Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-14
/ z SELY X X
CONDEMNED
Mrs. E. Bagot Harte.
Mrs. E. Bagot Harte.


/ walking straight toward him. as il
they guessed he were there-even
I! saw him already. Now only twenty
yards separated him and them, now
! only fifteen, now only ten, and his
4 heart was beating SO thunderously
loud. Thud! thud! thud! the men
must hear it! Even if they had not
! already seen him his uncomfortable
I heart must reveal his presence.
| II say, JIM" whispered one of the
men, with arrestiug sharpness.
eyes," queried the man addressed
| speaking in an irritable voice.
Don't let's keep on any more along
this way Where's the chance of his
4 having come up here? What'd he dc
| 1t, for?"
"Of course, 1t amt likely he'd come
away from the path and up here,
was the tired reply. 81 only came to
satisfy her ]adyship. She's in such a
state Of worry about him. I never
knew anything madden than a-ordering
of us all to hunt through the woods
this time of night"
"These high-born ladies are that
1 nervous" said the first speaker; cal
ways gettin' into frights when them
as have to work for their Twin would
| not take any heed, and Lor'!
wasn't that summat moving? ! amt
| goin' to stay here any longer! I'll
go back to the others. It's soaring
1 work being up here, just you an me
! alone"
i agrees with you there; but, like
| as not, it was only rabbit or fox
| you heard just now.
| Leastways, we won't say a word
about 1t to the Others will your
Not II" was the emphatic rejoin-
| der.
AS Sir George heard the last word
he uttered a mental cry of thankful
ness. Suddenly, Unexpectedly, nearly
all danger of detection had subsidized.
In few minutes he might venture
to lessen the pressure Of his thorn
pierced limbs against the ground. AL
ready he was stealthily moving them
a little, just enough to decrease the
agony Of his strained position.
Now the two men were rejoining the
rest of the search party, and Hilda was
heard interrogating them.
"You saw nothing or heard moth
ing?' she asked.
Nothing, my lady" they answered
simultaneously.
Then all moved on, slowly search
ing right and left. At last they PASSED
out Of sight, their voices grew indis-
tinct, and the silence of night once
more held It's sway over the wood.
As noiselessly as possible, for the
+ sound of mis- own movements terri
fed him, Sir George stood up and
peered around.
I'm alone once more, thank Heay-
en!" he whispered to himself.
Then there rushed into his mind the
bewildering question, What is to be-
come Of me?"
What, indeed?
The motionless form in the shallow
pit still remained to be completely
covered up; no fraction OF the blood
stained clothes must be left exposed
to view. Well concealed the body
might remain undistnrhea for years
and years-until all trace of identity
and a proof Of the tragic end would
be gone. Once more dead leaves and
bracken We're being quickly thrown
into the shallow pit. At last, hidden
quite from view was the lifeless form
of Hilda's rival.
Then Sir George staggered to his
| feet and moved away.
Would that every incident of this
CHASTITY night could be as easily hid
I e den ami the sin Of murder as easily
blotted out!" he said to himself. as
| bitter despair took possession Of his
mind.
He glanced homewards; then shook
his head. Re he returned to Carlton
Park he would have to explain why
his clothes were bloodstained, and
why he had so long delayed his return
home, and why his hands were toll.
stained.
All must. be explained to the extent
Of entirely allaying apprehension.
And were ever explanations more
difficult to coin?
Return home he could not! He had
not the requisite courage! Then
where should he go? Where could he
| go? He could not remain standing
where he was. He must move away
so to the north, south. east or west.
But 1t was to home that he yearned
to go; Htlda that he yearned to see;
their child that he longed to look at
again. Yet he was no child worship.
per- he had loved their boy because
he had represented the completeness
OF their home life and was his heir,
the being who WAS to carry down ia
another generation the time honored
name Of Ellingham. This nights crime
had been committed III q frenzied at
tempt to prevent the completeness Of
that Joyous home life being swept
away. Yet already he was staggered
byst the difficulties OF benedting BY hts
cruel crime.
But can't walt here s.e, Il. nc
thought, with . groan, and his was the