Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-09-28
Mrs. E. Bagot Harte.

~~-~~~~~~~>>~~~~~>~
shake hands-to hold murderer s
! hand was distasteful.
"Her father has turned up" an
swered the latter.
Traced your"
Eyes"
docs he know or suspect the crime?"
Not in the least, SO far. But he
has placed the matter in the hands
of the police. He knows I'm the boys
| father, and that is all he does know
at the present moment; but the result
of police Investigations will be TO
| bring more to light. Pm beginning to
feel that my only safety lies in death.
| In the end | shall put a bullet in my
| brains expect"
Don't do that! 1t might be salts
factory as far as you are concerned,
but 1t would give the whole thing
| away. I am a firm believer in suicide
in many cases-hope l shall live to
see it realized for poor wretches dy-
ing Of incurable and agonizing COM
plaints-but in your case it would be
playing down to very low level Of
cowardice. If putting an end to your
self would legalize your marriage
with Hilda and make it clear sailing
for her boy, I'd hand you my revolver
| for the purpose this minute. But it
| won't. So far as your own peace of
mind and happiness on earth is con,
| cerned, you will just have to forget
| that such a person as George Filing
| ham, murderer, exists. With your last
| breath you must screen from the
worlds hard treatment those two de-
fenseless people-Hilda and her child"
"How the deuce can | do it?"
Notwithstanding that you are a ].
p, you'll have to lie and do almost
everything else that is unjustifable
for their sakes. 1t seems to me that
the one person alone who could have
supplied all necessary information to
insure Hilda's downfall has passed to
the realm of eternal silence. Old
Searle knows practically nothing, you
say?"
,"That is So"
"You must keep calm and not look
harrassed, or haggard, or painfully
nervous. You must force yourself to
live life of superlative self-com-
mand.''
A momentay silence followed, dur
ing (which Sir George gazed with
hopeless expression out of the window,
then he said:
81 should be grateful to you beyond
| all words if you would dine with us
tonight. In an hour or two l shall
have righted myself again, dare say.
Seeing old Searle talking to that con
stable was a shock to me-.
"But my brother Reginald-you re
member having met him, of course
is staying with me. If you don't mind
my bringing him, we shall be very
pleased to come"
eve shall be delighted to see him,
too. A girl cousin of mine, Audrey
Villiers, has come to stay with us for
a fortnight. They'll both help to keep
the conversational ball rolling. You
don't know how difficult 1t has been
to keep up conversation at dinner
during the last few days."
1T ought to be done, though. There's
nothing more unwise than allowing
| the suspicious of servants to be rous-
| ed, and letting them imagine that
something is wrong. Wealth has many
| penalties, and amongst others is the
| knowledge that we are always under
| the obseryant eyes of the servants"
That's only too true. I'm immense
| ly glad to know you are coming to
| dinner tonight. I'd better go back
now; Hilda will be growing anxious
| about my absence, as | said I should
be only a short time away. Goodbye,
for the present"
Again they parted without shaking
hands,
Poor Hilda!' murmured Guy as the
door closed. '"poor girl! It's over.
whelmingly sad. However, there is
| nothing can do, save keep her bus.
band up to the mark. Although I
would like to horsewhip him-at the
very least-still cannot help plying
the fellow for some things. Now I'll
go and look up Reggie and tell him
that we're dining out tonight"
1sy44 LIZ kSAooAA IL QuCoIAOA was COlu-
fortably ensconced in one lounge chair
with his feet on another, fast asleep
in front of the library fire.
81 say, Guy!" he exclaimed, waking
up startled, 'the dead-aliveness of
this place is beginning to eat away
! my natural cheerfulness. I have been
/ here a week aud we have dined out
nowhere, been nowhere, and seen no
4 one worth mentioning. The life of a
hermit or monk does not suit me.
Could you obligingly ask a few pretty
girls and their mothers to tea? You
can entertain the latter while i enter.
tain the former,
Reginald Erskine was twenty-four,
tall, well built, handsome, and with
an exhilirating laugh. Many people
had been heard to remark that his
brother had the cash and he had the
good looks; and this was true state
ment.
don't think there are any pretty
girls In this neigh borhool." replied
Guy, in preoccupied3 voice..