The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-12-13
own people. except briefly answering

ONH DCOUIos CASCRu 'tAOh tAA
her innocent questions, that his mother
was quito we'll and his sister married.
This might have gone on still longer,
he shrunk 50 from the cruel task OF
giving pain to his inn cent darling,
had it not been for O letter which came
one morning the very morning when
he took her to look at the new white
cross, and she had asked hin. to "tell
her everything. He had told her q
good deal how the repairs wero pro-
crossing at B!ackhali-not restora-
lions, only needful repairs, which ne
had LETT in charge of Mr.. Black, the
Misunderstanding that nothing might
be altered which was not absolutely
necessary. But in reading the letter
to Silence, he had omitted the T.. S.,
which ran thus
81 saw Mrs. .Jardine this morning.
She was quite we'll; looked exceedingly
well. She had let her house for the
winter. and was just starting on a round
Of visits in England. She babe me
tell you she had received your last
letter. and there W 5 no answer
Then she was memorable, this woman
who called herself a mother. AS ROl-
erick stood beside the grave OF the
dead mother here and thought of his
uwn, he could almost have forgotten
his manhood ard burst into an agony
o. childish tear.
What are you thinking about? Is
there anything in the letter that
you? Or anything that you have not
read to mc?' She spoke in her pretty
broken English: she always talked
English with him now: and she looked
him straight in the face with her iuno-
cent eyes. Il shall not mind y,u. not
telling me everything. if you say dis
t%inctly. 4 have reasons. would rather
not. Hut still | think it would be
better-b4tter for us both, ii you did
tell me-"
"Yol arc right" he answered, with
an a!mo-t o ulsivc clasp of the hand
which lay on his arm. which she re-
turned. 1t WAS one Of the touching
pcculiaritie, Of her that. now she was
betrot ed, She never seemed the least
shy or ashamed of loving him. of idcn-
flying herself with him, and of be-
longing to him and him alone. without
an atom of co9uctry. or cXactness, or
doubt. That de light in teasing, in
showing their power, which so many
ri Is really generous and good girls-
have with thcir lovers, was in Silence
Jardinc altogether alb .ent. She simply
loved him, nothing more.
Now tell M. what s IT." she said.
1T will not hurt me. Nothing can hurt
me now, except 20 far as it hurts you.
Tell me-"
So he tod her, as briefly and ten
derly a. he could without compromis.
Jardine's objections TO his marriage
RhioHu 10 hpp N-avatinp that hi. 1,;Jo
was of another country and had no
dot. OF the family riches. or his own,
he said a little as possible: and, in
truth, Silence did not seem to take in
that base of the subject. or be af-
fectcd thereby. The one thing which
struck her and put it as carefully as
he would, it could not fail to strike her
like a heavy blow-was the fact that
he was marrying her without his
mothers consent. and hopeless of ever
winning it.
I've lever do that here,' she said,
family. 1t is, l think, impossible, il.
legal"
1t is not so in Il free England"
Rcderick answered pas-ionately. NO
in Justice, even of parents, is allowed
to blight IL lives. Aztec a man is p.
or a woman, either. both can walk out
of their parents door and in at any
church door, and be married in tho
face of all the world. which is a right
anu righteous thing"
Hush!" she whispered: and he saw
that her face was white and the touch
OF Q P2or little hand deadly cold.
we vii not talk any more of this to.
gay. II morrow. We will part now.
DO not >w6lk."
NOT walk home with YOU. Not sec
Ito m0rrow mOrning,,"
kbe viii pered, putting
H AlDands in his. They
! MAx E3s = = heller of the