The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1920-02-12
The TWICE AMERICAN
By ELEANOR M. INGRAM

i
+ made occasion to mention Rio Ma
!, buco and seen you finch eacl
time? Yes, even the name 70,
: could not bear to hear. and nov
will You pretend to face the thin,
e itself2 You are eaten through
with fear, you are a coward. Say
yourself, then, without wasting
e my time.
t . You have done all that,
Bruce hoarseiy agreed. $50,
have followed and limited, yes
You-were right, too But yo,
can t get any further now. II
have until tomorrow night, COW
ard Or no coward I'm all vol
say. But don't laugh at Ameri
cans, Meyer Whatever | do, they
will get you yet
4 " What are you going to do be.
tween now and tomorrow? Come
i am weary; answer
Il told you: think
Meyer made an angry move
ment, then altered his attention
and laughed contemptuously.
| Very well; Think! Think ;
the longer You think the sooner
will you come whimpering to hell.
You will be ready to open the safe
tomorrow night, when l come, my
friend. Yes, and to do what else
| require of you! Now, walk back
to the house with me; unless you
want to start the servants whis-
pering and spying
Side by side, they walked back
to where Meyers automobile
awaited its owner.
When the car was out of sight,
Bruce turned about and went in
doors. The drowsy nurse looked
up as the American came into
Granados bedchamber, then re-
iiapsed into fioddtiing inattention.
The doctor had not yet returned.
Bruce leaned over the bed and
searched with eager eyes the I'M
changing face of the sick man.
Granados had not stirred during
the half hour which had left
Bruce a man desperate and des-
pairing.
Marshal he addressed the
deaf ears, his voice choking. Then
recalling what Noel called his
friend 'sGil Granadosl Gil Gran
ados!''
Not a flutter of response, not
the stirring of limb, the quick
ening of a breath answered the
appeal. Bruce laid his hand over
the manned hand Of the soldier.
"Gil Granados! Gil Granados!"
The nun lifted her head and
stared inquisitively.
Can you hear me? Can you
hear me, Gil Granados2"
Anguish betrayed itself in the.
cry. Dismayed by his own voice,
Bruce fell silent, his gaze dwell
ing on the man who could have
aided him. Now, he maryelled at
the folly which had kept him
from confiding in Granados be-
fore matters reached this nnint
True, Jacinto Meyer had con
fined himself to vaguest allu-
sion, innuendos that might have
meant nothing or much. And to
admit his own obsession of fear
Of the prison was bitter mortifica-
ton to Bruce; SO bitter that he
had shrunk from admitting the
dread to himself. To confess him
self coward to Granados, the
Scared veteran of 35 years, to
see the quick, bright, dark eyes
cloud with q pity that must be
half contempt Bruce had avoid
ed that few hours too long. But
who could have foreseen the acct
dent, with its consequences Of
Granados strange support or
that Jacinto Meyer would come
todayi
Suddenly it came again: the
awful resurgent panic of horror
that was like a forerunner Of In
sanity. Up, up like black waters
rising over his brain, drowning
will making honor a wet, sodden
corpse. He struggled against it,
painting Like runner. The room
went dark before his straming
eyes. This was the visitation Of
fear he had known at recurrent
times, ever since David Noel had
unconsciously raised the specter
by speaking Of the possibility Of
his own death. Ever since that
first frenzy Of dread IN which
Bruce had tainted across his desk.
| the horror had returned to grip
him at intervals. It was on this
sickness Of the mind ,5acinto
Meyer had played. But for him,
.IRrneA might have nyarcnme his
evil spirit.
The writhing fingers with
(which Bruce prinnef1 tha hnd oc1r.