Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-06-20

lONG Mltu
rapture. love stories untainted by hy-
pocrisy, unsullicd by crime,-diffcrent.
ali! so very different from the love
stories Of selfish humanity! The ex-
quisitc poetic idyl Of birds life and
love. is it not a thing to put us inferior
creatures to shame? For are we ever
as true to our vows as the lark to his
mate? Are we as sincere In our
thanksgivings for the sunlight as the
merry robin who sings as blithcly in
the winter SHOWS as i'll the flower-tilled
mornings of spring? Nay-not we!
Our existence is but one long, impo-
tent protest against God, combined
with an insatiate desire to get the bet
ter of one another i'll the struggle for
base coin!
Nina listencd-and shivcrcd. draw
ing her light scarf more closely about
her shoulders.
II hate tlem!' She said pettishly;
"their noise is enough to pierce ones
ears. And he used to be so fond of
them; he used 4" sng-what was it
Ell salute. RoSignuolo,
Mel tuo duolo. it salute!
Sci Pamanta della rosa
Che morcndo 81 fa spoSa.'
Her rich voice ripplcd out in the air,
rivaling the songs of the nightingalcs
themselves. She broke OF With Il
little laugh
Poor Fabio. there was always n
false note somewhere when he sang.
Come. Guido!'
And they paced OH quietly, as though
their conscienceS We're clean-as
though no just rctribution logged
their steps-as though no shadow of Il
terrible vengeance doomed in the
heaven of their pilfered happiness!
watched them steadily as they dis
appeared in the disuncc-I stretched
my hand eagerly out from between
the dark boughs and gaZcd after their
retreating figures till the last glim-
mcr Of my wife's white robe had vail
ished behind the thick foliage. They
were gone-they would return no more
that night
sprang out from my hiding place.
I stood on the spot where they had
stood. I tried to bring home to myself
the actual truth of what / had wit
messed. My brain whlrlcd-circles of
light swan giddily before me in the
air--the moon looked blood-rcd. The
solid earth seemed unsteady beneath
my feet. Almost ! doubted whether l
was indeed alive, or whether ! was
not rather the wrctchcd ghost of my
past self. doomed to return from the
grave to look hopclcssly upon the loss
and ruin of all the fair. once precious
things of bygone days. The splendid
universe around me seemed no more
upheld by the hand of God, no more a
majestic marvel; it was to me an in
tiated bubble of emptiness, n mere ball
for devils to kick and Spurn through
space! OF what avail these twinkling
stars, these stately leaf-laden trees.
these cups of fragrance we know as
flowers, this round wonder of the eyes
called nature; of what avail was God
himself. l wildly unused. since even lie
could not keep one woman true! She
whom l lOvcu-she rs delicate Of form
as angel-like in face as the child
bride of Christ, st. Agnes-shc, even
she was-what? A thing lower than
the beasts, thing as vile as the vilcst
wretch in female form that sells her.
self for a gold piece, a thing-great
heavcn.-for all men to despise and
make light of-for the finger of scorn
to point out-for the foul kissing
tongue of scandal to mock at! This
creature was my wife-the mother of
my child! She had cast mud OH her
soul by her own free will and choice
she had selected evil as her good-shc
had crowned herself with shame
willingly. nay, joyfully; she had
preferred 1t to honor What should be
done? l tortured myself INCREASINGLY
with this question. stared blankly
on the ground; would some demon
spring from it and give me the answer
sought? What should be done with
her? What should be done with him,
my treacherous friend, my smiling be-
trayer? Suddenly my eyes lighted on
the fallen rose leavcs-those that had
dropped when Guido's embrace had
crushed the flower she wore. There
they lay on the path, curled softly at
the edges like little crimson shells. l
stopped and picked them up; placed
them all in the hollow of my hand
and looked at them. They had Il
sweet odor; almost kissed them; nav,
nay, could not; they had too recently
lain on the breast of an embodied lie!
Yes, she was that, u lie, Il living, love-
~, but accursed lie! eco and kill her."
Stay! where had heard that? Pain
fully considered, and ut last remem-
bered. And then thought moodily
that the starved and miserable rag
picker was more of man than I. he
had taken his revenge at once; while l,
like Il fool, had let occasion slip. Yes,
but not forever! There were different
ways Of vcngeance; one must decide
the best, the keenest way; and, above
all, the way that shall infict the long
est. the cruelest agony upon those by
and Gained the fever in my blood. 1
became perfectly cool and collected.
INDUCED no more futile regrets for
the past-why should mourn the loss
of love never possessed? 1t was
not as If they had waited until my
supposed sudden death-no! within
three months of my marriage they had
fooled me for three whole years they
had INDUCED iii their criminal amour,
while l, blind dreamer, had suspected
nothing. Now | knew the extent of
my injury: was man bitterly
wronged. vile dupcd. Justice, reason
and self-respect demanded that /
should punish to the utmost the miser
able tricksters who had played me
4 fo1-