Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1895-02-02

AZ was no 10 dc tHougnt ~. way, IN
dumb show, | besought him TO maks an eff
fort TO ascend, and at last he ass >lted.
'lil try, lad; Ill try!' lie said. But
doubt my back he broke. A luna o. rock
fell OIL me as 1 were carrying young measter
here"
/ looked at him In surprise. 10 tell the
truth, | had had u wild suspicion, ever since
tile news of the accident. that II might have
been caused by ionl play on my nDcle's part.
| knew him Ia be mad with trouble. and ii
ny any chance he had discovered young Red.
ruih's guilt. God alone knew what he might
have done. But IL he spoke the truth. and 1
knew well that he was not n man to lie, |
had deeply wronged him. Instead OF at-
tempt- e 20 destroy, he had actually imperil-
ell his " life To save the betrayer OF his
daughters honor.
Gently and tenderiy. / secured the rope
around him, bat he moaned with pain as 1
raised him TO launch him upward. As the
rope frightened, he uttered a cry OF agony.
However, it was too late 10 avoid the risk,
and ii was the last chance.
Supporting him in my arms AZ long as
possible, | saw him drawn upward. When
hts full weight fell upon the rope his agony
grew terrible, and / think, he tainted away;
for he hung In the air like a dead man, with
limbs and arms pendent. | watched him
rise slowly, and felt no little anxiety lest the
rope should yield beneath his weight; for he
was q heavy man, compared 10 whom George
Redruth was a very feather.
However, the rope stood the test, and he
was drawn safely up the abyss. After a long
interval, during which | waited In siekening
terror, with the waters laundering and the
rocks quaking around me, the rope again de-
seeitded, | seized tt, secured 1t under my
arinpits, and, giving the signal, was drawn
upward.
Tn reaching the bottom platform, | rested
a momen stben | signaled again, and rose
once more into the air. BY this time the
lights IN my hat were eNtinguished, and |
was IN total darkness: but a. ! gained the
middle platform, half a dozen hands were
stretched out To grasp ne, Til, totterihg and
trembling, ! stood upon my feet.
Wildly and ioyfuliy, the mel surrounded
NJ. almost kissing me in their rapture at my
reappearance. / looked round for George
Redrnth. lie had recovered from his faint
ness, they said, and had been helped by two
OF the men up 10 the mouth of the mine. But
lying on the platform, his head supported on
Michael Penmaur's knee, was my uncle,
white and bleeding ike n man whose time
had come.
| knelt by his side. and took his hand. He
looked up into my face; and | saw that his
eyes were iilny and dim. The air NJ the
mine, even up there, was fetid and foul, and
1 saw that he breathed with difficulty.
.'llugh, my lad!' he said. family. Come
close-l want TO whisper To zee. Can you
forgive mer.'
Forgive yon"' ! cried. greatly moved.
"What have | to forgive?'
Listen. lad, and III tell 'eet'
He paused, his bead fell back, and /
thought that he was gone; but the next mo-
ment he recovered, and gazed into my face
! again. just then the two men who had gone
up with George l,edruth re-descended, and
one OF them held out 20 me a flask Of brandy.
] took il eagerly, and held il to my uncle's
lips. lie drank a little, and the spirit seem.
vi to revive him.
Hugh. are you thar, my IadT'
"Yes," | answered, fairly sobbiug.
as that your hand in miner
Yes, yes!'
Put down yonr head, and listen. | be
dying, sure enough. and afore | die | want to
ha' your forgiveness. They would ha' hung
zee lad, for what | did. Twas 1 that killed
the Overseer!'
had guesseGtas much, but when the truth
came from my uncle's OWL lips, | started in
horror. He clutched my hand, as II fearing
that | would shrink away.
"Twere all on account o my Annie, my
poor little lass. We met out ON the cliff be-
yant the mine. and l taxed him wi bringing
her trouble upon her, and he said summat
that made me numbering mad. He said she
were q light lass, light and bad and, Lawd
forgive me! afore | had time TO think. 1
struck at 'un wi my knife! Then he stag
gered back-'twefe OH the very edge Of the
crag-and the earth seemed To give way I'M
der him. and he went over-screaming-he
went over TO his death OH the rocks below.
That was how 1t cam about! l didn't mean
to kill 'un, but 'twere done like a fash o
ii~ghtning-and the next m~arning-the next
~marning-they found 'un lying. dead and
bloody, on the shore"
The confession came in stiiied whispers,
often SO faint that ! could scarcely hear; but
other ears heard and understood 1t as well as
mine, and when he ceased, q Mortified mur-
muir passed from man to man!
"May God forgive your l murmured, still
bending over him.
He did not seem to hear me-. His eyes
were fixed or vacancy, his hand clutched
mine like q wise. Suddenly he leant for
ward, drew his hand from mine, and pointed.
'tSee there!' he cried. ""Tis hisself all
bloody, and ~beckoning wi his finger. And
wha be that standing by 'un. all In white?
Annie! Annie, my lass! Speak to father!
speak to-speak to-father!'
The last word died away in his throat
xvhara n mat fh. daafh rattfa. thara xvaa n
struggle, a last CONFUSION, and he fell back
like a lump Of lead.
Think 1 too must have lost my senses for
q time. The next thing l remember was
standing In the open air, and staggering like
q drunken man, with kindly arms support
Ing me on either side. / looked round wild
ly. An excited crowd of women and men sur
rounded me; and close by, not far from the
mine-mouth, the dead body OF my uncle lay
In the sunlight, with Annie and my aunt
bending over IL and bitterly weeping.
sunk down upon n rock, and hid my face.
When / looked mp again, ! saw George Red
ruth and his mother standing near We, and
with them Madeline.
The young master seemed quite himself,
though greatly agitated.
lFtIaWHey, NC sd!u, tH'S j. Sa" "sA"h'
Well, / owe you my life"
looked him coldly In the face; his eyes
sunk beneath my gaze.
mo, sir" / replied. lyon wv your life
to the poor martyr lying yonder, and you
know best what cause he had TO love YOU"
you are right. he said. lie began the
task which you completed. When the outer
rock gave way, and the sea rushed In upon
us, / must have tainted; and Pendragon bore
me 10 the place where you found me-. will
take care that those he leaves behind are
well rewarded"
Again I looked him In the face.
TOO late Tor that" ] answered.
lie returned my look, with something OF
the old dislike. All my spirit reyolted
against him, thinking Of the sorrow he had
wrought.
1T is well for you'll said, that John
Pendragon did not know what I know. Had
he done 80, perhaps he would have left you
10 the mercy OF the sea-"
"Nvhat do you mean?" cried kedruth, turn
Ing pale as death.
ASK your own heart. God has spared
YOU, aud taken a better man. Had you met
With your deserts, you would be lying In his
,iace.n
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