Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-10-03
CHAPTER XIV.
THE STOLEN LETTER.

THE SlOlLfIN LIE 1 EIt.
The night was falling fast as l rode
and with every streak that died out Of
the western sky the moon frightened
and frightened in the east. She was
we'll up, and cast a strong silvery light
over The thin white mist which chung
to the hollows of the hills and lay
thicker over the marshy places.
The air was keen and piping. White
sock moved like music under me, and
at "a ones spirits do not naturally fall
to the doleful side. 1 thought sweetly
and strongly of the reasu / was
leaving behind in Nant-y-Bryn. l
caught my breath with a gasp of de-
light when / recalled the look with
which my last words had been received,
and I fell to building castles in the air
that pastime dear to young hopes.
I was, 1t may be, three miles from
Nant-y-Bryn, when, Of a sudden, there
burst into my head, like a peal Of bells,
the words Owain had cried out to my
uncle, "Other lives to offer as a sop
to the authorities"
Their quarrel was of a surety about
myself. What had Sir Arthur been
proposing to him?
"Other lives!" My heart urned to
lead within me, and l drew rein. White
sock stopped at once, and l tore off
my cloak and thrust my hand inside
my coat. My head fell lower, and l
stripped off the coat also and laid II on
the Group before me, and, with trem~
bling fingers, searched again and again
In the secret pocket beneath the arm
Dit. 1t was empty, and l saw what it
oil meant. / cursed myself for my
foolish carelessness, n groaned aloud.
From boyhood. l la had two great
friends, Roger Brent and John Lock-
ing. We had always marched together.
We rode south, the three of us, toward
~Penruddock. We had all three fought
under Sir George Booth at Chester and
ran away, still in company. We had
all gone into the last affair, and the
word / had to fly came from Roger,
who had got wind Of Sir John Post
gates intentions. / remembered well
the hasty words, scrawled on a scrap
of paper and sent by q sure hand. "All
is known" he wrote, and off is the
word. 1 shall get a cast over TO Water
ford and lie at the old spot. Jack is
riding as his cousins lackey to Devon.
Farewell, dear lad, till better times!"
At the time of receiving this letter l
had no means Of safely destroying It,
as several people were about, and ]
had thrust It into the secret pocket Of
my riding coat-a pocket l had had
contrived, In which to carry important
papers on a journey. ! called to mind
NOW Il Hhu Dlhul6u roger In my own
thoughts for writing so openly OF in
tended movements, but he was a feath-
erheaded fellow. whom Jack and / both
loved and were continually getting out
OF scrapes, Yet whom dare l now
blame for carelessness when 1t was
borne In on me that l had utterly for
gotten to destroy the letter, and 1t was
now gone. In whose hands vas 1t?
I had no doubt at all upon that point.
What nca would ha vnnda aP ito Lol
no doubt there either, and l groaned
again. We had been marked men
since Wilmington Bridge, and short
work would be made of US should we
fall into the hands of those who held
power. All these thoughts, crowding
thick and fast upon me. threw mejnto
a veritable stupor, and / sat stock still,
staring at q great boulder just before
me beside a u of the way.
A bright shining streak thrust itself
over the edge Of the rock in my direc-
ton, and l gazed at 1t mechanically.
Matters remained thus for some mo-
ments, when a grim chuckle broke up
on my ears, and, with a great start, l
came to myself. l was bitterly cold,
the mare was shivering in the chill
breeze, and the shining streak was the
moonlight glinting along the barrel of
a carbine pointed directly at my breast.
l ran my eye up TO the stock and recog-
nized the face peering at me, and an
impulse came upon me to speak to
him., to any one, TO hear my own voice.
"Ieuan,' said /, 'Ieuan, ] am in a
hard place"
You are meaning, perhaps" said he,
that you fear / am q straight shot"
Your shot" said l, feeling all the
careless contempt I put into my voice;
IF had no more than that to trouble
me, / should be a happier man than /
am now"