Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-12-05
cnAprER xxvII-continued.


At a word from DR.. Willingham we
knelt before him, and in a low, full
voice he began 10 read a service. A
stranger wedding, surely, was never
seen; the dimly lighted chamber OF
death, a dying woman devouring US
with her eyes, n beautiful young bride
giving her hand to a groom In clownish
homespun. and a priest wrapped III d
shabby horseman's coat.
This is as / have seen ii since, in
looking back upon that memorable
evening, not as l saw 1t then. All, no!
/ had no thoughts for such trifles as the
quaint figures we presented; my nina
was too strongly bent on the solemn
situation in which we stood at the mo
ment.
The rite was ended, and the reverend
silence which followed the doctors last
words was still u~nbroken, when d SUI
den, sharp rapping on the door rams
through the house. William ran at
once, and we heard him hold a mutned
colIoduy with the person without. Ihen
he returned to the room and beckoneu
Doctor Willingham with so disturbed
and mysterious an air that 1 1elI SURF
some bad news a arrived.
What is it," whispered the SICK
let William come here :,
The old man came forward and told
his story in low tones.
IT'S the landlords wife from the
Holly Bush, said he. She slipped
UP, being friendly to us, to give notlce
that some one has carried word TO
yonder attorney at the inn that DOCTOR
Wi.lingham was seen hereabouts. ana
row the attorney is egging on Hum-
phrey Brown, the constable, to come
here and search the place =,
THE old story, the old story" said
the good doctor, composedly.
Go. 60" said Mrs. Whitgift, family.
II have a piece of duty yet to per-
form which | would leave undone at no
cost" replied he, then 1t is time to talk
of going" And he called for writing
materials. He wrote a careful state
ment, testifying to the marriage ne had
solemnized and signed it. Next we put
our names to the document, ana tnen
Mistress Whitgrift, whose earnest WISH
il was also to attest, was assisted py
the Clergyman to write her name In
trembling characters. William VIII
messed il also, and the women signed
by crosses. >,
Nov, leave us for a few minutes,
said the doctor, giving the paper TO
Enid. ,
we went softly out. and as we passed
through the doorway his quiet, deep
voice was heard reading the last pray
erS.
William went to the door and / fol
lowed him. The old man held up MS
finger and we listened earnestly. NO
sound. He cautiously drew the bolt
and peapd out. Everything was quiet
and he stepped out. / went with him
and we trod softly down to the gate
which led to the road. The mist was SO
thick that the lights Of the lila Were
blotted out. and heavy, slow drops pat
tered down from the trees above. we
had been watching some five minutes
when a munied tramping of feet echoed
along the road.
They are coming whispered william,
and we ran back to the house. Inc
doctor himself stood in the doorway.
Haste, sir" cried William, there $
: party not II hundred yards from the
gate"
Dr.. Willingham Rugged me tight lor
. moment aud whispered: IF the poor
lady lasts so long, I'll be here again
ills time tomorrow night II we
parted. lie went off as composediy as
possible by a path leading through a
little wood ~ the back of the house
He had been hunted so often that he
minded il no more than an old dog foH
who knows OF a sure earth within easy
each.