The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-06-22
CHAPTER xlv.-continued.

w.
Ill the horizons narrowed to n bound
There was no sally-port in all this wa
save one--the one that death ha
promised to open at the dawn. TIL
promise had been broken. True. deaf
had thrust the key within the lock, an
[ had heard the grating of the bolts
and yet the key had been withdraw
and l was left q prisoner of life.
There was no hope of other outlet
Now there was space to view 1t calmly
| saw how foolish was the thought tina
would connive at any breaking of tn,
marriage bond. She would bear m:
name, and hate me for the giving of It
would go on hating me. l thought. to al
tternlty: but she would never take he
freedom back again, save at Il deat
mans hands.
1t was thus that each fresh scanning
81 the prison wall thai shut me in thil
dungeon of dishonor fetched me once
and again to this II sally-port Of
death. And when 1t came to this; thai
I had searched In vain for. other tut
let, you will not think it strange that
sat down in spirit at this postern tc
see IL I might open 1t with my open
hands.
It was not love OF life hat made me
hesitate. At two-score years he who
has lived at all has lived his best; and
II he live beyond the turning point OF
youthful ardor he must beg the grace
Pf younger men to linger yet q little
longer on the stage which once was
his and now Is theirs.
No, 1t was not any love OF life for
LIES WI sake that held me back.
Twas rather that the Ireton blood
Is linked up with hat thing we call a
conscience, a heritage from those sim
pie hearted ancestors to whom the sui
eide was a soul accurst-a soul I'M
peritent, who's very outer husk Of
flesh and bones they used to bury at
the crossing OF h ways. with 8 sharp
ened stake to pinion 1t.
this ancestral conscience made
me cowardly: and when the sight Of
my fathers sword-Darius had res
sued and restored 1t to It's place upon
chimney-breast-would set me
thinking OF the Israelitish king, and
when all was lost. he fell upon
his blade and died. this horror OF the
came to give me pause.
Besides. that way to right the dou-
Bile wrong was not SO clear as 1t might
The present was Margery's best safe
guard. TIL she became my widow and
ny ~heir-at-law, the mercenary baronet
would play his cards to win her hon
arably. doubted not he'd make hot
owe TO her; but while she stayed q
wife, and was not yet q widow, he'd
Sesp his passion decentiy in bounds, II
'aiy for the better comprising OF his
But from this horn OF the dilemma
slipped 10 fall upon the other. II my
living on as Marsery's husband was
'sT safety for the time, 1t was an Of
sT7ns OF i6ol-raeats upon the altar of
dear LADS friendship. What would
,s think of nles How could go
bout 10 make it plain that I had
obbed him for his own hoaor's sake?
that II WAS not I but fate that was
0 bEaraee
These questions came up answerless,
osep-ssa p!uE1rnets where no bot
9na Is. l saw the way no farther on
han this: that l must go straightway
~Jsnn5sar and tell him all. Beyond
.af point the darkness was Egyptian,
could only hope that tricky fate
turn again and blot me out, and
IL plain to Richard, and to my
ear lady. that love. and not base
'eachery, had set me on to dc as I
ad done.
In some such dismal grlndings of the
III OF thought the hours of waiting
ere outworn at length. and when the
In was dipping to the mountains in
e west l rose and washed me in the
,ook. and afterward constrained my
II to eat what Tomas had prepared
r me. !
The sunset glow was fading In the
air, n underneath the canopy
caves the wood was d~arkening on
twilight, when I made ready to be I
ne. Because I thought I might have t
OF 1T before the night was done. /
.uckled on the heirloom sword: and t
ling Tomas and the other blacks for ]
cir w safety to keep an alarm /
ard waking through the night, I !
lied forth upon my errand. {
I've wished a thousand times, as I
here before the fire and lot these {
emories down in grabbed black on /
lite, that I could conjure up for you |
me speaking picture Of this scene /
lmeval in which the story moves. {
True, its hills and valleys are the 6
me; the river keeps it's course; and i
the west the mountain skyline ia i
changed. But here similitude Is at s
end. You've hacked the virgin S
est into shapes inc fringes where
ce 1t was an ample mantle scanned {
ly by the rivers. and frayed here and !
ere at distant intervals by the set :
RS ak. :
Beneath this mantle lay a world un- t
e the world 0 know. Plunged in {
furtive depths you felt the spell Of t
lures mystery upon you; the mys-
y Of the hoary wood, age-old,
,eped in the nepenthe IL the CEN :
ries. In brightest summer day. I
Itch, in these forest aisles, became q /
sty green t~ranslucence, the silence. I
e v~astness, the solitude laid each q I
ger on you, bidding you go softly all
e a But in the twilight hour the
held still more aloof, and all the 1
adoWs bristled with dim fantastic I
to w and alright the alien- |
m. /
| was not alien-born. From earIiest I
ildhoodI had known and loved these
solitudes. Yet now, az when IA /
ls a little lad, the twilight shadows j
red me. Here 1t was a gnarled and 4
listed tree-trunk so like a crouchinp /
nther h a I sprang aside and had {
e steel half out before the clearer t
sion came. There 1t was the figure ar /
man gliding stealthily from tree to j
IT seemed; keeping ever pace with s
2 as II With sinister intent. I
pushed on faster, drawing tha
to keep me better COMPANY I
fnwardly I scoffed and ieered ~ /
is e NfFtWittering of the nerves what |
was there for me in silent {
adows IN the wood? The dogs Z
q TO fear were bred in British kan I
Is, n there was never any Iack a.
amor when they We're beating IN a
Yer. !.
Yet this persistent shadow chung nm Z
my footsteps until from casting /
rive glances sidewise / came IL /
tdlng IL craftlly In the tall OF NV evar