Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-10-30
~ Fred M. Ohite
cmArTER LvI. 1con.lnuea.l

Merritt. you are crushing the life
out of me-"
Merritt ceased his rocking for a mo-
ment, and the laughter died out of his
cleaning eyes.
Il don't want TO be prematoor," he
said. Eyes, you'd make a lovely chap
lains pet, bit I can't spare you. I'm
going 70 smash that ere willy brain of
yours, SO as it won't be useful any
more. I'll teach you to put the marks
on to q poor chap like myself"
Merritt, | swear to you that new
''You can swear till you're black in
the face. AID you can keep on swear
ing till you're lily-white again, and
then 1t won't be any good. You gave me
away to Taylor because you were
afraid l would do you harm at Littimer
Castle. That Daisy Bell of a girl there
told me so"
Henson groaned. 1t was not the
least part of the humiliation that a.
mere girl got the better of him In this
way, And what on earth had she
known of Reuben Taylor? But the
fact remained that she had known,
and that she had warned Merritt of his
danger. 1t a the n objectionable
crime in Henson's decalogue, the one
thing Merritt could not forgive.
Henson's time was come. He did
not need anyone to tell him that. I'M
less something In the nature OF a mir
acle happened, he was a dead man in a
few moments; and life had never
seemed quite sc sweet as it tasted at
the present time.
You gave me away for no reason at
all" Merritt went on. I'm a pretty
bad lot, but | never rounded on a pal
yet, and never shall. More thar one
of them has served me bad, but / al
ways let them go their own way, and
I've been a good and faithful servant
to YOU"
1T was not you" Henson gurgled.
that / wrote that letter about, but"
"Chuck it," Merritt said. furiously.
''Tell me any more of your lies and I'll
smash your jaw In for you. 1t was me.
] spotted Scooter in Moreton Wells
within a day or two. And Mr.. Scooter
had come for me. And I got past
Bronson In Brighton by the skin of my
teeth. turned into your lodgings un-
der his very eyes almost. Before this
time tomorrow | shall be- arrested.
But I'm going to have my vengeance
first"
The last words came with intense
elaboration. There was no mistak-
ing their significance. Henson deemed
1t wise to try another tack.
II vas wrong" he said, humbly. 81
am very, very sorry; / lost my nerve
and got frightened, Merritt. But there
is time yet. You always make more
money with me than with anybody
else. And I'm going abroad present
ly.a
"Oh, you're going abroad, are your"
Merritt said. slowly. Going to travel
In a Pullman car and put up at all the
courts OF Europe? And I'm coming as
chief secretary to the Graud Panjan-
drum himself? Sounds an alluring
kind of program"
III give you a hundred pounds to
get away with IL you will"
Got a hundred pounds of my W In
my pocket at the present moment"
was the unexpected reply. las you
gave me away, consequently, ! gave
you away to his lordship, and he
planked down the hundred ~canaries.
like the swell that he is. So | don't
want your company or your money.
And I'm going to finish you right
away"
The big stone was poised over Hen
sons head. He could see the jagged
part, and, In imagination, felt it go
smashing into his brain. The time for
action had come. he snatched at
Merritt's right thumb and drew the
knotted myers down. The next in
slant and he had bitten Merritt's
thumb to the bone. With a cry of
rage and pain the stone was dropped.
Henson snatched 1t up and fairly lift
ed Merritt off his chest with a blow
under the chin.
Merritt rolled over on the grass, and
Henson was on his feet in an instant.
The great stone went down psrilously
near TO Merritt's head Still snarling
and frothing from the pain, Merritt
stumbled to his feet and dashed a
blow tlindly at the other.
In point of size and strength there
was only n in 1t. Had Henson stood
up to his opponent ON equal terms,
there could only have been one issue.
But his nerves were shattered, and he
was nothing like the man he had been
two months ago. At the first onslaught
he turned and fed towards the town,
leaving Merritt standing there in blank
amazement.
Enlightened of me-" he muttered.
'But this amt the way it's going to I'm
fish,"
He darted off in hot pursuit; he
raced across a rising shoulder Of the
hill and cut of Henson's retreat. The
latter turned and scurried back in the
direction Of Longdean Grange, with
Merritt hot on his heels. He could not
shake the latter of.
Merritt was Flooding doggedly on,
pretty sure OF his game. He was as
hard as nails. whereas, good living and
a deal OF drinking, quite in a gentle
manly way, had told heavily on Hen
son. Unless help came unexpectedly
Henson was still In dire peril. There
was just a chance that a yillager
might be about; but Longdean was
more or less a primitive place, and
most of the houses there had been In
darkness for hours.
His foot slipped, he stumbled, and
Merritt, with a whoop OF triumph, was
nearly upon him. But 1t was only o