Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1905-10-19

|
Sir George was now walking towards
! Hilda That worst had burst on the
unhappy man with bewildering sud
denness.
Mine was indeed the work of an
amateur scoundrel!' he thought, bit
terly. eff only l had left her lying
across the path and exposed to view
the theory of suicide might have car
ried the day. But there's no time now
to waste on thinking of the past! Els
cape is the only thing before me. Once
that idiot boy has lisped his name
and that name is recognized as being
also mine. arrest will follow. And af-
ter arrest-hanging! No, no! I'll
clear off. Who but fool would be-
! lieve himself capable of remaining
here in the thick Of it all and keep
ing suspicion at bay? Oh, here is
! Hilda, hurrying to meet me! That
poor girls love kills me. Heaven help
| her if she ever hears of the iniquities
of the man she now adores. Thankful
| indeed should l be if could only
make her hate and detest me!
How greatly troubled she looks,
| just because she sees that look great
| ly troubled! Surprising one day she
| were to see me arrested? Supposing
| one day she were to hear that / was
condemned to be hung? Everything
| will come out if the crime is traced
| to me! The whole world will then
| know that Hilda is not my wife and
| that her child must pass through life
| branded with the humiliation of lille
! gitimacy. must leave here at once!
| Aim at concealment by escape from
England. Turn my back on all / pos
sess and love-Hilda, our child, home
all, all!
"And it must be forever All long
ing to hear of them and to see them
again must be trampled under foot.
But after | am gone, what will Frs
| kline do? Play the scoundrel, l Won
der? I'm leaving the field more open
to him than | care to contemplate!
Hilda and he must inevitably meet
some time. She will be miserable at
my absence. Then-oh, but it's mad
ness letting my thoughts rush on like
this! But if he were to tell her the
truth-the actual, terrible truth? Per
haps he's not the man to break wo-
mans heart in efforts to gain I'M
worthy ends. Oh, the fatal ill luck
that allowed that first wife of mine
to continue to breathe! There were
| not two happier mortals on the earth's
surface than Hilda and l until that
night! And now? If only I could see
1,,;,, x>f
hurrying to meet me, how thankful
should bel"
What was it, Georgian acct
dent?" she called Clearly her musi-
cal voice rang out.
mol"
"But the ambulance-What was
there on the ambulance?"
He looked away. They were walk
ing side by side towards the house
| now.
Don't ask, darling" he said.
cit was nothing tragic, George?"
she inquired.
cit was the victim of a murder, Hill
da." Slowly and quietly the words
were uttered.
How terrible!" she exclaimed,
glancing at his averted face. 81 hope
the man who committed it will soon
!. be caught
ooh, yes" he agreed, taking rush
at the steps leading to the front door.
| Then he strobe through the hall to
his writing room, locked the door, and
flung himself into chair.
Money must take with met" he
mentally exclaimed Every shilling
| that I can lay hands on must take.
| If any one had told me three weeks
ago that to-day should be plotting to
make good my escape from arrest.
and that the brand of Cain would be
/ ON me, should have told the fellow
he was a lunatic aud not given the
matter a moments thought, and
There's ball ringing! The hall door,
believe! They can't have already?
| oh, no; it's nothing, only the post
man! My nervousness Is making q
fool of me! But / must think of the
| money. It's lucky that have that
hundred for wages in the house.
Though a hundred is nothing! But
lfStuOM Will IL Is d ullltlOn Lllu0S D0C-
| ter than death on the scaffold with
thousands a year at ones back. Why
did not I promise all that the woman
wanted? Instead Of
Where is the use of letting myself
wonder and think? must get OH, out
/ OF England. How canpI get to the
station? can't drive OF and advertise
that tY1nN trying to escape. No! I
must wait until 1t is dark, then walk
to Larton and take train from there
to London. What will happen after
| am gone? OF course, my sudden dis
appearance will nail suspicion on me
at once! s4fs only Il could know how
much is going to be traced? But Lon
i don detectives are the cutest Of the
cute. They are certain to trace the
crime home To me! z ss 4 81 ~ II
He sprang to his feet and studied
4 himsel In q mirror. 1sss 1
sBut don't hook as Il were in.
i tended for the hangmaIlss rope!" he
q continued thinking quickly to himself,
u II won't chance It, though. won't