The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1888-12-21
She rose to her SeefS bnt Culvertou
caught her with his right hand and held

"Broken@@ repeated Dolly, ceasing her
struggles instantly. "Did Jasper do itfp
Culverton did not speak; he was fast
turning faint himself; and only his great
love for her kept him up.
as he dead9' she asked.
"Quite dead, dead, my darling. Shot
through the BRAIN" he answered.
He let her go then, and leaned upon one
Of the men; for his strength was fast de-
sorting him.
"Have some Of this whisky, my lord"
said one of the laborers, with rough kind
ness.
culverton took a long draught of the
coarse raw spirit, and, though It burnt his
mouth, 1t gave him sufficient strength to
follow Dolly, who had gone in search of
Jasper.
1t was a sad sight which thew found
Dolly knelt beside her dead brother, her
white gown all stained with the blood
which had flown from Culverton's shat
tered arm; and near, transixed with hor-
ror, stood Hermione Cave-Fox, the cause
of it all.
"iou must come away, Dolly said the
Earl. You can do no good here."
Dolly raised her eyes, first to him, and
then to Miss Fox, in mute agony; and the
wretched woman shrieked out to her not
to curse her.
Course your" repeated. Dolly with the
utmost calmness. 1--WE Nugents curse
no ne; but l think the last of them will
be a curse to you forever. Look at him."
she snid, pointing to the fair young face
turned up tothe brilliant sky in the blank
gaze of death-"look at him! There he
lies, the last of an old name, slain by his
own hand-your work! Oh, what had we
ever done to you or yours that you should
bring this dishonor upon usY" she cried,
less agony in her blue eyes. ooh, don't
look at me. Look at him-your work.
and youls!" turning suddenly to Lord
Culverton.
"Mine!" he echoed. "Good Heavens,
child, what are you sayingf
"She" pointing to Hernione-"gave
your letter to him, and babe him to bring
me here to see her meet you, we'll know
ing that 1 should not hold you to your
engagement. Between you you have ac-
complished your work wel"-turning
from them and smoothing ~Jasper's fair
hair back from his face.
dolly, l never wrote to her in my life,"
he declared.
There is the letter." said Dolly, throw
ing it contemptuously towards him.
1t fell at his feet, and one of the men
still standing near, picked it up and hand
ed it to him.
At that moment Hermione moved as if
to leave them; but the man seized her
by the arm and forced her back quickly
enough.
"Just stand you still, young woman:"
he said with scant politeness. sit seems
to me as 'ow you'll ave to answer for this
lob to other folk beside uZZen.'
"Let me go" she shrieked.
"Now stand you STILL" he repeated
threatening, 'o~r'-growing excited and
Immediately going into much broader ver-
nacularthan he had hitherto used-"ah'n
mump tina MOUTH"
"Where did you get this letter." in
quired Lord Culverton sternly ut that mo-
ment.
He spoke in a voice of thunder, his in
juries utterly forgotten, and Miss Fox
shrank back rs if she had received a
blow.
"Dost ia carp asked the laborer, shak-
ing her arm. SOW did'st ia COON by III
Dang the hussey, is ia goaning to speak2"
"You wrote it to her." put in Dolly
scornfully.
II wrote this and another yesterday to
you," said Culverton firmly. 81 found I
could not get over to Dean Ella yesterday
morning; so l asked you to remain in this
afternoon; afterwards 1 found l was free
this morning; so l wrote and asked you
to meet me here at eleven-this very let
ter, in fact. l sent them over by Tom the
groom, who told me he had given them to
your maid; he told me too that YOU had
got a new maid, and that he thought she
was French; and 1, knowing that you
had a French maid coming, never for an
instant doubted that you had got them
safely. Pray how did you get them7"-
turning tiercely to Hermione. Ibid you
get the first one alsoY"
"Dost tn 'ear?" repeated the laborer,
with another shake.
"Yes," she faltered. "I-met-him-
and I-I-asked-"
"Get on" growled the laborer.
81 asked if that letter was for Miss MI
gent, and 1 told him-I-I was her maid
her new maid,' she stammered, her
teeth chattering with terror.
"She told Jasper" i~nterposed Dolly
drearily, shat you were going to marry
her"
II marry-that womang' said Culver
ton proudly, "My darling. until she came
up and spoke to me this morning. l have
never once spoken to her since my mother
died."
"She told him she had been to meet you
yesterday morning"
at is false. l was the whole morning
with my lawyer. l was not out of the
house,
"There's T. Squire and T. constable "a
coming said the woman anxiously.
LET me go!" cried Miss Fox f~iercely.
SAY, ma fine husscy," quoth the York
shircman grufAy, off ia gets quit o this
business. thou'd best not ia show. tina face
i Dean Ella village M more, or happen
thon'lt fond tina sen ~ horse-pond. ~
folk %hereabont doant wait tn a Jury to
sattle owt; they moastly sattles for their
sels.n
She'll be wanted ia speak afore t cor
oner," put in another.
"Sure-lyl' returned the first grimly.
AS the Squire hurried along the path,
Dolly covered her face with her hands
and Culverton, his strength at last giving
way completely, fell headlong to the
ground in a swoon.
"Ah, yer hussey!' muttered the York
shireman between his teeth ~savagcly.
"What is itf' cried the Squire. .What
does all this mean7 Is Jasper hurt
Dolly7 Oh, merciful Heaven, he is not
deadl My lad is not deadr'
"Thou'd best take Ter wlloam. We've
sent 10 COOlVcltOn 1or Z doctor and a car
riage, and we'll bring him whoam safe,
surely"
~.Sure-ly" echoed one or two rough
voices near.
"You don't mean that he's dead" repeat
ed the Squire incredulously. "My lad is
not dead! l tell you he cannot be deadp'
he asserted p~assionately, kneeling down
by his sons body and trying to arouse
him. "Great Heaven, why are you all
standing gaping like so many idiots7 Can
you do nothingT
Its no good, SQUIRE said the woman
gently. ''There is a bullet through his
brain. He were dead when we got tn i'm.
Get you back to t. Mistress, Squire; she'll
hae need O thee"
The Squire rose to his feet in silence,
and Dolly too moved.
"What's the matter with Culverton-is
he dead7" he askedin a blank, dazed kind
of q way.
II doubt is arms broke" replied the
woman; "but ee's coming round now"
"Will nobody tell me how this has hap
pened" cried the Squire p~assionately, as
Culverton struggled up again, w~hereupon
u. c.1,aS