Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-09-03
CHAPTER VII.
The Brand of Cain.

risen sun was dispensing the mist, anu
diffusing it's light and warmth over the
earth, when Il man, pale, d~ust-coyered
and bleeding from Il wound in his fore
head. entered n little. mea looking
inn. close to Portsmouth.
Exhausted and trembling. he sank
into a chair. telling Il vague and con-
fused story of having been attacked by
highwaymen, from whom, after Il Sc
we're struggle. he had succeeded in
making his escape. His air was that
OF Il man suffering from acute terror;
and every other minute he looked owe
his shoulder shudderinEiy, as If antici-
pating some dreadful sight would meet
his eyes.
To all questions he returned wild.
wandering answers; and so suspicious
was his manne that the landlord hesi-
tated TO serve him; but when he saw
the exhausted condition the traveller
was in, and when. moreover, he backed
his orders by producing money, he re-
Tented, and proceeded TO supply his
wants.
Left alone. the stranger pressed his
hands tightly over his eyes, as if to
shut out some hideous vision. The eff
fort seemed to be unsuccessful; for he
only uncovered them 10 stare wildly
round the room. as If every corner con-
tanned Il dreadful something upon
which he could not look.
Supplied with refreshments, he ate
and drank r~avenously as If nothing
had passed Ills lips for many hours.
When his hunger and thirst We're ap-
peased, by the help OF Il brush and
Alenty of cold water, he proceeded TO
improve his personal appearance-to
wash the stains from his face, TO part
his tangled hair, to remove n dust
from his garments. This done. he be-
came more ~presentable and respectable
looking. and the landlord set him down
for an upper sort of farm laborer.
True. the dress was that of Il worker
in fields: but the face was the face Of
John Gridley. the maltster's contiden-
tial clerk.
The look of terror on his face began
to fade away. and more than once an
expression of cunning swept across his
countenance; but still, ever and anon,
there was that nervous, shuddering
glance behind.
Putting his hand into his pocket, he,
half-fearfully, drew forth a letter; but,
rs his eyes re- ,ted upon it, lac uttered a
groan and sank back in his chair; for,
on that cover was a large, ugly, red
dish-brown stain. which appeared TO
recall something terrible to his mind.
For some minutes he remained with
closed eyes. the letter before him; then,
suddenly starting TO his feet, he drank
off a glass of brandy.
"Action-action.'' he said, half-alGud.
Having zone 81 far, it is impossible
to 80 back
Then. summoning the landlord. he
ordered HIM TO bring Il glass of water
and a candle. Wonderingly the land
lord obeyed the order, and then John
Gridiey, first locking the door 10 guard
against interruption. again took the
letter from his pocket.
With a piece of new bread, which he
had kept from his meal for that pur.
pose, John Gridley proceeded, system
a~tically to take an impression of the
seal with which May had fastened the
letter to her lover. This done. he, in Il
skiliful manner, which proved it was
not the first time he had done such
things, passed the wax several times
before the fame of the candle. taking
care not TO scorch the paper. until it
was sufficiently melted TO admit of the
letter being opened with ease
The epistle which lad cost May such
! pains to write, and which she would
have shown to the whole world rather
than to the man who now held it in
his hand, was open before him.
Now, my pretty one" muttered John
Gridley. .'let us read what you have
written; and ii will be hard, indeed if,
! when knowing your secrets, / cannot
circumvent YOU"
The letter was as follows:
Il hardly know how TO write to you
how to commence a letter which
nothing but the most urgent necessity
would make me write. | am in grief
and tribulltion. and you alone can help
me-. l am without a friend but you.
to whom l can confide my troubles.
Do not think. from this. that my pa
parents II l are estranged. 1t il not
so; but my secret-our secret-may not
be revealed to them: and without ac-
knowledging our engagement, l canno.
free myself from the prosecutions of Il
man who is, and eyer must be, hateful
10 me-"
AS John Gridley read this paragraph
he struck his clenched fist violently on
the paper.
This difficulty, though hard enough
to bear with, is not the worst. Owing
to some reasons which are hidden from
me, and which l can. therefore. only
guess at, my poor father is in danger
of ruin and disgrace, unless / wed this
man. or he can obtain the sum of
one thousand pounds within the week.
The money is an impossibility, unless
you viii help him-I have written it.
Dc not turn from me with hatred for
my words. Oh. If you could but see
my anguish as l write these lines-if
you could but know how | have suf-
fered before l could bring myself to
take my pen in hand, you would pity,
not blame me-"
The maltster's clerk smiled sardon-
ically, and continued his reading.
How can, / dear Ernest, loving you
as l do, consent to become the wife of
another? And yet. should not the
money be forthcoming. the alternative
is to see my father ruined, my mother
turned into the street, a beggar. Oh!
pity, and do not despise me. Think not
the worse of me that / am driven to
~beg-yes, TO beg of you. Could / but
see with my W eyes how you receive
this letter-could 1 but read your
4 THOUGHTS ne Won taarl,cn ~ Oh anovrnr