Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-06-30

NC ouA ilONu tudb bhC OOOho
unsold. But he would be nc such fool
as to let slip a chance like that. lie
would get the book; then he would
get the fortune.
CHAPTER vi.
1T is unjust and cruel Of you, mann
ma. pleaded Adele Hall with her
stern mother, ito stand in the way OF
serve ii, nor does the man J. love and
who wants me to be his wife,"
"You can wait. / have waited for
the desire of my heart eighteen long
years"
wait any such time. Neither Will
John. Eighteen years! Why it is an
eternity!"
IF the time seems long for youth to
look forward to, what must it be Tor
age to look back upon?"
But what good have you done by
waiting? And what good will it do
for me to GO on waiting with you per-
haps all our lives for that which may
never Gomez"
"Oh, yes. 1t will ome Prayers like
mine must bring it. / cannot die until
it does. | will not die until your
fathers name is cleared and vengeance
is wrought upon the man who ruined
him and us. Can you forget that the
wretch not only robbed him, but made
it appear that his endeavor to regain
possession of his own was an auda-
cious attempt at robbery That stain
has never been removed. IL is as q
perjurer and an intended thief that
your father lives in mems memories
to-day. And would you offer that
smirched name to the regard of the
honorable man who loves you? Would
you put il in the power of other men,
his enemies, to point the finger OF
scorn at him and say, He married
hat thief's daughter?' Can you, as
you are, know any grief that will bite
your heart as deep as would the con-
seriousness that You had brought
shame to him? No, girl. Better re-
main as you are. Keep the vow you
have taken to remain by my side until
justice is DONE
"But, mamma, John would not feel
ashamed of me. He is too noble, too
just. And he knows the truth. lie
understands that poor papa was not
to blame, and if he was not surely |
cannot be-"
Remember your VOW" $
81 did not know what L was doing
when you made me promise that. How
did / know then that | would ever fall
in love with anybody? | did not even
know what love was. You should not
have required of me such a promise.
And now it is your duty TO release me
from it. 1T is not fair to hold me to
it.. 1t is not right. John would be a
good husband to me, for he is n good
man, and he loves me well, as j do him,
and / want to marry him. Think OF
how you and my father loved each
other. Oh, yes, you must have loved
him very much, for it is that love
which has inspired you all these years
with such bitter hate for the man who
wronged him. In memory of that love
do not be so hard with your poor
child, whose heart is as warm rs yours
was, and will break if you are SO cruel
with her."
"Have patience, my child. 1t may
not be for long. Heaven surely vii
not forever continue to prosper that
man and deny its justice upon him. ]
do feel for you. Oh, yes, my child, in
deed / do, but / cannot release yor
from your VOW. ! cannot let you &c
from me. My thoughts would mad
den me if / were left alone"
"But, see, mother. Would it not bt
better for me to marry and then we
would have John, who is a man OF
energy and brains and steady purpose
to help us? What can we two women
do unaided? Nothing but wait. II
advances nothing for us to sit still
and wait for the slow moving of fate
in our behalf"
ut is my VOW"
"But suppose John should weary O
waiting for me, say that | did not love
him or ] would not ask him to do so
and should marry some other girl. Oh
mamma, it would kill mel"
mo, no., my child, 1t would not
Don't cry so. Don't, dear, don't. Grie.
does not kill, not even when shame il
added to it. Oh, no. They WOUND
very deeply somtimes, but they do no
kill, else I would not be alive. If III
leaves you it will be because he doe,
not love you well enough to wait. ant
you will be better without him. TheI
in good time you will marry somebod,
else. When we get back your father
wealth you can pick and choose. 1
will be no small sum. The handsom
est men and the highest in society will
be glad to pay court to you then"
"But, mamma, | may be old then
And nobody can be handsomer TO m,
than John, and he is all the society
want, and he loves me just as | am
without waiting for me to have n for
tune. Oh, mamma, do be reasonable
! love him SO much"
The old woman's face did not rela.
the sternness of it's expression. In
deed it seemed as if it's lines were 81
fixed that it could not soften. Blu
tears welled up in her eyes and ral
down upon her thin cheeks, her lowe
lip trembled and the lean hands sh
was slowly rubbing together shook a
il with palsy. Addie, who wa
crouched upon an ottoman, laid he
brow upon her mothers knee an
sobbed aloud. After a long silenc
the widow answered. in n choking
voice that she with difficulty KEEP
steady:
Il have always made the cov
of the wealth robbed from us a condi
ton before your marriage. / will d
so no longer. Let your fathers nam
be cleared, and / will not stand in tn
way of your marrying. But that is a
the concession | can make, my child
all / ear make, and / do not reall,
know If | should give up so much
"Ah, you dear, good mammal erie
the impulsive girl, throwing her arm
about the old woman in a fond EN-
brace. II knew you would pity.,me
And you will let John help us, will yo
not? He is wise and will know bette
than we what steps to take. / al
sure he wishes to give us his aid, an