Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-11-05
Dangerous Game.
Br rue AUTHOR OF aur DEArrsr nx AIT"

Nv INV IN IT, HtNtA NV NNVNN At Effals
'You have chosen otherwise. and /, of
course, am bound to accept that deeision.
But yc.. nave treated me very hardly; can
you deny II? Was II fair and yomanly TO
tempt me with Sach letters a. desc? What
IL Gilbert Gascolene hear! OF yorr conduct,
or Lord Martin of Eis ,,ffe'sg'
II seemed safer to keep silent than 10 try
to answer his questions; so | kept silent.
II soon,' he went on, fathomed the littlo
plot, and 10 you, not Gwendoline, | yielded
to you, not G%wendoline, | consented TO
give the letters back. You say it was her
thought, this plot TO Cn,rap me, 70 show YOU
leou'd flirt with her when she chose 10
commence the hirtat on; and / can but ac-
cept a lady's word. But it is proof, Viola,
that you did love me if you caused Gwendo-
line to resort 10 such q snbterfuge. L. wa
natural she shonld Willy me 10 save the
Grange fer her cousin against the wish Of
Richard GascOisne, whose happiest conyic-
ton was that ], whom he pleased tn call his
faithful friend, had won you. ! do not wol-
der az GwcndOline Pumeray's m~arnuyres;
but you, whom ! thought all tllat was true
and sweet and falr-I cannot understand
you, ViOla!'
What still could | say? knew l had en-
tered the trap; | had done So with open
eyes. knew he was lying, but ] could not
contradict u M and the rapid eagerncss Of
his tones bafi d all the clear cold words L
thought | had ready with which 10 meet
him.
You opened the gam. | understand that
move, and l led you on. Should / not, aft-
er your confession, be fuliyjustiiied IN keep
Ing these letters and showing them to whom
like? You and lady Martin had 40 re-
morse In cheating me; ! believed you loved
me, i might well have supposed she did.
Now, 1 take II, l have the revenge in my
power"
ID you mean to use your opportunity
/ asked, In Il low voice. suppTcssing oil feel
ing and alarm rs best | could.
NO" he answered directly, IL do not.
Take your letters. Some time 1t may occur
to you what was your treatment Of an hon
orable man who loved you!'
lie held out the packet Of letters to me,
and, as | stretched out my hand 10 take
them, he suddenly imprisoned il in a close
grasp, and drew me near him and kissed me.
struggled 10 be free.
Let me go!' / cried. How dare you ill.,
suit me?'
1T is the first and last. Forgive me, Viola.
! nave forgiven much In you, and YOU have
spoiled my life.'
II will not forgive your | gasped. stand
lug back and holding the packet tightly.
You have given me these letters, and /
open them here before YOU ~ see that you
are not dcceiying me now. Why you have
given me them | do not know, unless it is
that they are OF no use 10 you"
| did not know-how could | g~uess?-his
bitter revenge. He had lied about me TO
Hilda Farquhar; but | never dreamed what
had passed between them that morning. If
1 had been told, | should have said one wo-
man could not be 80 cruel 10 another.
was thinking of G~wendoline, poor mis-
cradle Gwendoline! / had always hated
Crawford Garden; and | never thought what
/ might be doing for himself.
And on the te-race-walb, from which my
face was turned away, OH that high walk
overlooking shrubbery and lawn. Gilbert and
Hilda were standing and watching us. She
had brought him th!ther to betray me. She
had made a compact with Crawford Garden
10 take away from me what was dearer 10
me than life-Gilbert's love. Perhaps Car
den thought he could then win the owner OF
the Grange-at least he would DC reyenged
ON me, whom lie dipped while | dreamed 1
was deceiying him.
zone word before / GO l said. 1T is
better you should know that | do not believe
what YOU have said. do not believe You
are moved by a thought OF honor, or ever
did a good deed except il suited your selfish
ends!'
| did not wait for his answer. | FASTENED
back TO the house and up to my room. l still
had the same little room, and | went and
stood in the recess by the diam0nd-latticed
window, aad untastened the latch, and look
Ell ont at the dark fields. the som5re trees,
tue faint light Of the stars cleaning on the
lake: and | thanked Heaven that GwendO-
line was sayel.
Presently ! went down again into the
dlawing-room-I dared not stay away long
er-but my absence did not appear 10 have
been specially noticed. No Ons questioned
NE, and | joined Anni| and Uric, just
CHANGING Is | passed Gwendoline 10 tell her
by one look that al was well. When tie
evening was over, she came into my room,
and | gave her the letters.
"Oh, Viola she cried, with fearful shin
Ing eyes. you have been my good angel. |
was mad that night, crazy with fear. and
you saved me. Ihave been n weak fool all
my life. l had Eear,y lost-ah, what had l
not nearly lost?'
You will be happy now" said quietly,
with my hand in hers, and looking INFO her
face.
Il did no; think loved Him So,' she an
sNercd-"l did not think he could love me:
ana shall be So glad to get away from All
tle memory OF my folly, and begin a@iresh,
even though | leave you, dear little Viola. !
long 10 be away"
There was still In her heart a lingering
terror of C~arden-what he ooald do, what
he might say but j hoped that, when she
and Martin POmeroy came TO know each
other better, she would learn TO trust him
and he her implicitly. just now a suspicion,
o word 10 Lord Mart n, a question from him
TO her, might be as poison In a healing
wound; but when the wound was healed 1t
wonld be powerless to haT.l.
When | saw her with her husband on the
morrow, | noticed how proudly he locked
ON her beautiful face, and did not wonder.
The lovely Miss Farquhar could never have
been ~lovelier than Lady Martin Pomeroy,
Eow that the pride, the arrogant ungracious
haughtiness beneath which she had yelled
distrust ard disquiet and a heavy heart,
were gone; now that the struggle between
right and wrong had been fought out and
the victory won.