Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-08-30
CHAPTER III.

cloon a4 Jay slowly dylng-a tender
forest trees and the low mulmur Of Softly y,
pia a,l rlpiets: mass of jagged hlaci
i ;' with the last rays of sunlight clint
ing ing upon their bald tops, and gnarled
banle overreaching low. fern-tutted
Imagine this, and You have the nicturo Of
.n .;n mule lake at The Crag." Then imagine
uny. prettily painted canoe, with a Young
WON. woman at either end. and gentleman
larry dividing his attention between his
companions and the skillful management
OF the slender oars.
NOW you have Miss Ilerton. her cousin
and Arthur Cover.
they had been floating lazily on. with
stiffness almost painful, until they neared d
tne dangerous Black Rocks: then the little
Mherry became entanglcd in the stealthy
current and veered with II treacherous
l ~ en- lureh sharp enough to fling ono
enough to startle Arthur into singularly
awkward betrayal of emotion
=, Inc little form had barely swayed when
the gentleman. with hoarse cry, sprang
forward.
CLARA! My God. Clara!"
That was all he said: vet, when he re-
membered himself he was holding Clara
Volney in his arms.
Is she hurt?"
The voice was Miss Iilerton's, and now
u
woman whom he should marry was beside
him.
Are you hurt. Christine?" he asked,
flushing hoty as his arms fell from Clara.
Not at all, thank you"
Nor am l" protested her cousin, laugh
ing nervously. Only frightened. 1t was
so sudden, you see.
Yes. twas sudden. certainly" acuuiesced
Miss 1lerton; sudden and pleasant"
This extraordinary assertion remained
n hnr
spoken until the boat was being made fast
to the low. quantity contrived landing of
roughly hewn logs; then, as Miss lllerton
stepped upon this rustic platform. Arthur
Cover touched her hand, detainingly,
What is the matter. Christine?" ne ven
tured.
Why, what should be the matter?" And
now. affecting to notice for the first time
his awkward hesitation. she continued.
smilingly, My dear boy, just put that oar
in its proper place. will you? Then follow
us up to the house as quickly rs possible.
Those people will be there"
Those people" were city friends who en-
]oyed amazingly frequent visits to The
the hospitable mistress of the old manor
house, leaving Mr.. Cover in q most painful
state of anxious doubt and SELF convicted
treachery.
II *
Christine Illerton was not woman Of
nan 4udI ulSuI Suo enCereu ner
cousins chamber. and without ado put
this straightforward question::
How long has this been going on?"
Going on?"
Tell me. wish the truth: I wish you
to be frank"
why, what do you mean?" asked Clara,
yet never looking up.
You understand me. How long has this
been going on between you and-and-the
the man whom intend to marry?"
tSE &c, !
at her cousin with innocent, fearless eyes.
You do not mean to accuse us of any
thing. like a Irritation. I hope" she said.
proudly.
Spouse: i acquit you OF that. There has
been no Irritation; but there has been Il
great deal of intensely earnest love-mak-
ing. That knowledge was forced upon me
this afternoon. remember"
"Ah. Christine!"
And here this young woman displayed
woeful ignorance OF the first principles of
feminine strategy; for. instead of adroitly
maneuvering. carefully marshaling her re-
plies. and skillfully defending all weak
sparing vigilance of that keen-eyed sharp
shooter. Miss Christine 1llerton. the silly
creature only hid her face in her hands,
and. 'twixt piteous sobbings. proclaimed
her ignominious overthrow.
"Ah. cousin-ah, Christine!"
Instead of calling my name in that utter
lyi ncomprehensible manner. you would do
better to answer my question" suggested
Miss Illerton. How long has Arthur Cover
loved you?"
"Inever knew that he loved me-" protest
ed the offender.
Yet he told it very plainly this after
noon. and was present. if you recollect."
Christine. dear Christine!" Clara was
standing now, not weeping. but speaking
with low. impressive eagerness. AS live,
never before has he said as much as that:
never before has he uttered one word that
you might not have heard-never. Chris
tine, cOuSin!
DO you tell me this upon your honor?"
Upon my honor"
But you love him. of course. There. you
need not turn away. Keep your secret.
child. Only remember this. that you are
willfully walking to IL moral destruction. for
l shall certainly marry the man you love.
Goodnight, dear"
What does it matter to me? Why should
1 care if she breaks her heart for him :?
Do care? Not I" protested Miss 1llerton,
as she sauntered slowly to her own room.
an hour later. after an awkward leave-tak-
ing with Mr.. Cover. They make their own
misery. That which is not worth asking
is not worth having, surely, She s a fool.
but he is q coward; SO. after all. save her
from Il Wretched fate"