looked again. an
verifed HIS first impression: tn
stranger indeed grasped the. yellow
envelope.
.s'1on.re crazy he snapped. "Pa;
,pers? You've got a'private letter. 4
The mans pale lips spread, into ar
ingratiatjnE smile. He offered no Re.
sistance to Bruce's grasp upon ~.
wrist, but he continued to hold TN
yellow envelope. 49,
"Oh. there is no need Of SO much
caution with me, Senior! I am In hi
E~xcellency's confidence. He sent M
for. these,
:He sent you-for what? I tell you
that you hold q letter Of my own" /,
$50! And what you said when
entered, what Of that, Senior
why: what did 1 say?"
The man repeated Bruce's vexed ex-
Of a moment before, IN
strongly accented, but correct Eng
ltsh, as 1t had been spoken:
II do beat the Dutch at every
thing!"
"Wen?" queried the puzzled Bruce
"You perceive that l am we'll in
formed, Senior" :.
II perceive that one Of us two Is
crazy" Bruce exclaimed in exaspera-
ton. LET 70 my letter, please"
They were standing close together
-Bruce's face almost touching the pale
bony face OF the other with its point
ed yellow beard. as the American
pr pressed down upon the desk the hand
His Ex~cellency sent me for it," the
mar mildly insisted.
He did nothing Of the kind. What
eyer 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 hewilderment and irritation. The
utterly distrusted the man, but he
could imagine no reason why anyone
should want to gain possession of his
letter, and there was 40 other docu-
ment, on the desk. Indeed, no docu-
ments were kept in this little music
room. All or Noel's work was done
in the library, all important papers
were kept in the safe, locked in by
the meticulously careful Valdez.
IF Dom David sent you here, why
did you sneak up behind me that
way !" he challenged, land why did
you try to snatch the letter while I
was picking up my glasses? You are
not telling me the truth. There is
"You, doubt my word?" reproached
the man. Ring for a servant, and
send to Dom David. Ask him If he
did not send me for the papers,"
Shaken by the apparent candor Of
request, Bruce Wavered. Ger
he might send for Milo Valdez
and ask him II this stranger had been
sent, for any documents. There vas
no reason why he should not do this.
Valdez would not ask to see the con
tents of Bruce's letter, of course
had poured out his shy and
reticent heart in those pages; the
mere idea of their being read by n
other than the lady named Rose
made him writhe. But he could see
harm in accepting the mans sug-
g~estion; indeed 1t 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 suspect and the,
doSf. ..,.g-. $780, -
Scarcely had Bruce moyed-across
room when the man leaped for
The open window. It was a well-cal-
attempt; by no possible
means. could Bruce turn and reach
him in time to prevent his escape. But
American had not neglected to for
see that chance. Catching up a light
chair, he hurled 1t spinning towards
The f%ugitive's legs. The chair gilded
struck its target with accuracy.
rht awkward missile was effective.
The man went crashing down. Be-
'ore he could recover and rise, Bruce
vas upon him. grasping at the letter.
The man tried f%uriously to free the
envelope, striving to regain his feet
disentangle his limbs from the
legs Of the chair.
Get up" Bruce painted. savagely.
'Here-!"
The yellow envelope tore across, too
'oughly handled. From between the
hands it poured out its con-
ents; the pages slipping and nutter-
ng over the floor. Bruce promptly
Popped his man to make a Wild dash
Lfter the scattered letter. The other
:rouched staring ut the pages nearest
lin an he stopped forward. Corey
3ruce wrote a round, legible hand,
lot very small From sheet to sheet
he mans glance shifted over the
lines, gathering their OBJ
ious purport.
"Here..'' the outraged Bruce .
'eated, sweeping the pages into a
leap. What do you mean by that?'
The man uttered q cultural e5acula-
ion, started up. and setting his palms
n the window sill, vaulted out into
garden.
The crash Of the chair. the stamp
I feet and angry voices had sounded
oudly across the noontide repose Of
he villa. AZ Bruce rose to his feet.
holding the huddled
ndss Of pages he had rescued, one>of
be Whtte-clad, orange-AshedI serv-
nts appeared In the doorway. The
o3ague brown eyes roamed
rom the dishSvelled figure OF the
american to the disordered desk and
chair. He was too we'll
to question or exciaim, but
liz expression assumedN IN austere
Beyond the servant ap-
,eared the nuixzical c~ountenance Of
Ntlo Yaldsz. - that gentIsmanI reach.
what . h7a the latter qusried.
"A snake or . t4rantula7 snail / or
Ter . pistol or q lemonade !"
Brnce shook htst head In deprecatio
Il the raillsry. he was painting and
70 beW5ldsred by.an episode Ill a
varikucs with the placid LIE OF the
vllG, thAt he scaSDely knew how to
convey the haDpsning 70 veldss'a
.It1fas.a man.. no answered, hill
tripping hts hurryinu
thought bastened It 'sHe came II
hefe-he aid Dom David had sent
him. 9for3thts" He thrust ont tbs
handful Of apASss he had gathered
With Q confused idea Of explanation.
'sEo0kinks over my shoulder, he was
whom ! caught him ct IT, trying "a
read my letters! When he found
would not give II, 10 him, He tried tc
from the desk and bolt. t.
khyo1lgti;s there! J" he motioned toward