Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1922-08-02
The NllI llAR TRIBUNE WEDtEsDA AUGUST 1917

If was Miss B. who prepared the
meal this. time. The man tried to help
her, but his hands shook, and his feet
stumbled as This eyes GOULD not see.
I. Miss B. noticed then that his face had
grown white and set. There was now
no merry smile on his lips. At supper:
too, he ate almost nothing. Miss b.
thought she understood 1t was. those
headlines. 8
At seven o'clock Miss B. lighted her
lamp.
1T will be quite dark SOON
she said feverishly.
The man reused himself and rose to
his feet. s. = 49, s:ss
"Mtss-er, are you Miss Hayden r. {.
eyes; Miss b. Hayden. Everyone
says. Miss 3. 2. 81.
well, I wonder, Miss B., If you
know--What you've done for me-to-
day 2" he asked in low voice.
She stirred restlessly, and raised a
protesting hand. ss=s
..And I .wonder." he continued slow
ly, "if you'd be- willing-to do-more'
mo, no, mustn't! There's moth
ing could do she cried excitedly,
staring into his face.
He turned and walked the length of
the room, dropping himself into a
chair before he spoke.
Somewhere, years ago. he began,
II read a bit Of history about some
! judges that had condemned a king to
death. They had to hide to save their
lives, and they came to New England.
| A minister took one and hid him in q
secret room for twenty years. And no
one knew that he was there. So you
| see-it can be---dOne."
| The woman paled and started for
ward in her chair.
''You don't mean - you can't
mean" she stammered wildly, 'that
| IL She could not finish her SEN
tence.
He made gesture Of dissent. The
old whimsical smile calne back to his
face. "
"Not for twenty years, of course;
but, perhaps - for half Of twenty
days." he murnaured.
She sprang to her feet.
mo, no, never! 1t is impossible. I
never heard Of such ,thing!".
"But 1 have just told you OF one
for twenty years."
=. "But, I alOne-a woman! Things
like that don't happen, really, nova
days. They-couldn't -
.*No, they couldn't" echoed the man
| in dull voice, with a sudden change
of manner. You are right. They
couldn't" He rose from his chair and
went over to the fireplace. He seemed
suddenly bent and old. Don't worry
1t will soon be dark" he murmured
with forced cheeriness "And then
I'll 60"
Miss B. sat down impotently. Her
whole face was drawn into anxious,
terrified lines.
"Was it the paper?' she asked.
7s' He turned sharply.
did you-read it," he demanded
mo; but I thought maybe those
headlines" she stopped helplessly.
An odd relief showed in the mans
eyes. With a nervous movement he
thrust his hand into his hip pocket
and crowded into smaller space the
half-sheet Of newspaper that was
there :" 49,
1T .was-the paper" he acknowl-
edged. They're after me-and they'll
get me, Of course" =
Miss B. wet her lips.
I But what could / dot" she STAN
mered. a.. ~ &'55
! For a moment he did not answer
then he spoke, his eyes carefully
avoiding hers. -f
IF I could stay-up there
1 jerked his thumb toward the room
above-''for week, or maybe two,
there'd be chance then that I'D get
away---without their-spottin me.''
/ In thinking it over after she had
i tremblingly gone to bed, that night,
Miss 3. could not tell just how the
4 man had carried the day. She knew
q only that he had carried it, and that
1 he lay now in the room above on an
iold mattress that had> been stored
/ there.
! With the coming of the dawn began
j strange days for the mistress of Hay.
j denis Notion Store. Miss B., accus
toned half her life to solitary meals
prepared by herself, found now curl
Gus charm In those prepared by, and
shared with. an agreeable companion
q iwho plainly did his utmost to please
, So one BY one the days passed. That
she was doing wrong in harboring thus
I "a fugitive from the law never occurred
2 to Miss B. She was alone In the world
1 The man himself was deferential
Z. anxious to serve, and always pleasant
1 He seemed never to forget the service
). being done him, though he seldom re
sferred to the cause that had called i,
forth. What he had done to occasion
g + = E S