Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-04-26
6Pat 6Qrrible Na3.
BY w. E. NORRIS.

mo, no-not that; how can I tell?
All / know is that / have tried to obey
you implicitly. and that ! have been
much the better for t. My disease
may be incurable, but 1t Is something
to have been free OF it for a time"
Don't you think" said Everard,
'.that you might free yourself rrem IL
finally, il You wouldT'
IF I would! But the very nature OF
the disease is that my will Is gone
"You fancy so; but the proof b you
are mistaken Is that you desire TO es-
cape"
Desire is one thing, and will Is quite
another. 1t has been owing to your
will, not mine, that / have escaped Tor
a week. / know that what / say sounds
absurd to you,' she added, with a
respondent gesture, and / don't Won
der at it. There was a time when l
thought all such things just as absurd
as you think them now"
81 don't consider everything absurd
that is outside the range of my inteil-
gence, Miss Denham," said Eyerard,
sitting down beside her; ''only ! cannot
believe that this supernatural power
II don't know that we need call 1t
supernatural" interrupted Laura
Natural or supernatural, / should be
very slow to admit that absolute power
over a fellow-creature could be com
mitted to any man. Let US assume,
however, that it is as you say. Even
SO, you would be safe, according to
your view, so long as / was with YOU
"But you cannot be always with me.
ssxxrf-- ~~ haze nr ltfta IN
offer; / am neither rich nor clever, nor
as young as / ono was; but l love you.
VIII you not let me stand between you
and harmT
Laura started to her feet with an
affrighted look. "Oh, no." she cried,
catching her breath. Don't ask me!
1t is impossible-utterly impossible!'
Eyerard felt a momentary pang Oh
bitter disappointment, but he said, in a
quiet, steady voice: Il could not expect
that you should. But I believe that you
might come to. love me some day;
otherwise I would not say another
word. If / can give you nothing else,
1 can give you peace and protection.
Think it over, and allow me a day or
two of hope before you refuse me de-
~cisively."
"Yor do not consider what 1t is that
you ask for!' exclaimed the girl, tremb-
ling, and elasping her hands. Il am
not a free agent-you have seen II a
yourself, and neither you nor / can tell
what may happen in the future. 1
might make your life miserable
might even have to leave you. Oh, no!
i should care very little for you IL i
should consent to drag you into my
trouble
rs it for my sake, then, that you re
ject mel" asked Eyerard.
Yes, for your own sake" she an
swered, unguardedly. Il dare not take
what you offer me; 1t is too great a
risk"
.Put the risk on one side for a mo-
ment. If it did not exist, could you
care Tor me, do you Think
She made no reply, but looking into
her face, he saw there all that he
wanted TO see. "My DEAR" he whis.
pered, drawing her toward him, your
troubles are over and doEe with now
forever"
The two lovers paced up and down
the terrace arm-in-arm until long after
sunset, oblivious Of poor Mrs. Patter.
son; ob%livious, too, OF the time agreed
upon for their return 10 London. But
Everard, when at last it occurred to
him to consult his watch, observed that
trains left every half hour or so. and
that there was really no need for hurry.
However, it clearly behooved them to
go and wake up their long-suffering
%chaperon, and they prepared to leave
the precincts Of the castle accordingly.
Beneath the first archway Everard
felt Laura's hand tighten convulsively
on his arm, and looking up, became
aware OF a tall figure looming up in
the dusk, which was Enthusiastically that
of ~Souratkin. If there was one thing
about this man which exasperated Ey.
arard more than another it was his
theatrical way of appearing suddenly
out of space. Upon this occasion he
was more than usually annoyed by II;
for he had been taken by surprise, and
had started, for he knew that Laura
must have felt him start. For this rea.
son he said, In the most matter-of
course tone possible:
How do You do, Count Souratkin
l suppose you heard from Mrs. Patter
son that we were hereT'
Precisely So" answered the count
blandly. "She was becoming alarmed
and sent me to look for you"
He did not explain how he came t.
be at Windsor at all; but that circum
stance hardly required explanation
Everard was sorry that Laura thought
fit to ask the question, and still NOR.
sorry when Souratkin only replied Il
1t by a low laugh. To conteract the
effect of this ominous sound, he himselr
said, "0h, all foreigners make a poin'
of seeing Windsor; and they are quit,
right. There is nothing finer in Eng
land"
That is not my VIEW remarked
Souratkin. ITO me a building Xix,
Windsor castle Is a hideous blot upoI
the landscape-tbe symbol of tyranL,
the abode Of generations Of Cypress
ors. Happily the day Of kings ant
queens is nearly over. A few NOR,
charges of dynamite, and paf!-ther'
will be an end of the whole accurset
race"
IF you hold these opinions. you ha,
better have the courage of them, an
20 and blow up your own emperor
observed Everard, dryiy; '.but ii is eas
Ter and safer to talk about committin.
murder than to do It,"