Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-07-28
THE MASTER OF APPLEBY|
BY Francis Lyndo.

here hat n tow-head boy from the set
dement's could follow at a canter,"
Richard said he could never guess the
meaning Of II all; and my mind was to
the full as blank as his. | made sure
some deep-laid plot was at the bottom OF
the mystery; but we had measured many
weary miles in the wilderness. and the
plOtter's trap had been fairly ba.ted, set
and sprung. before the lightning fash of
exploitation came to show us all It's devil
ish ingenuity.
But now Forward" was the word, and
we fell in line again, and again the tire
Tess running OF the two guides stretched
and held us ON the rack OF WEAKNESS.
Happily for us two who were out Of
training, the rainy-day dusk caRSa early:
and though Yeates and the Indian, run
ming now with their bodies bent double
and their noses 10 the ground, held on
long after Richard Jennifer and I were
bat-blind for any seeing OF the hoof-
prints, the end came at length and we
~biVouacked as we were. f~ireless, and with
the last Of the cooked ration Of deer's
meat for 4 scanty supper.
After the meal, which was swallowed
hastily I'm the silence of utter ia tigue, we
sco2ped a hollow IN a last years leaf
bed and lay down to sleep, wet TO the
skin as any four half-drowned water rats.
and to the full as miserable.
Tagged as / was twas a long time be-
fore sleep came to make me forget: a
weary interval fraught with dismal men
tai miser,es to march step and step with
the treadmill rackings OF the aching mus
cles. h g%rievous hap had befallen
my dear lady? ana how much or how lit
tie was ! TO blame for this kidnapping Of
her by my relentless enemy? Was it a
sharp foreboding OF some such resort to
savage violence that had tortured her into
sending the appeal for help?
with this. / fell to dwelling afresh up-
On the wording Of her message. hungering
ay-diy for some hint to give me leave to
claim It for my own. Though | made sure
she did not love me-had never loved me
as other than q make-shift confldant,
whose face and age would SET him far be-
the pale OF sentiment-yet I had
hoped this frieudship-loye would give her
leave to call upon me in her hour Of
need.
Was the one 10 whom her message
had been sped? Suddenly + remembered
what Richard had said; tina the arrow
was the Catawba's. IF Uncanoola were
the bearer of the parchment. he would
surely know 10 whom he had been sent.
His burow I'm the leaf bed Glanced TO
be next 70 nine, and / could hear his
STEADY breathing, light and long-drawn,
like that Of some wild reature--as trulv
49, '"~ NfNNl'AhAta Will all TIE senses alert
to spring awake at a touch or the snap-
ing of a twig. A word would arouse him.
and a single question might resolve the
doubt.
thought Of all this, and vet, when 7
would nave Weakened the Indian. q shak-
ing ague-ft Of poltroon cowardice gave
me pause. For while the doubt remained
there was a chance to hope that she had
sent TO me, making the little cry for help
a token, not of love aarrha, ,na l,,4 -
dawning Of forgiveness for my des-
perdte Wronging Of her. And i'm that
moment it was borne i'm upon
me that without this slender chance
Tor nope should go mad and become a
wretched willing at a time when every
faculty should be superhuman sharp and
strong for spending In her service.
SO / forebore to wake the Indian. and
out this thought of service fit
ness, would force myself TO go to sleep
and so to gather fresh strength for the
new days measure.