The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1925-04-30

ronizing manner of this rich cotton
man. She said promptly
1.-THE information you wanted? Was
it about me:"
Parmalee looked up with a single
sharp thrust of his glance; he adjust
ed his tie and his opinion Of Miss Sci
coss at one time. He put upon his
unwrinkled. clean-shaven face a typ
zeal ingratiating smile. He took his
pointed chin. which. combined with
his upsIanting eyebrows to give him a
satanic expression. not unpleasing, in
his small. white, cold hand.
He said "Oh, no; the information
| seek is about a certain man.
She glanced around her quickly. as
if to be sure that no one else had
come with him and was sitting out
side the circle of radiance from the
gas mantle that made the faces of
human beings suddenly turn livid and
CHASTITY as Parmalee's had turned and
as she felt her own had turned.
YES. You want me TO be more spe-
cifc," he said in a low voice. IT will
be. The man is
He stopped. Stimulating perhaps a
reluctance TO speak the name.
Brena held her breath.
Jim Hennepln,' he said. "An en-
ployee-or perhaps a better word is
associate"
Without a futter in her dark eyes,
Brena said:
ooh, then you do not want to see
me-you want to see Mr.. H%ennepin's
aunt-Mrs. Wilkie."
Parmalee shook his head from side
to side. Perhaps we'd better sit
down. he suggested.
Her face flushed as she told him
she would prefer TO stand, but he only
shrugged his shoulders.
Has she heard from : him?' he
asked. Today
NO." said Brena, "she hasn't had a
line from him since he left Dallas.
There isn't anything-at the Officer"
mo, his accounts are all right" re
piled Parmalee. 1T appears that you
are anxious on that point-in his be-
half. Are you fond of him?"
Not in the slightest Brena an
swered with a voice which showed no
emotion whatever: she might have
been asked whether she liked cold raw
sliced tomatoes.
We'll. that's surprising-very, in
deed" he said with a thrust of his
glance. you were f%riendly?'
Yes" she said. Il suppose that we
.-1u1 xr,r frsnyITr ID nA+ I.1--
why you are asking me these CUES
TONS
THAT will appear" he said gravely.
You will see that l am your friend
in this. Miss Selcoss. / think you will
say that l came here to do you a
service"
For just a flick of time something
rose from the depths of Compton Par
malice and Brena saw it. 1t was al
most an efiuvium of the buried best
in him-the stir of a dying thing try
ing to come to life. 1t was half a
benevolent love of his fellow man:
half the call of an isolated. warped
and lonely soul. 1t vas the thing
which she saw later and to which she
gave in her folly, but now it flickered
for a on that strange esthetic
gamblers face and was gone.
"You telegraphed to Jim Hennepin
from ST. Louis" he said. "That tele-
gram was opened
"When?' asked Brena. when it
came? OF course
He did not deny it. He said: 1T
was just your message, I am wait
ing and it was signed, 'B.' 1t took
a little inquiry for me to know that
this telegram was probably sent by
you
Tut nearly five months have gone"
IT know"
you needn't tell me anything you
do not wish to tell. l assume that
you arranged to meet him in st.
LOUIS
Brena put her hand up and felt her
throat. 1t was hottie skin was hot
under the cold hand.
1T was a great mistake" she said
In a low voice-"a great mistake"
1.-THE idea was marriage?"
1T was my 1dea-if had any clear
idea"
You were very young
yes, / think so-looking back"
you know what was In Jim Henne-
pins mind?"
She did not answer.
THE dirty dog!" said Parmalee.
what a smiling face he had!"
Brena s~huddered.
"Well, here is the telegram" said
the visitor. 81 opened it myself.
There is no one else who knows it
was ever sent
He wet his hin lips he said:
ut is a secret-ours," and stretched
out his hand with the yellow envelope
held daintily in his fingers.
The girl, however, was looking
searchingly into his eyes; she was