The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-11-19
BY
CLIFFORD s.
RAYMOND
n q
illustrated by
IRWIN MYERS

~
| told her the girl Agnes was 10 be
treated with every consideration and
that If 1t were possible To have the
other maids regard her kindly so as
not to make her feel obloQuy, ii would
be only Christian.
Mrs. Aldrich was q very stanch
churchwoman and | could see in the
tightening of her lips that such soft
treatment Of n wolnan caught in crime
did not satisfy her ideas Of morality.
She went out dissatisfied. but | knew
She would do her best. Jed came in,
still In his superServiceable mood.
"Would YOU like some coffee, sir?'
he asked. l was tired and did want
a stimulant.
"Yes, Jed I would-thank YOU" |
sail as heartily as | could. determined
to break down his triumph of imper-
tu%rhahility by n commonplace handling
OF him. He brought the tray.
"Slt down." | said. Your schemes
nave come TO n bad end in this house.
IL will do YOU no good, and ii may de-
stroy the family. Things are beyond
your control or my control. The Span
lard has the manuscript he was after.
Your power Is gone. 1t is transferred
to him"
$50 YOU are familiar with this af-
fair!'
IL am not. | only know what has
happened since | came here. ! do not
wan TO know any more"
"lou are wise. There is nothing but
u%nhapp!ness and danger in knowing.
IT is not news to me that Dravada has
Mr.. Sidney's diary. They released me
after they learned that the manuscript
had been found and that the lawyer
and Dravada had it,
Jed then sat down and told what
had happened to him. ! was very
angry. remembering lsobel as she came
hunning In that night with her sleeve
torn from her waist. wondered that
! could hear the man calmly, but he
had extraordinary power, being moved
by extraordinary emotions.
I'm the first place" he said, may !
] StN liltl L nave bfNIi HI'ltN'N Va .
You think I am a lunatic. Sometimes
( am. almost. 1t IS casy enough to be
! Il cabbage if you are one. 1t Is some
times hard TO seem n If you are not.
I've been a fool-but I've been hunting
for something that | have not been
able to find. | want happiness and i'm
p~or>ance. My egotism asks for it, but
my common renSe is going to have its
way. That's preliminary"
Then he told his experiences. He
had become violent with ISobel. He
wanted il understood that he had been
desperate but respectful. He had no
| idea of taking hold Of her or of tear
! ing her sleeve. She had been magniti-
cent. She had given him a moral
shock. He felt like n worm. He had
been attacked suddenly by the men
who had O~verpOwered him. They had
come upOn him from the brush. He
had recognized Dravada at once. He
might have overcome the Spaniard. but
the desperate little lawyer, in Il frenzy
Of activity. had been just bold and
4 StIOIlE 0IlitlISH ~ ~ llIl Z
had been made helpless. Another man
had come breathlesSly TO help. jed
had been bound and gagged. He had
been hustled into the screen Of woods
and beyond them to a waiting auto
mobile.
His captors, in the automobile. had
headed for the city and entered 1t after
midnight. They had taken their pris-
Oner TO q tenement on the East side.
For several days the lawyer and Ora
vada had tried TO eXtort the secret
from Jed by threats. They had tried
to buy it by promise of an equitable
division Of profits. The lawyer had
| been quite frantic part of the time.
Jed said. bounding about in an ecstasy
| Of rage. At other times he had been
friendly and persuasive.
Dravada had been savage and want
| ed to try torture, but the attorney, en-
ragged as he frequently became in his
| failure and disappointment. would not
| permit this and had got a trustworthy
rascal Of his acquaintance. named Sim,
with two other men. to keep a on
slant guard over Jed with a view not
only to prevent his escape but to keep
Dravada from doing him harm or TAX
Ing him away.
The lawyer, both dismayed and en-
| ragged by Jed's obstinacy, had finally
thought Of %corrupting someone in the
house to fnl and steal the manuscript.
The hes: he had been able to do was
to persuade a maid to prove false
| enough 20 introduce the real thief.
"Dravada and the lawyer never had
any hesitancy at having their quarrels
in the room where they held me-" Jed
said. Brown was afraid Dravada
would corrupt the fellow Sim. torture
me and get rhe story. Dravada was
afraid Brown would corrupt someone
In Hartley house and get the manu-
script. Each one feared that the
! other would succeed independently
md get away without making a dlvi-
sion.
"Dravada pretended to be satisfied
when Brown told him that he must
not appear near Hartley. When they
; thought they were going to succeed in
stealing the manuscript out OF my
room Brown proved to Dravada that
| tho nplv ono If them that cou1d rO IN