Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-05-26
CHAPTER X.
HOW A FoRLoRN HOPE CAME TIC
GRIEF.

GRIEF.
Although / could not hope to know
the outcome of this desperate cast to
speed the warning to the over-moun-
tain settlements-could never live to
know it. as / thought screened the
candle and stood beside the open win
dow, not to see or hear. but rather
from the lack of sight or sound 10
gather some encouragement. For sure,
/ reasoned. ii Margery's messenger
should fail to pass The sentries there
would be ciamor enough TO tell me OF
IL.
So While the minutes OF this safety
silence multiplied and there was space
for sober af~ter-thought, | fell TO cast
ing up the chances OF success. Now
that Margery was gone, and with her
all the fine enthusiasm that such de-
voted souls as hers do always radiate.
Ii was plain enough hat nothing less
than "a miracle could bring success.
Tarleton's Legion was made up Of vet
Grams schooled well in border warfare,
and though the biyouac seemed but u
camp OF motionless figures fast nan
acled in sleep-l could see them strewn
like dead men round the smoidering
~fires-I made no doubt the sentries were
alert and wakeful. How then was n
messenger of Margery's to pass the
lines, or. passing them. to come at Jen-
infer. who by this time would be at
Jennifer House, a prisoner In all but
name?
Chewing such wormwood thoughts as
these, l watched and listened while
the measured minutes circling slow on
leaden wings, pecked at my heart In
passing, and despair, cold like a winter
fog, had chilled me to the bone For
now it came TO me that while / would
be saving life, mayhap l had been per-
ling II again. There was small doubt
that If the messenger were taken with
my letter his life would pay the forfeit.
And IL the fear OF death should make
him tell who sent him and to whom he
was sent-I had been careful so to
word the letter as to shield my corre~
spondent-both Margery and Dick
would be involved.
'Tis worthy of remark how, building
on the simplest superstition, we seldom
prophesy Alright. Fol- all my 1ne-spun
theories the manner of the thing that
happened was all unlike the forecast.
Suddenly, and in silence, out of the
ghostly shadows of the trees and into
the wan moonlight of the open space
beneath my window, with neither shot
nor crash of sentry gun to give warn
ing, came three figures riding abreast
Il 1IldA III llOOpCl ioNRlli6o vi C1NIlCI
hand. and on the led horse sandwiched
in between, a woman.
You may believe my heart went cold
at the sight. / knew at ono what she
had done-this fearless maid who would
be loyal to her friend at any cost. Hav-
ing no messenger she could trust-she
knew it we'll when she had promised me
she had taken the errand upon her
self, Drawing a hazard that would
have daunted many a man.
l thought the worst had surely now
befallen, and wished a hundred times
that ] had died before it come to this.
But there was worse in store. Her
captors passed the word while yet L
looked and choked with rage and grief;
and then the bivouac buzzed alive. and
men came running, some with arms
and some with torches, these last to
flash the light upon her and to jeer
and laugh. At length-it seemed an
age TO mean officer appeared to fog
the rabble into order: Their she was
taken from her horse and led into he
house.
Anon the windows of the great fore
room flung bands Of yellow %torchlight
out upon the lawn, and L knew that
Tafi~ cn's court was set again. At that
the pains OF hell gat hold upon me inc
l did pray as / had never prayed before
that God would grant me this one boon
Ito stand beside her in this time of
trial; to give me tongue Of ~eloquence to
tell them all that she was innocent;
to give me breath TO swear she knew
not why she went, or what the message
was she carried.
Yours is a skeptic age, my dears,
and o have learned 70 scott at things
you do not understand. But, so long
as l shall live, i must believe that
agonizing plea was answered. While
Yet tine anguish OF IL wrung my soul
there came a hasty trampiing in the
corridor, the sentry's challenge, and
then a quick unbarring OF the door. L
turned upon my heel TO face a young
ensign come with two men at his back
to take me to the colonel.
Continued Next Week.)