Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-02-17

blow upon the back 81 the hesd, but
further than this, the case was . iKys-
terry. What instrument had been used,
or who had committed the deed VA
never revealed.
In ! few days Mr.. Tredennis identi-
led himself according to Law and took
possession Of his property. His first
act was TO pay of the Rev. Arthur
Dana's honest debts and give Nj.
Worthington modest check for the
ssdebt Of honor" He then settled
down h the Tredennis mansion md
soon converted il into IN entirely diff
ferent establishment from what il Us
under it's former occupant.
BY degrees the story Of his life leaked
out, and il was learned that His
father had really married the
creole girl with whom his name
had been linked in early life. buts that
soon after their marriage the two had
quarreled and separated. Arthur Ms
born after the separation. and his ather
never knew 81 his existence. The
mother had died several years after.
but had left with her son the necessary
papers to prove his parentaga News
Of the death Of John Tredennis cameto
him, and after investigation he found
that the deceased was, indeed, hin a.
ther. AS soon as he learned this,
young Tredennis started 81 on9 for
Grove City. A mystery Is himself all
his life, he found the entrance hpon
his possessions the entrance into 3
greater mystery than had ever yet SUR
rounded him.
The new master Of aTredennis
House" proved to be q man entirely
different from his predecessor. There
were no more tales Of midnight rev.
elry, no more fast young men were
seen calling at the mansion. Unsteady
Tredennis acquired as great . rep
utation for goodness 6 had
Dana in the opposite direction.
Much Of his time was passed in deeds
of mercy, and his purse was always open
to the needy. In the course Of time
he met Miss McNiel, while both we're
engaged upon some philanthropic work,
and the two became friends. Village
gossips were continually planning q
marriage for them, but they never car
ried out the gossips' plans. That such
q marriage would have been fit and
proper, the reader can see. For was
not Arthur Tredennis Arthur Dana
idealized? And was not the former all
that Kate had wished in the latter?
But they never married, and after
ten years Of usefulness Arthur Treden-
mis- died. When his will was opened IL
was found that he had left his whole
estate to Kate McNiel.
She, too, lived a life Of noble works,
and when she died the mystery Of Ar
thur Dana's disappearance was dis
closed. On his death bed Arthur
Tredennis asked her if she did not know
him Arthur Dana. He had met his
cousin. young Tredennis, and with him
entered the woods on the Columbus
road, whore the two conversed for ssv-
ieral hours Each told the other his
history and they were about to part,
the one to enter the world in stern re-
ality, the other to take possession
of his Inheritance, when Tredennis,
STOPPING by his horse received askick
from the animal which killed him in
stantly. When Dana saw that he was
dead, the idea Of personating the dead
man came to him. He exchanged
clothes with his cousin and rode out Of
the woods q free man--free in the true
sense this time free from his ownspast
individuality.