The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-04-24
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I shall not be gone long" and, before he
had a chance to protest that a souvenir
was not necessary, she had fitted away
out beyond the light into the shadows.
After she had gone he found himself
listening to a myriad Of voices of the
forest, that seemed to fall with irritat-
ing reiterance on his ears. He felt far
from being in q cheerful mood, not
knowing what the future might bring
forth. or If, indeed. he would ever see
,her again. It was such a breaking
away from old ties, this starting out,
after the placid years he had spent as
the village school eacher. Sometimes
he wondered II he was fit to wage a
good fight beyond there, in the hum
MINI city. Well. at least, he was not
without courage. and. If he went down.
1t would be to fall fighting.
How long the girl was! It seemed
to him that h must have been gone
TOT hours. Perhaps she ,had been de-
tanned. and 1t would be impossible for
her to return. Still, knowing what a
passionate little person she was. and
accustomed pretty much to having her
own way, 1T would have been a diff
cult matter for them to have kept her
back Finally, he could bear the wait
ing no longer. but rose and stepped out
to the edge of the trees, looking
anxiously in the direction OF the house.
1t would be really to bad If their last
meeting should be so woefully cur
tailed.
A step behind him, and, as he turned,
1t was to face Mrs. Ellison. Even in
that light he saw that her face wore an
angry expression.
What are you doing here?"
He did not nswer for the surprise
Of the meeting checked his speech. She
was a tall, handsome woman, and wore
an evening dress that displayed her fine
arms and bosom. In the moonlight,
with the dark trees around, she was q
picture for a painter.
She was swinging a garden hat back
n forth In n eJeweled hand. with an
angry gesture, then. stamping her foot,
she repeated the question:
Il ask o again, sir, what are you
doinG in these grounds?"
1T may be that I came to take a last
look at he house-of my friend, Mr..
Ellison" he stammered.
You might have spared yourself that
t~rouble-since it is my house and not
his" which was true, Dick knew, since
the wife q the fortune. And now,
since you have seen 1t, go!"
Yes" replied the young man, but
making no move to leave.
Il know that 1t was one of the fam
= oSSS oiAS SSAASlAioSo Will
rising anger. Il congratulate MI. Eli
son on his protege. A fine guardian for
young people, truly. Sneaking in here,
like a thief in the night, to see my
daughter, who is too young to know
BETTER
my hands, madam" the anger rising
within him, which he dared not give
ven to. !,
Enough! We will not DISCUSS that
matter. Your presence here is a suf-
hcient answer. And now I insist again
on your going. Do you want me to APP
peal to. the ~servants?"
II will go. I will co. murmured
poor Dick. as he moved away,
cursing his misfortune in having en-
countered this beautiful fury at such.
a m Once he looked back, only
to find that she was still standing in the
path looking after him. She doubtless
meant to remain there until she was
sure thai he was on his way out Of the
park. With a sigh he went on his way,
until a u Of the path hid her from
sight.
Then he stopped for a to
consider. Should he not be able to re-
turn by a ctrcuitous route to the place
where he was to wait for Grace? 2. What
would she think If she arrived there
and found he was gone? Was it not
worth Drawing even the anger. of Mrs.
Ellison to try and see her again? While
he was considering the matter an ago
nized cry in a woman's voice rang
through the woods: Had something
ment's hesitation. he dashed back over
the o he had just traversed. 1t was
only a short distance before he almost
stumbled over the figure Of a woman
on the ground. 1t was very dark at
that point where she lay. He stopped
and picked her up, carrying her into
1.-THE light. 1t was Mrs. Ellison. Her
eyes were closed, a strange pallor on
her face. He laid her gently on the
bank at the side Of the road. Had she
tainted? It was strange hat he should
be the first one to come to the assist
ance Of a woman who had been abusing
him but a few moments before. Had
the excitement Of that short interview
SO worked on her nerves tina she had.
fainted7 What was to be done? It
was an embarrassing position for him
to be in. There was nothing that he
could do to help her, and yet help was
needed. Should he call for assistance?
he could not leave the poor woman
there, even If she had insulted him.
Then, as he leaned over her, hoping to
see some signs of returning conscious
ness, a s%huddering feeling of terror
crept over him. There was a strange
stain on the white silk waist, a stain
that, as he watched. seemed to be
spreading slowly-slowly. Filled with
horror at the sight, and the conscious
ness that he was in the presence of the
victim of q tragedy, he looked around
him with frightened eyes. Then he
turned instinctively to his hands-they
felt warm and strangely moist. With a
feeling Of overcoming faintness, he
stopped hastily and began TO hurriedly
clean them on the grass. 1t seemed as
fit seemed as if the stains would
never come out.
He was rising, eager to be on his way
to the house and war; the people of
what had taken place. Then, he felt a
strong hand grasping his shoulder. He
remembered trying to wrench himself
free. Then the confused sound Of many
voices, the flash Of lanterns and impre-
cations, in which his name was mingled,
then a blow that mercifulfy seemed to
dispel all these distorted visions, and a
grateful oblivion that hid everything.