The Prairie Detective: Secret Service Series No. 24 — page 56: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

54 THE PRAIRIE DETECTIVE. “The man who hesitates is lost,’? thought Dan to himself, and without another instant of reflection he plunged into his old story of trapping on the banks of the Wabash. He did not stop at the assertion either, but gave, with great minuteness, the full de- tails of his work there, and described at length some of the hardships of the hfe he had led. She heard him through quietly, and at one time, so apparently truthful was his manner, she almost felt tempted to believe him. But when she looked at his soft white hands, and at about the same time he let slip a word or two which did not accord with his assumed character, she became more fully convinced than ever that Sycamore was not what he seemed. silence ensued. She was thinking. Who could he be, and why did he seek to hide his name? She had heard often that young men of wealth and re- finement in the East, through some indiscretion or crime, were often obliged to leave their homes and fly to the Western country in order to avoid arrest and disgrace. Could Dan be one of these?’’ Before she reached this stage in her reflection, Dan had begun to wonder what was employing her mind. He watched her narrowly for a few minutes. Then reining his horse so close to hers that their rough coats touched together, and stooping over a trifle in the saddle, he spoke in a low tone: “What are you thinking so busily about, Miss Harper?”’ There was a strange, soft music in his voice. She looked up hurriedly, caught her breath as if she was startled, and then replied: “Do you wish me to be frank?” “Why, of course I do,’’ he replied. And he meant every word he said. m comicbhooks co