Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-06-25
me; they will hold you a thief, but they will

~ " NAai'A NAp a. Vtth HhON ll AAlE hGLl nii
Of stealing.
"I will give you two minutes he said.
and then, unless you take an oath not to be
tray me, I will fire.
VI was willing to lose my life, Vane.r she
continued, but | could not bear that all the
world should brand me as thief-I could
not bear that a Darrell should be reckOned
among the lowest Of criminals. / vow to you
1t was no coward fear for my lie, no weak
dread OF death that forced tire oath from my
lips, but It was a shrinking from being found
dead there with Sir 0swald's money In my
hand-a shrinking from the thought that
they would come TO look upon my face and
say to each other. who would have thought.
with all her pride, that she was thlefg' IL
was that word thief burning my brain. that
conquered.
"'You have one minute more said the
Kissing whisper, and then, unless you take
the oath
~ will take It. I replied; / do 50, not to
save my life, but my fair name
at is we'll for YOU he returned: and then
he forced me to kneel, Will, he dictated to
me the words Of an oath so binding and so
fast that / dared not break il.
"~Shuddering, sick at heart. wishing | had
sA7hRNA 1Ai aiAtA Nv btt vi slElHs 4 IfDfALtU
Ii, aud then he laid the revolver down.
lyon viii not break that oath he said.
The DaTTells invariably keep their word
Then, cooiiy as though | had not been
present, he put the bank-notes INTO his pock.
ct, and turned to me with a sheer.
You will wonder how ! managed this
he said. Il am a clever man. although you
may not believe it. / dragged Sir 0swald's
xuipa and xvbffa ha efa,t .r-rFf. 4 ...H- 81.
keys from under his pillow. / will put them
back again. You seem so horrihed that you
had better accompany me and see that | do
no harm TO the old man
"He put away the box and e~xtinguished
the light. As we stood together in the dense
gloom, l felt his breath lot upon my face.
There is no curse a man can invoke up
on the woman who has ruined him. he said.
that do not give TO you; but, remember, |
do not glory In my crime-1 am ashamed Of
it,
I'm the darkness | CROPPED my way to the
door and opened il; in the darkness we pass
ed through the hall where the armor used by
warriors OF old hung, and in the darkness we
went up the broad staircase. stood at the
door OF Sir Oswald's room while Captain
Langton replaced the Lsys. and then, with
out a word, | went 10 my wi chamber.
"Nane, | can never tel you of the storm,
the tempest of hate that raged within me.
could have killed Captain Langton for hav-
ing extorted il. But there was no help for it
then. DO you think 1 did wrong in taking
it,"
mo. my darling" h. replied, Il do not.
Few girls would have been so brave. You
are a heroine, Pauline.
"Hush!' she said, ~intrrrupting him. You
have not heard all. | DO not blame myself
for acting as | did. I debated for some time
whether ought 10 keep the oath or not.
Every good impulse OF gratitude prompted
me 10 break II: yet agar } seemed 10 me a
eowardIy thing to purchts~ my life by a lie.
Time passed on-the Wonder all died away.
| said 10 myself that il ever any one were
falsely accused, | woulG speak nut but such
An event never happenrn and not very long
after. az you know, Sir Oswald died. / did
not like living under the shadow Of that Sc
cret-it robbed my life If ali brightness. Cap
tain Langton came again. No words of mine
can tell the contempt IN which ! held him,
the contempt with which / treated him;
every one noticed il, but he did not dare TO
complain. He did dare, however. 10 offer
Inc his hateful love again, and when | re-
pulsed him in such a fashion as even he
could not overlook, he turned all his atten-
ton TO Lady Darrell. l am a wicked girl,
Vane-now that the light Of your love has
revealed so much 10 me, ! can see how wick
ed. j have told YOU that | had sworn 20 my
self 10 be reyepged on Lady Darrell for com.
Ing between me and my Inheritance l have
seen more Of the world since then, but at
that time It seemed to Inc an unparalleled
thing that a young girl like her should marry
an old man like Sir Oswald entirely for his
money. l told her IL she did 50 | would be
reyehged. | know il was wrong" Pauline
continued, humbly 'at the time | thought il
brave and heroic. Now l know IL was wrong.
n weak, and wicked-yonr love has taught
me that"
1T was an error that spraug from pride"
he said, gently; there Is nothing b part u.s.
You have not heard all. Vane, | knew
Captain Langton to be a thief-to be n man
who would not seruple at murder ii need re-
quired. knew that all the love he could
ever give to any one he had given 10 me, yet
l."
She paused, and the sad face raised hum
bly, 10 his grew crimson with a burning
blush,
'Oh, Vane, how can 1 tell YOU the shame
full truth? Knowing what he was, knowing
that he was going to marry Lady Darrell, i
yet withheld the truth. That was my re-
vvnge. l knew he was a thief, a cruel, wick
ed slanderer. a thoroughly bad man, vet,
when one word from me would have saved
her from accepting his proposal, l, for my
vengeance sake, refused 10 speak that
word.'
Her voice died away in low whisper; the
very sound of her words seemed To frighten
her. Vane ST. Lawrence'S face grew pale
and stern.
1T was unworthy of you, Pauline he
said, unhesitatingiy. 1T was a cruel re.
venge."
II know it," she admitted. mo words
car add 10 the keen sense Of INV ~dishonor."
TEL me how 1t was he said, more gently.
Il think" continued Pauline. that she
had always liked Captain Langton. l re-
member that l used 10 think so before she
married my uncle. But she had noticed my
contempt for him Ii shook her faith in him,
and made her doubt him. She came 10 me
one day, Vane, with that doubt in her face
and In her words. Sh asked me TO tell her
IL knew anything against him-if there
was any reason why she should doubt him.
She asked me then, before she allowed her.
self TO love him; one word from me then
would have saved her, and that word, for my
vengeance sake, l would not speak"
1T should have been spoken" observed
Sir vane, grayely.
Il know 1t. Captain Langton has no hon.
or, no conscience. lie does NOT even like
Lady Darrell: he will marry her solely that
he may have Darrell Court lie will after
ward maltreat her. and hold her life as moth
ing, he will squander the Darrell property.
Vane, as truly as the bright heaven shines
above me, l believe him to have no redeem
ing quality"
There was silence for some minutes, and
then Sir Vane asked:
zen ME, rsmIne-do you think thar
Lady Darrell would marry him II she knew
what you have just told me.w
Il am sure she would not. She Is very
worldly. and only lives what one may call a