The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-06-02
GHAPTER X,--consinued,

AhtatANiSI4 GuL ROW | suffered =Aid
this little, Seeing | had made my lie.
Lady suffer 50 greatly.
When We were come into the roo
Below they let me stand beside he
as l had prayed God they might; an
when stole 4 glance at her / was TAI
TO think my coming a her courag
and support. For you must know III
place was fair alive with men. an
1faring Iighr with torches; and they ha
never offered her a chair.
The colonel stood apart. the center o
a group OF officers, and Faiconnet wa
with him. Hovering on the edges of III
group, as if afraid TO show thevnselve
700 boldly in such a coil, We're Glider
Stair and that smooth parchment-vis
aged knave, his factor. The While the,
thrust ne forth 10 take my place a
MarEery's side. the good old priest
came and would have Joined US: bu'
they would not suffer him.
So we two stood alone together as WI
had stood before; but now my lady's
eyes We're ~downcast. and her lips
and cheeks were pale. Yet she
was more beautiful than 1 had
ever seen her : so beautiful
that I would swear the sum of all the
precious gifts IN Gods great Universe
might be expressed for me in this: that
L might die TO save her from this shame
and agony.
When my guards had thrust me for
ward the colonel made short work of
our fresh offense.
Twas a dastard's trick. my captain
TIM tangling of a lady in your trea-
son." he began. How did you get
your speech with herr"
is none of your affair. Colonel
Tarieton," ! retorted boldly, thinking
that with such a man the shortest
word Were ever the best. Yet l MAJ
say that the lady knew not what she
III nor WhI c for yDu pntti,r
speech with her. She was not any way
TO blame. l tempered With your sem
try"
BY God. you lie" was his comment
on this. She might have tempered
with the guard n SO got leave to keep
a midnight tryst with YOU. but no
YOU And then to my poo frighted
owe Have you no shame, Mistress
Margery Stair"
Now / have said thai she was change
full as any child or Arril sky, but never
had seen her pass from mood 10 mood
as h did then. One she
stood a woman tremulous and fearful
as any woman caught in desperate
deed; the next she became a goddess
yillif1ed. and if her ook had been a
dagger l think her flashing eyes had
killed him where he stood.
1ou'v found a way to make me
speak. sir. and l wish you joy of it.
Twas 1 who bribed your sentry. and
I did go to Captain Ireton's room"
The colonel laughed and shot a gibe
sharp at my enemy.
How is this, Sir Francis. Did I not
tell you you had thrust an inch or so
to high. By God. sir. 1 think you will
come over-late, If ever you do come at
ALL This captain-emeritus hath fore
stalled you beautifully"
AS more than once before in this
eventful night. the ai~ wont aa-,in-. .ad
before my eye and helpless wrath came
upperlsost. i Saw no ,.ey To ele.l I.r.
and had there been the plainest way.
dumb rage would still have held me
tongue-tied. So / could only mop and
and stammer, and. when the
words We're found, make shift to blum
der out that such an accusation did the
lady grievous wrong: that she had come
attended and at my beseeching. to take
a message from a dying man to one
who was his friend.
For my pains / had a brutal laugh in
a laugh that. starting with
the colonel, Went the rounds in jeering
agrtns of incredulity. And on the heels
4ne for a clumsy liar.
"A likely story. that" he scoffed.
Next you will say she knew not what
this message was."
II said it once. She knew not what
the message was, nor why 1 sent it,"
III SSGS upon lue DIS L SPOKE,
and turned to find them full of fearful
pleading. "Oh, tell the TRUTH" she
whispered. Don't you see? He has
the letter.
I looked. and sure enough he hello 1t
In his hand; and then l understood the
flash of irony in the sloe-black eyes of
You lie clumsily, Captain Ircton,
though it is a gentlernanly lie and does
you honor. But we have trapped you
fairly n you may as well make a
breast of it. YOU mistress knew
very we'll what you would have her do,
and since she is your mistress, went
to do it,"
While he was speaking I had a
thought of white-hot from some forge
fire of inspiration-a thought to tip an
arrow of conviction and set 1t CULVER
Ing In the mark. ] o not stop to
it; to look aside at her or any
other lest enc brief glance apart should
the arrow wavering from its
course. So l looked the colonel boldly
In the eye and drew the bow and sped
the shaft.
You think no other than a mistress
a v dom this, Colonel Tarleton
it was lone for love? Well. so
was; but with the love there went a
"A duty, say you? How is that?"
l w as best l might, being so
lightly bound; then fixed his eye again.
You had forgot that honor is not
wholly dead, sir. This lady is my
wife"
CHAPTER XII.
a LIE WAS MADE THE VERY
TRUTH.
For sorne small instant / dared not
loose my eye-grip on the colonel, to
glance aside at Falconnet, or Gilbert
Stair, or at the woman close beside me. ],
If l had finched or wavered, or let an !
ayeiid droop but by the thickness of a
1air. this keen-eyed colonel would have /,
oeen upon me to cut the ground be-
my feet and leave me dangling
But as it was. 1 faced him down: and
Winning him, won all. There was a /,
oath from Falconnet, a trem- (,
cry of rage from where her )
ather Stood; and then I sought my
eyes to read my sentence in ,
!
She gave me but a glance, and though
tried as l had never tried before to /,
cad her meaning it was hid from me. :
but this I marked; that she did draw :
BIC from me. n that her face was :
old n still, and that her lips were /,
together as IL NOT all nor any =