The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1921-06-03

int There are Germans enough ovea
here to stop that"
Not Germans-no. But 1nterna-
tionals. revolutionaries. They are
more than you think. 'Tis time for
them to strike a great blow"
You are Polish, are you not?"
Yah. from Warsaw. l come yer
SIX years"
"Naturalized?"
Il have first papers-why you ask? p
suspiciously.
II merely questioned from curios-
ity." My eyes wandered once more to
the girl across the room, and he no
ticed the glance.
You wonder what she do in here?'
he asked. II tell you. She was my
niece. an sit here to wait for a TREND
to walk home with her. 1: is not a
good n~eighborhood. this, fN a woman
alone in the dark"
Her home is some distance?'
"Five-six blocks. 1t Is q dark, bad
way
He moved back toward h bar, ap-
parently satisfied with his examination
of me, as well as his explanation. I
wondered grimly why he had taken
the trouble to tell me all :his, and or
dered another glass OF beer as an ex-
cuse to linger there a while longer.
What was the party like who was to
call for the girl? l did not have to
linger long to crafty my curiosity.
The side door opened, silently, and q
man stepped briskly inside. shaking
the r%aindrops from his coat as he
greeted the barman cheerily.
"A dirty night. JAMS" he said, glanc-
ing swiftly about, his eyes sweeping
over me sharply. Business not very
good. 1 suppose?"
Dead. It's no good now any more,
with all the factories closing up be-
II of the war. Just some salesman
drops in for a beer. That makes me
nothings."
The newcomer laughed. evidently
put quite at ease by this quick expla-
nation. l was watching him. A rather
thick-set fellow with a turned-up mus
tache and a disfiguring scar on one
cheek, which gave to his eye a peculiar
expression. Watching the fellow I
must have missed some signal. for he
whirled about suddenly and confront
ed the girl, who had already risen to
her feet and stood expectantly, one
hand yet resting on the table.
"Ah. %senorita! You were waiting
for me to come" he exclaimed. yet
| have not kept you long"
"Oh, no." she answered quietly in
Spanish. her voice SO low the words
barley carried to where I sat. "You
were ~delayed?"
"A car blockade at the wharf. No,
thank you, JAMS. nothing tonight. You
would go, senorita ?"
There can be morning to remain
longer here for. surely"
l watched them disappear through
the side door, marking his grasp on
her arm and her quick glance aside
into his face. There had beer some-
thing wrong about his meeting. some
thing undeniably awkward and con
strained. These two were not what
they pretended to be-Old-time friends
meeting incidentally to walk home to-
gether. They were strangers, coming
together there for the first time by
appointment. Neither had previously
known the other. l had even detected
fear. doubt. In the expression Of the
girls face.
Yet l dare not move. or attempt to
follow them. l could only sit quietly,
my eyes on the window fronting the
street. l watched intently, but no
shadows passed that way-the two had
not turned down Cans street.
My miAd worked rapidly as l sat
there m~Otionless, afraid to make the
slightest move lest 1t arouse suspicion.
Whatever the object of the meeting
might be, Jams was more or less in
volved. He had signaled to the girl
twice. and his words, however inno-
cent they may have sounded, must
have brought a warning to the man.
Beyond doubt he had questioned me
with the distinct purpose Of thus dis
covering why / had drifted into the
place. dismissed utterly his state
ment that the young was his
niece-her very appearance gave that
the lie.
Something was wrong, perhaps not
criminal, perhaps in no way associated
with the affair which had brought me
into that neighborhood. and yet sus-
piciOusly wrong, and l felt inexorably
driven to find u what 1t all meant.
! finished my beer slowly, and then
selected a cigar from the case and lit
1t deliberately. Jams leaned over the
bar, speaking c0nfidentially, and had
to remain, although ! cursed inwardly
at the delay. Yet / broke away at last.
assured that / had finally lulled every