Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-04-23

aW11oW - 10y ! seecaA
sally ssae1sEss = naEss
- Asi1pnth - esrsainly ~ done
u tuolis1yaMme vtduWsdos aAs had
111soeeSosonA 1ittle boy nor : titled
Iln1l1m NithsNt nonsy enough 70 keep
mN4 + mAcnsuaI. HeT future huar
m - oldse than herself, and
- IN ~ ~ enDpoc1ed Of being i
1mtunozAunter; but ofser oil, no one
knoW Mn. HI cams into thD nelghbor-
hood wikhout 1etteSs Of introduction TO
anyone and Whether be won his fortune
~ tsnds x Same 70 II BY inheritance 70.
malned ! myutery.
There were thoae who shrugged their
ehOnldcFs, and declared that Mn. Hall.
tont would regret mot having chosen
some ono Of whom moro was known
eOmo retired merchant, s0Ine gentleman
of fortune. whose father had been known
~ her fsiendA Nothing, to BE- sure,
could b aid against this Spaniard or
Cuban with the English name; but who
knsw anything In his favorf
However. 40 one raid this to Mrs.
Halffcnt and, II any one had, words
newer changed . w0man's fancy yet.
Mn HAlifont believed In Colonel Hum
phI3ea and meant TO marry him.
Indeed, The ~tfousDeau VA prepared
and the wedding day dxed, all was
rsady, and Ida Halifont believed herself
- b ! very happy woman. She once
marc built castles In the air. Her old
sorrow seemed to fade away In tho dis.
tance. She was . girl again.
AZ last twenty -four hours lay between
her and hea weddingday.
She was basy In her seving-room on
this last day, Aniahing some ru6les in
laos and ribbon, and dnging softly TO
heFself, when suddenly tho house was
6lled with cxies.
An oldnan-sesvant, willis cutting the
GTaee upon Tie lawn, had wounded him
solf seriously. The doctor wa sent for
at once, but he was mot at home, and
nsanwhils poor Zebedee was bleeding to
death.
6uddenly Ida Halifont remembered
thst NJ. Humphries had aid that he
understood wounds ~ we'll - though he
had been bred . surgeon. Without this
~ WVWAU 01v0 UCc0 0AtukoA kOK A0E W
call On ono who wAs soon to Be her pro-
teCtor 10 . moment Of anxiety. She
would call him herself, that there might
b no dslay, and seixing her ~garden-hat.
she ran along : little path that led from
hsr ground 10 that Of Mr.. Humphries,
climbing . low fence TO save time which
would have been lost 10 reaching q gate,
and % gained tho rear of the dwelling OF
which tomorrow abe would be mistress.
She thought herself terrified and dis
trsmed. She felt rather injured that
such an unpleasant thing ~ tho wound
Ing Of poor Zebedee should have hap.
pened on the eve Of her wedding day.
Ten minutes after she thought Of herself
1t that moment utterly at ease-wonder.
ously happy-for ~ she reached those
windows and peeped half timidly
through the curtainA . thing happened
that madeall she had ever suffered appear
~ nothing.
The room, tho window Of which abe
had approached, VA one that opened
ont OF ! conservatory. She saw Colonel
HumphEies busy with some rare plants
hs had Just rot out To the warm sunshine
that fall through the glass. He had
taken Of his cost and rolled up hi
sleeveA. Now he left the conservatory,
and coming forward proceeded to wash
his hands In q basin Of water that had
been ut ready for him. He was close t.
Ida Haliiont. He did not see her, but
she could have reached out her hand and
touched him.
Why did she not speak, and call him
BY namsi Why did she sink down upon
her hands and trcmble like an aspen
leaff Alasi the awful reason was this:
Upon that arm which abe was about to
give the right TO clasp her in tenderest
embrace she NV . terrible mark-a mark
she had aeen once before. She knew its
shape and sire and color. Her eyes had
bccn riveted upon It - the sinewy hand,
at tho wrist Of which it ended, Rrasped
her dying husband's throat. She had
learned It Of BY heart; she could NOT be
deceived. Though years had rolled
away, that horribly marked arm was not
10 b forgotten or mistaken by any other.
Suddenly Colonel Humphries telt
himself grasped by 3 hand that, small a.
II VA, had the fierce touch Of q tigers
claws. The 6ngers closed over that red
AR3kA@0 W0Ab0 4AGO GAk11G ClO09 W UIus
You arc my husbands murderer
himed q voice ID his ear.
Then the two stood staring 1t each
other.
He made no denial; he only looked
down ct the red mark upon hia arm and
curved Il aloud.
"How dare you to make love to msf'
ahe gasped. "You "
.Because I love you," he said
/" Woman, II / had not fallen in love
with you that night, I would have killed
yOu. It was risking my life TO spare You,
With your screams calling men to hunt me
down -D
"Oh. Il you had but killed me thenl'
he moaned.
aid.
6he answered:
!" You can kill. Iwiah you would. |
Pray you Do II. You killed my husband.
Tho murderer Of my husband must be
brought to justice, and I-yesterday,
nay, an hour ago-l loved you'll O God,
pity mel / have loved this man, this
thtef, who came In the night to rob my
huaband, and who murdered him."
6hs rsmembered saying thia. After
ward : strange drowsines overcame her.
6hs seemed % let 90 her hold upon the
world. She family recognized the fact
that Col. Humphries knelt ct her feet
and kinsed her hands. Then there were
Bland houSA and strange, wild dreams,
and ahe awakened in the twilight and
found herself bound fast to . great arm
chair, long cords about her arms tying
her hands and combining her feet.
80 her servants found her; but she
w. The only living being in the great
house. Col. Humphries and his two
black servants had vaniahed, NO one
knew whittier.
Tho empty bottle Of chloroform on the
Aoor-the fact that he had left little be-
hind hin, and that Ne had always kent
hia money In ! form that left him free
= leAye tho country Ct any time, al
proved that detection had been prepared
Tor. And be was y traced-or had
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