Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-03-16
es a chord in her breast, and wakes her

10 passionate Ire.
"YQu too" she says in a whisper that
reaches his strained ears. There seems
to her a subtle joy i'm the thought that
they two Of al the household are
awake, are here talking together alone
in the pale light of the moon
Yet she is wrong III imagining that
no others are mp in the house, as his
next words tell her. f.
1T is not "A matter of wonder in my
case" he responds; "a few fellows are
still IL. the smoking-room. 1t il early,
YOU know-not vet three. But YOU
why are you keeping a lonely vigil like
this.'
The moo tempted me to the win
dow" answers Florence. "See how
calm she looks riding majestically up
there. See'-stretching ont her bare
white arm until the beams fall full up-
on 1t, and seem TO change ii to purest
marble-"does il not make one feel as
If all the world were being bathed in
its subdued glow
A pale tremulous smile widens her
lips. Sir Adrian, plucking a tall pale
lily growing near him. filings it upward
with such an eager aim that ii alights
upon her w~indow-sill. She sees it. Her
fingers close upon it.
Fit emblem Of it's possessor." saws
Adrian softly, and rather unsteadiIy.
do you know Of what you remind me,
sitting there IN your white robes! 4
medieval saint cut III stOne-a pure n
gel. too good, too far above all earthly
passion to enter into it. or understand
1t. and the grief that must eyer attend
upon it,"
lie speaks bitterly. II seems To him
that she is indeed cold not to have
guessed before this the intensity of his
love for her. However much she may
have given her affection 10 another. it
still seems 10 him ineXpressibly hard
that she can have no pity for his suffer-
ing. He gaLes at her i%ntently. DO the
mystic m0Onbeanls deceive him. or are
there tears in her great dark eyesr His
heart beats quickly. Once again he re-
members her emotion of the past even
ing. He hears again her passionate
SoDS. j. She unhappy: Are there
thornS III her path that are difficult TO
remover.
Florence. once again | emtreat YOU
to coniide in me ne SAYS. after a
pause.
II can not" she returns. sadly but
firmly. But there is one thing | must
say 10 y%ou-think of me as You may for
saying it, am not cold as yol seemed
to imply Il moment since: | am not
made of stone: and. alas. the grief you
think me incapable Of understanding
Is mine already, lou have Wronged
me in your thoughts. | have here" She
explains with some Vehemence. LAYING
the hand in which she still holds the
~droOLing lily upon her breast. what |
would gladly be ~without-a heart"
Nay says Adrian hastily: YOU for
get. II is no longer yours. YOU have
given it away
f0r an instant she glances at him
keenly. while her breath comes and
goes with painful quickness.
You have no lNht to say So" she
murmms at last.
No. of course not; | beg your par
don he says apologetically. 1T is
your W secret"
There is 40 secret" she declares
~nervously. None
Il have offended YOU. I should not
have said that. You will forgive me?'
lac entreats. With agitation.
You are quite forgiven and. rs a
token leans a little further out of the
window. and looks down at him with a
face pale indeed, but full of an unutter-
able sweetness.
Her beauty cOnquers al his resolu-
tionS.
"Oh. Florence" he whispers in an
impassioued tone, IF | only dared tell
You what
She starts and lays "A finger on her
lips. aS though 10 enforce silence.
Hush she says. in trembling ac-
cents. You forget. The hour. the
surroundings. have momentarily led
you aStray. | ought not to have spo-
ken with you. Go. There is nothing
you dare to tell me-there is nothing l
would wish To hear. Remember your
duty to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
stay. | implore you, for one mo-
ment," he cries: but she is firm. and
presently the curtains are drawn close
and he is alone.
Slowly he walks back toward the
smoking-room, her last words ringing
in his ears-"Remember your duty to
another" What other? He is puzzled,
but. reaching the window of the room,
ne dismisses these thoughts from his
mind, and determines 10 get rid of his
guests without delay, so as 10 be able
to enjoy a little quiet and calm for re-
lection.
They are all noisily discussing q sui
eide that has recently taken place ~ a
neighboring county, and which mad.
from It's peculiar circumstances. caused
more than usual interest.
One OF the guests tonight is an army
surgeon, and he is giving them an AZ
PLANTATION as to how the fatal wound
had been inflicted. 1t appeared at the
inquest that the unfortunate man had
shot himself in a peculiar II as 10
cause considerable doubt as To whether
he had been murdered OF had died by
his own hand. Evidence. however, of
a most convincing nature had con-
tirmed the latter theory.
Captain Ringwood, with a revolver
in his hand, is endeayoring TO show
that the man could not have shot HIM
self. just as Adrian re-enters.
BE careful with that revolver" he
eXclaims hastily; 1T is loaded"
All right, ola fellow. | know it, re-
turns Ringwood. Look here, doctor,
how could he make u wound here?"
Why noty Sir Adrian, take the re-
volver for u moment. will vou| saws
the surgeon, anxious to demonstrate his
theory beyond the possibility of doubt.
Il want to convince Ringwood. Now
stand so, and hold the weapon So
placing il with the muZZle presented in
IA rather awkward position almost over
his heart.
Il thought fellows always put the
muZzles of their reyolvers in their
mouths and blew their brains out when
they committed suicide" Ringwood re-
marks lightly.
This fellow evidently did not" says
the surgeon calmly. Now, Sir Adrian,
You see. by holding it thus, you could
! quite easily blow yourself to-"
Before he can finish the sentence,
there is a sudden confusion of bodies,
a jostling as it were, for Arthur Dyne-
court, who had been looking on atten-
lively with one foot on a fOotstool close
to Sir Adrian's elbow, had slipped from
the stool at this opportune moment,
and had fallen heavily against his
cousin.
There is a shout from somebody. and
then a silence. The revolver in the
scufle had gone off. Through the
house the sharp crack of II bullet rings
loudly, rousing many from their slum-
beers.
Lights can he seen in the passages;
terrified faces peep out from half-open-
ell doors. Dora Talbot, coming into
the corridor in "a pale pink cashmere
dressing-g0wn trimmed with swans
down, in which she looks the very per-
soniication of innocence and youth,
screams loudly and demands hysteri-
cally to be informed as to the cause of
the unusual noise.
The servants have rushed from thar