Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-10-24
By JOHN FINNIhcRE.

fortunate fellow had come to his end,
and Ieuan barred his white teeth In q
gratiied smile.
"One less" said he; that ISIS m
thing, though they are now so strong
that one does not make much differ
ence."
Were there not women In that par
ty?" l asked.
"Yess, indeed" said Ieuan; "the sis
ter OF Owain 1t wass, n Slant, her
woman, and two or three men marching
with them to guard them"
The sister of Owain! enid had fed
before me. h had seen Whitesock
and heard my whistle. Siani had cried
out the mares name. Ieuan had exc
cuted some movement which had
caused them to fear an ambush Of the
Red Men Of the Dusk. What would
she, what could she think of me? /,
in league with the Gwylliad Cochion,
and apparently lying In wait to entrap
stragglers from Nant-y-Bryn. l moved
about restlessly and my eyes fell upon
the dead man. Here was a fresh and
dreadful tangle. He is carried back by
Whitesock to my whistle and is found
dead the next day at the same spot,
and a man known to be on i'll terms
with me. l gritted my teeth together
in perpleXity. The face of the PROSTATE
b. go "a - " - ~ 49,
Who is hep" asked Ieuan.
Il have seen him at Nant-y-Bryn, but
l do not know his name" / answered.
1euan walked forward, caught a lock
of hair dangling over the forehead, and
turned up the face, lifting the head.
He dropped it as If the touch had
burned him, and sprang back with the
wild cry of a surprise beyond words.
who is it?" l cried in turn.
Tat1an fIrnod On mo q fora In uyhiph
shone great eyes of wonder and fierce
Joy.
"siencyn Tal-fryn," he replied slow
ly.
THE husband of Winny?"
Yes.
He fetched put his pony from the hut
without another word, and we rode
some distance in silence. When he be-
a speaking again 1t was with refer
ence to the band which Owain had led
down the hill to Nant-y-Bryn.
1T ISIS easy to see what they have
come for" said Ieuan, nodding his head
| gloomily; there are but few Gwylliad
Cochion left, and indeed there will be
an end to them very soon"
This did not seem to me altogether a
pure evil, but I refrained from saying
so.
How long has your sept fl~ourished?'
I asked.
From old times" replied Ieuan,
proudly. 1T ISIS now about a hundred
years since they were at their full
strength. Then they were lords of the
mountains many miles to the north OF
here, and no one dared TO say them nay,
But Baron Owen came down among
them suddely with an army and took
them by surprise, and slew a hundred
or more. Many a time have l heard
the story when 1 wass a child, from a
very old man whose mother carried him
far over the hills on her back that
night"
And since then they have never been
so formidable" said /.
Never" said Ieuan. Small bands
Of them haV held their own in the
depths of the hills-hills which they
know as a man knows his house, but
the numbers have grown less and less,
and now" he stopped and sighed
as sadly as If the Gwylliad Cochion
| were a blameless and prosecuted rem
nant. He remained silent for a while,
then burst out in an inconsequent fash
| ion, as If uttering his thoughts aloud;
land yet 1 should not like her to think
that l killed her husband"
ITO be sure not" l replied, perceiv-
ing that he spoke Of tn man Of Tai
fryn. 1T was an accident which might
1 dpptI 70 dIly OIlt. 10 ne IuTS ITOIl
a horse and killed is a common mis-
fortune"
IF I could have made plain to her.
said Ieuan. obviously, things perhaps
would come better yet"
There is nothing more likely" l re-
turned; 'and, for myself, l should be
glad to tell Owain the truth of the mat
| ter"
Yes" said Ieuan, laughing aloud
Things are looking rather strange
with you, too"
They are" I returned, and again WIG
rode for some time in silence, each busy
with his wv thoughts.
"Ieuan," said l, what were you 60
ing to do with Miss Vaughan and SLAM
that first night l came across you?"
When you took them back, eh?" re.
| piled Ieuan. But there was no harm
meant for them. No, indeed" he cried
slapping his thigh; mo harm at all, in
deed. But l would have Used Miss
Vaughan to draw her brother from thai
bad old man. l would have sent tc
Owain a word that his sister was safe
and we'll among is, and only waiting
for him to come away from Manly
Bryn, n promise to stop away: and
then he should have her again. THAI
wass the plan that came to my mind
when L heard that she wass on the
road"
What made you so anxious to de.
tach Owain from the g]arrison?" ]
asked.
Indeed, I am fond Of him" replied
1euan, simply. II would fight twice as
gladly against Nant-y-Bryn If Owair
wass not there. / taught him to ride
and to play with the sword, and
went with his father to the wars when
l wass a tall lad myself"
This vas the outcome OF my thoughts
during the previous silence; Ieuan now
turned to his.
They are telling me-" he said, that
you are very rich"
who are telling you?"
well, no n now, Of course, but ]
have heard many times Of Butley Croft
and the rich English people living
there, named Heathcote.'
/ laughed, for of a surety my riches
| were swiftly taking wings to them
selves by this time and deserving me
as an obstinate malignant.
THE rents, now" insinuated Ieuan
| gently, the rents in a rich country
like that will come to much money in
a year"
/ smiled and humored him.
Last year." I replied, they ran to
something over sixteen hundred
pounds"
All! CIlSu leudu, III IL ueep, rich
tone of admiration. In one year, one
little year? And how Goes 1t feel to be
so rich as that?"
How did 1T feel?" thought /, would
be a more correct phrase" but l said
nothing.
From all that money" said Ieuan
| r~efiectively, "a one Hundred pounds
| would hardly be missed"
and what would you do with the
hundred pounds when you got it,
Ieuan?" l asked.
"I?" he laughed, and threw his hand
out gaily. II would stock a little
farm
"What?" said l, and leave the Red
Men of the Dusk?"
Yes, indeed" said he, when l have
done what / want with them