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

VI III
" will give you two minutes he said,
and then, unless you take an oath not to be-
tray me, / will fire.
II was willing to lose my life, Vane," she
continued, 'but | could not bear that all the
world should brand me as q theft could
not bear that a Darrell should be reckoned
among the lowest of criminals. | VOW to you
1t was no coward fear for my life, no weak
dread OF death that forced the oath from my
lips, but 1t was a shrinking from being found
dead there with Sir Oswald'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 a thief?' 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
81 will take it, l replied; I do so, not to
save my life, but my fair name
ut is well for you, he returned and then
he forced me to knecl, while he dictated TO
me the words OF an oath so binding and so
fast that | dared not break it.
"Shuddering, sick at heart, wishing / had
rlsked all and cried out for help, | repeated
1t, and then he laid the revolver down.
You will not break that OATH he said.
The Darrells invariably keep their word
Then, coolly, rs though l had not been
present, he put the bank-notes into his peck
ct, and turned to me with a sheer.
You will wonder how | managed this
he said. i am a clever man, although YOU
may not believe it. l druggcd Sir Oswald's
wine, and while he slept soundly l took the
keys from under his pillow. / will put them
back again. You seem so Mortified that you
had better accompany me and see that | do
no harm to the old man.
put away the box and eXtinguished
the light. As we stood together in the dense
gloom, l felt his breath hot 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 an ashamed of
it,
"ln the darkness | CROPPED my way to the
door ana opened 1t; 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 Leys, and then, with
out a word, l went to my own chamber.
"Vane, | can never tell you of the storm,
the tempest OF hate that ragged within me. |
could have killed Captain Langton for hav-
ing eNt0rted it. But there was no help for it
then. DO you think | did wrong in taking
it,"
mo, my darling" he replied, II do not.
Few girls would have been so brave. You
are a heroine, Pauline
"HuSh!' she said, interrupting him. "You
have not heard all. | do not blame myself
for acting as l did. / debated for some time
whether ought to keep the oath or not.
Every good impulse OF gratitude prompted
me to break it; yet agait j. seemed TO me a
cowardly thing to purchasr my life by a lie.
Tin passed on-the Wonder all died away.
/ said to myself that if ever any one were
falsely accused, | would speak nut; but such
an event never happened and not very long
after, as you know, Sir OsW aid died. / did
not like living under the shadow of that Sc
cret-it robbed my life Of al brightness. Cap.
tain Langton came again. No words of mine
can tell the contempt in which / held him,
the contempt with which l treated him:
every one noticed it, but he did not dare to
complain. lie did dare, however, TO offer
me 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. ! am a wicked girl,
Nane-now that the light of your love has
revealed so much to me, | can sec how wick
ed. i have told YOU that | had sworn TO N.Y.
self to be revenged on Lady Darrell for com.
Ing between me and my Inheritance, 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 If she did so | would be
revenged. | know it was wrong" Pauline
continued, humbly; "at the time / thought il
brave and heroic. Now / know it was wrong,
n weak, and wicked-yOur love has taught
me that"
ut was an error that sprang from PRIDE"
he said, gently; there is nothing to part u.s."
you have not heard all. Vane, | knew
Captain Langton to be a thicf-to be n man
who would not scruple at murder ii need re-
CURED. knew that all the love he could
ever give to any one he had given to me, yet
/"
She paused, and the sad face raised hum
bly, TO his grew crimson with a burning
blush.
"Oh, Vane, how can | tell you the shame
full truth? Knowing what he was, knowing
that he was going to marry Lady Darrell, l
yet withheld the truth. That was my re-
vsnge. knew he was a thief, a cruel, wick
ed %slanderer, a thoroughly bad man, yet.
when one word from me would have saved
her from accepting his proposal, l, for my
vengeance sake, refused to speak that
word"
Her voice died away in a low whisper: the
very sound Of her words seemed to brighten
her. Vane st. Lawrence's face grew pale
and stern.
ut was unworthy of YOU, Pauline" he
said, unhesitatingly. at was q cruel re.
venge."
81 know it," she admitted. mo words
can add to the keen sense Of my diShonor."
"Tell me how it was" he said, more gently.
Il Think" continued Pauline, that she
had always liked Captain Langton. | re-
member that | used to think so before she
married my uncle. But she had noticed my
contempt for him. 1t shook her faith in him,
and made her doubt him. She came TO me
one day, Vane, with that doubt in her face
and In her words. She asked me TO tell her
i'll knew anything against him-if there
was any reason why she should doubt him.
She asked INT 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,"
ut should have been spoken" observed
Sir Vane, gravely.
II know it. Captain Langton has no hon.
or, no conscience. lie does moi 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 NE, raullne-do you tnlnk thar
Lady Darrell would marry him if she knew
what you have just told mey'
IL nm sure she would not. She is very