The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-04-28

you; l will not name him any name at
| all. What | meant to say Yeas THAI
he lied, | made no threats to him; to
! tell the plain truth, | was too fiercely
! mad to handy words with him"
What made you mad, Monsieur
john"
Twas his threat to me-to faint me
with my fathers outlawry. DO you
! greatly blame me, MargeTy?"
| Thereat a silence came and sat be-
! tween us. and / fell to loving her the
| more because of it: but when she spoke
always loved her more for speaking.
My father has had little peace since
! coming here she said at length. He
Is old and none too well; and as for
| king and congress, asks nothing but
his right to hold aloof. And this they
| VIII not give him"
Remembering that Jennifer had told
me Of Gilbert Stairs trimming, | smiled
| within.
That is the way of all the world in
! wartime. ma petite. A partisan may
suffer once for ALL but both sides hold "a
neutral lawful prey"
Twas as the spark to finder; my
word the spark and in her eyes the an
swering flash.
Il tell him sou she cried. Il tell him
always that the king Will have his own
again. But still he halts and hesitates:
and when these rebels come and quar-
| ter on us"
| fear she must have seen my inward
smile this time, for she broke off in the
midst, and | made haste to forestall her
! flying out at me.
"Oh, come. my dear; you should not
be so fierce with him when you yourself
have brought rebel to his house to
| nurse alive.
She looked me fairly in the eye. You
should be the last to remind me of my
treason, Monsieur John"
Then you are free to call it treason
are you. Margery''" ! said.
She looked away from me again.
How can it well be less than treason?'
Then suddenly she turned and clasped
| her hands upon my knee. You must
! not be too hard on me, Monsieur John.
I've tried to do my duty as ! saw it.
and | have asked no questions. And
yet | know much more than you have
told me-"
What do you know"
! Il know your wound has been your
! safety II you should leave this room
and house today you would never wear
/ the buff and blue again, Captain Ire
| ton"
You mean they would hang me for a
spy. VIII you believe me. Margery, if
| | say have not yet worn the buff and
1 blue at all?"
oh" The little exclamation was of
pure delight. Then they We're all mis-
taken? You are no rebel. after all?"
Was ever man so tempted since the
fall of Adam? AS l have writ it down
for you In measured words, | was no
more than half patriot at this time
And love has made more traitors than
| its opposites of lust or greed In no
uncertain sense | was a man without a
country: and this fair maiden on the
| haSsock at my feet was all the world
| to me. | saw in brlefer time than any
| clock hands ever measured how much
a yielding word might do for me: and
then | thought of Richard Jennifer and
| was myself again.
Nay. little one" 7 said. there has
been no mistake. For their own pur-
poses my enemies have passed TIE
word that I am here as the Baron dc
I<alb's paid spy. That is no mistakes
It's a lie cut out of whole cloth. l came
here straight from New Berne. and
| back Of that from London and the
continent. and scarcely know the buff
and blue by sight But ] am Carolina
born. dear lady land this King Georges
governor hanged my father. So. when
God gives me strength to mount and
| ride"
Now who is fierce" she cried And
then, like lightning: will you raise
band of rebels and come and take your
own again."
You know I will not" protested so
! gravely that she laughed again. though
now there We're tears, from what we'll
| spring of emotion | knew not, in her
eyes.
"Oh. mercy me! Have you never
one little grain of imagination.
Monsieur John? You are too mon
strous literal for our poor jestng age"
Then she sobered quickly and added this:
and yet ! fear that this is what my
father fears.
l did not tell her that he might have
feared it once with reason, or that now
the houseless dog she petted should have
l,fe of me though mine enemy should
| sick him on. But l did say her father
had no present cause to dread me.
He thinks he has And surely there
Is cause enough" she added.
| smiled, and, loving her the more for
her fairness. must smile again.
Nay. you have changed all that, dear
lady. Truly. | did at first fly out at him
a poor pensioner in my fathers house
or rather in the house that was my ia
TIERS But that was while the hurt was
new l have been soldier of fortune too
long to think overmuch of the loss of APP
pleby Hundred Twas my fathers. GER
tainly; but twas never mine"
And yet-and yet 1t should be yours.
John Ireton." She said it bravely. with
uplifted face and eloquent eyes that one
who ran might read
Continued Next Weekly
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II,