Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-04-16

boy, whom q ranchero Congressman has
lassoed aud .corraled at West Point, going.
to come into the society OF gentlemen and
utterly thwart all attempts at rational
conversation with his brags and his lies
about In lian killings Not while l am
aDout.": 90
"Runcheros do not lasso cowboys" " said
gravely. Nor do l think that Blanken-
burgh Is from the West, and il you knew
my niece Ciceiy us we'll as l do you would
your afternoon innings. You have been
very foolish"
Rohert looked a little alarmed anu then
Well" he said, 81 don't see why she
must Jake up her time with an ass like
that"
Il don'tsee," l answered a little ssifly,
what reason there is for Miss Drapers's
being called upon to account to you for
any portion Of her time"
J! was a little sorry next day for the snub
! had given Robert, for a man in love is
like a man in ~liquor-after a certain stage
you must pass over every thing he does. I
was particularly sorry when saw Robert
pulling. a forty-to-the-minute stroke alone
hour in the afternoon at which he used
generally to set out on a leisurely pull up
river, toward the DEVILS Oven, while nv
niece was dabbling her hand in the water
from the stern of onetof the hotel skitfs.
But the Lieutenantdid not come down that
evening. l afterwards heard that he took
means of celebrating the remembrance Of
bis insult when he reached the garrison,
which incapacitated him for duty for a day
or Two, and SO when l saw Robert radiantly
hand my. niece into q rowboat after tea
that evening 1concluded that his period Of
penance was over and all was on its old
footing.
It was two hours later, namely, at $50
O'Clock, that I was smoking in front Of the
niece go up the board walk and ascend the
steps of the hotel. They were walking
rapidly and I saw that both were silent
and distract. As they passed Robert made
an imperious sign for me to stay where I
he thus anticipated. Of following them up
stairs. Two minutes later he ran down the
steps, seized me by the arm and hurried
me oward theWharf. To my e~xpostulation
he only said come" under his breath, in a
manner OF suppressed excitement that
was an unfortunate friend of mine who
was on his way with me and q doctor in q
cab to Kirkbride's.
saw his hands tremble as he fumblsd at
the knot which secured to the wharf the
After thirty seconds OF vain effort to mite
it, he drew his knife with q curse. The
fisherman who was standing in the boat,
steadying it and looking curiously in his
face during his struggle with the painter,
started back at this action. The young
man observed the start, and laughed loudly.
could see all the loungers in the lighted
door Of the billiard room turn their Xeads
at il;
"You needn't be afraid Of me, O'Niel,"
ne said, in q rasPing voice. "pm harmless,
quite, Get in, Draper5'
l had no particular fancy for trusting
myself In a skiff to the middle Of tho st.
Lawrence with a presumptive mania, but q
subtle intuition told me that it was either
thaS or q scene, and I thought at the same
s,%s faas with on ma a ; eta5A cunning nm n Hs. he had s;i
way obeyed. saw the stout white ash
blades of the oars bend like whalebone as
he took the first savage stroke when our
bow was pointed outward.
Six of the strokes carried US fairly into
mid-channel, where we rested in the midst
Of the broad pathway of light thrown from
the lamp of the little red-topped lighthouse
on the reef. 1t was the sound of voices of
men singing that arrested. Roberts oars.
The music foated across the water from a
sailboat, whose canvas l could dimly make
dropped his right oar, doubled his fist and
shook it despairingly at the indistinct
wilderness, and then dropped his head in
his hands and stared blankly at me.
NJ Draper" he said, at last. He spoke
in a voice from which his late fury had
gone utterly. Thought it curious that he
should have put the handle to my name,
which he was proud of having dropped
some years before, and thAp l recognized q
pathetic likeness, both in tie tone and man
ner of his address, to that of a child in what
it considers great trouble.
81 have a mother and two sisters at home,
MS you know, and if l hadn't shouldn,t
have brought you out here. I should have
come out alone, and l shouldn't have gone
back"
Al my sympathy vanished at this. "A
threat of this kind is, perhaps, the most
make, Robert" I said. III you wish to
carry it out l shan't deter you-jump right
overheard" l was caught with a cough at
that moment, and, remembering my ex-
angry. "1f you've simply brought me out
here" l said, ito pour out a lot of slop
about my niece, Cicely, having refused
you, you can row me right back to shore,
and then you can go hang or drown or
whatever you want. The family has es-
dition in the shape Of q very deadly ass"
Don't" he said: with d gesture of hope
less depreciation, ''that would be nothing
to this. never knew what a mans honor
was. but now I've lost it. I do know now"
For mercy's sake, man, what do you
mean?n / cried.
I will not say what thought crossed my
mind. oni stop this Internal beating
about the bush!n
The sound of the singing cam more
plainly over the water and Robert raised
his head and looked hatred at the white
sail from behind which 1t came. "That
cursed load of cads and walters has cost me
more than life" he said. "Listen!w
I'VE pulled up to Warmers tonight and
heard the sunset gun,' he said, heavily.
when IT went off your niece asked me i'll
wasn't opposed1o sunset guns any way, as
being warlike, you know, n we got
thrashed yer all the old straw that was
chopped last night. She's very fond of
arguments, your niece,' said Robert, with
a melancholy break in his voice that was
as near a sob as a laugh. "She took the
oars and I sat in the stern and we drifted
down between Friendly and Titusville.
The talk stopped, and l was watching, after
it grew dusk, the figures of those New York
fellows on Friendly, about their campfire
in front of their tent on the bluff, you
know. Silhouettes are awfully fetching
against the canvas, with the fire between.
Iheard a little gasp and oArs splashed in
the water. l looked at your niece. I
thought she was dying-so many women
have these heart troubles, you know. She
swayed. back in her seat, and grasped the
gunwale. never saw such q staring black
as her eyes, norsuch q dead white as the
face. She tried to speak once. Then she
gasped out, 'Behind-behind-lookl'