The Holbrook news., 1921-06-24

admitted sufficient light to enable him to dimly make out his surroundings a couch, covered with a bearskin, a rudely made chair, bucket of water in one corner, and a faintly revealed l figure against the further wall.
 "Olgal" he exclaimed, "Olgal !"
 She moved, leaning forward eagerly.
 "Who are you? Who calls me?"
 'It is you, then?" he sprang forward. Don't be afraid; I am Shelby!"
 "Shelby-youl Tom ShelbyI O God this is not a dream?"
 "No, mol I am just as real as you are. See; touch me. You thought I was dead?"
 Her hands were in his own; her eyes, still increduIous, searching his face in the dim light.
 'Dead-yesI They told me so; an Indian said he had crushed in your skull. He boasted Of it; and when I asked that Macklin, he only laughed, when he said 1t was so"
 Laughed. how?"
 Her eyes fell.
 "He-he didn't seem to think 1t
  that would care" "But do you know who he is? Did he tell you? Did the fellow explain his purpose in this outrage?"
 q do not know; he had no time, no opportunity; we were never alone. What do you mean? Was this all done for some deliberate purpose?"
 "Yes, 1t was, Olga. His name is not Macklin at all it is probably Churchill have you ever heard that name be- fore?"
 "No; am sure not"
 ''It was your mothers name. She came from Virginia, and was heiress to considerable property. It was left to her in trust, and her uncle was the trustee"
 "My mother?"
 ''Yes; she never knew this while she lived, but your father learned some of the facts after her death, and en- deavored to verify them. His search was what started trouble; for your uncle, the trustee-his name is Cor nelius Churchill-had made no effort to locate the heir to the property left in his care. Instead he had used the money, believing himself perfectly safe. When he learned of your fa- ther's suspicious, he became fright ened."
 Gan this be true?"
 "It evidently is true, strange as it seems. Then your father was killed, perhaps through some row engineered by Churchill to put him out of the way, and they made every effort to find you. You alone stood between them and this ill-gotten wealth. For tunately you could not immediately be located; you had been hidden away in a Catholic school, and, before Church. i'll succeeded in discovering what school you were at, Calkins took you away, and destroyed every trail"
 "CalkinsI Who and what was he?" "A sergeant in your fathers troop; faithful fellow to whom your father had confided his story before he died. His one object was to keep you safely out of Churchill's hands until you should become of age. That was why he dragged you from town to town and kept you in poverty"
 "But why did he never tell me all thisT'
 q cannot answer that; no doubt he thought it best; believed the time had not come. understand he acted under legal advice. Then, you know, his death was very sudden"
 "Did he kill himself?"
 q do not think so now. That was the story in Ponca, but it is my belief he was murdered. You had finally been traced; the man who had sue ceeded in finding your trail was in Ponca. Calkins had to be put out of the way"
 "You-mean Macklin?'
 "Yes; only, as I say, that Is prob ably not the fellows name-he is Cor nelius Churchill's son."
 'Where-where did you learn all this?"
 "Macklin told the story, when he was drunk, to another rascal. I crept up to campfire one night and heard the latter relate the tale"
 "Where was this?'
 "On Dragoon creek"
 "Yes-but when?"
 "Night before last; while I was seeking to trail you"
 She had never released her grasp of his hand; now it frightened.
 Might before last; you-you never knew it before?" Certainly not"
 "You didn't marry me be-because I had all this money?"
 Shelby laughed lightly.
 "Lord. no; I never suspected you had five cents."
 "ADd-and," she went on earnestly, "you-you followed after me, hurt as you was, never knowing about all this -just-because it was mel" 'That's sure right; leastwise until