Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-12-07

sell, Win SUDDEN ANIMATION, fisk De
ing misunderstanding all. But he
would never misunderstood me. He
would know that acted from the pur-
est of motives. OF certainty WON
an has divine right to cling to the
man she adores. Yes. l will go up to
London tomorrow, leave here by the
first train and come back by the last.
| should prefer not telling any one
where | am going, and whom | am 60
ing to see, but, in justice to Hilda, |
must not keep the matter a secret
from her. Whatever the results, l
shall always know that | acted for the
best"
She was happier now-happier than
she had been since the terrible mo-
ment when the letter ending her en-
/ gagement had arrived.
Audrey, have you had good news?"
Hilda asked the question in whisper.
mo; but I have just come to very
courageous decision, was the reply,
| spoken in an equally low tone. 81 am
going up to London tomorrow to see
Reggie, and to point out to him what
a very foolish man he is to break off
his engagement with charming me-"
| "But you are not going alone?"
"Of course | am. Please don't ad-
wise me TO ask Aunt Mary to take the
chair at the interview. The subject to
| be discussed would make no progress
| il she did am going alone and I'M
chaperoned, and no argument will
| avail to shake my decision"
| With the last words on her lips, Au-
drey opened the door and the next
moment she was gone.
"She ought not to go, and ought not
to let her co. was Hilda's mental YER
dict.
But at that moment the patients in
creasing restlessness drove all
thoughts foreign to his sufferings out
of her mind. 1t was evening, and the
fever was higher than it had been on
any previous occasion.
Worse than yesterday, worse than
the day before. How much longer will
he be able to fight against the dread
enemy, death?" She asked herself the
question with look of anguish. "And
only few weeks ago we believed that
almost amending would be our happy
married life"
But the present was not the mo-
ment for thinking inactiyely. To her
there remained still the sweetness of
soothing the man she loved. A nurse
by nature. ideally comforting were all
her soothing actions to the suffering
man. Now his excited eyes were turn
ed toward her. Now his weak hands
were trying to clasp hers. He knew
nothing, he understood nothing, yet he
was sensible of the comforting power
of her presence. The long hours of
night dragged slowly by. Thin streaks
of gold and red stole across the east
ern horizon. and with the dawn came
calmer moments to the sufferer
"This has been his worst night" said
+ fiiida, as Nurse Eleanor entered to
take her watch in the sick room.
There was no reply.
For the nurse had jointed together
many of the sick mans broken SEN
fences, and thereby solved the secret
of his mental illness. For him death
would be kinder than life, she knew.
Now that the anxieties of nursing
were temporarily removed from Hilda's
mind she hurried at once to Audrey's
room.
"Gone already" she exclaimed, look
ing round. II ought to have inter-
vened: ought to have. stopped her
going"
Too late now to do aught in the mat
ter. Already Audrey was in the train.
BY 10 o'clock she reached London. De-
pressingly uninviting the metropolis
looked to her eyes on this morning, for
thick yellow fog enveloped it. Yet
the visible dreariness of her present
surroundings was small indeed in COM
| parison to the secret dreariness that
would be hers if her mission failed
You'll find it difficult work getting
along to-day, miss said the porter at
Waterloo Station who hailed hailed her Ca b.
It's bad enough here; but on the other
side of the river you can scarcely see
your and before you. =
But to deviate from her projected
| plans was not in Audrey's nature.
III Very slowly did the cabman drive.
yet with all his care he was unable to,
| keep his bearings. Heavy, numbering
vehicles seemed always to be looming
up alarmingly near. More than once
he drew up. fearful Of proceeding.
| "Fog's getting worse, said voice
near at hand during one of the tempo
rary stoppages of the cab. The speak
| err was Invisible
( Should she return to the station? Au-
| drey asked herself.
| Return to weeks. months ard years
OF wondering why the blight OF a brok-
en- heart was hers? What mattered the
present density Of atmosphere? What
mattered anything that was only Of a
few hours duration. in comparison to
the long years of happy life that would
be before her as Reggy's wife? What
ever fate had decreed that she must
race IN order to secure an Interview
with him she would face.
Once more the cabman was refining
up the horse with a jerk It was
y