The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-05-25

5000 - ~ Siit ia ~ III l CSbll
though I did think it far too dearl,
bought. When he granted it the colo
mel lifted her and toOk her hand, bow
ing low over 1T with courtly Difference
For our sake, Mistress Margery, i
shall be put off till morning." he said
then gave the order: AtR dawn the,
would march me gut and hang me, anc
would best be ready. For later thar
the sunrise of q new day the king him.
self might not delay my taking off.
You know too much, my cursins
captain" was his parting word. Were
it not for Mistress Margery and my
promise, you would not keep the breath
to tell it over night"
HOW A GOLDEN KEY UNLOCKED
A DOOR.
Having my dismissal and reprieve
was remanded to the custody of thai
young Lieutenant Tybee whom YOU
have met and known as Falconnet's
econd in the duel. Interpreting his or
ders literally, he suffered me to keer
my room for the night. I had ex-
pected manacles and a roommate
guard at the least, but my gentlemanly
jailer spared me both. When he had
me safe above stairs, he barred the
door upon me, set a sentry pacing back
n forth in the corridor without, and
another to keep an eye Upon the Win
dow from below, and SO left me.
Their was no great need for either
sentry. or for bolts and bars. What
with the nights adventures and my
scarce-healed wound. I was far sped on
that road which ends against the blind
wall of exhaustion, as you may well
suppose. For while a man may borrow
strength OF wine or rage or passion,
these lenders are but p%itiless Insurers
and will demand their pound of flesh;
aye, n lave it, too, when all the prin-
cipal Is spent.
So, when Tybee barred the door and
left me with a single candle to my
lighting, l was fain to fall upon the
bed in utter WEAKNESS, thinking that
the respite bought by my sweet lady's
humbling a more dearly bought than
ever, and that the truest mrecy would
have been the rope and tree without
his interval of waiting.
To me In this grim Doubling Castle
of despair the priest came. He was a
good man and a true, this l~ow-voiced
missioner to the sayages, and he would
be a curster nan than I who failed to
give him his due need Of praise and
Fol in this dismal interval of
waiting, with death SO sure and near
that all the air was growing chill and
q \ I SoSiAA gu SSlJ
help in time of need. If l We're her
etc" to him, l swear I knew it not for
aught he said or did; and though l
trusted that when my time was come
I should stand forth with some small.
supplemented show of courage, yet
when he went ava 1 felt / was the
stronger for his coming. And this,
mark you though l was still unshriven,
and he had never named the churchly
rite to me.
When he was gone I fell to wearing
out the time afoot; and. lest you think
me harder than I was. it may be said
that while / did not make confession to
the kindly priest.I hope I tried to make
my peace with God in some such sim
pier fashion as our forbears did. Twas
none so great a matter, for one who
lives a soldiers life must needs be ripe
for plucking hastily.
But In the final casting Of accounts
there was an item written down In
red, and one in black. and these would
be scored across for all the travail
of a soul departing. The one In black
was bitter sorrow for the fate from
I might not live to save my
loved one; h n ! n red was this:
that / should die and carry hence the
that might else nip the In
dian onfall in the bud.
No sooner was the priest away than
1 began to upbraid myself because /
had not told him Of this British-Indian
murder plan. And vet on second
thought twas clear that it had been
but a poo shifting of the burden to
weaker shoulders; and thankless, too,
for Tarieton would be sure to put him
the question-rack to make him tell.
all that passed between us.
AS / had let him go, he would have
naught to tell, and SO was safe. where
otherwise he might be hanged or buried
in the hulks for knowing what I knew.
No, it8Were best he knew 1t not; but
how was / to rid me of this burden?-
of this and Of that other laid upon me
for my love?
The question asked itself many a
time, n was as often answerless, be-
fore there came a stir without and
;voices in the corridor. 1t was the
ichangfng@of the guard. I guessed, and
SO It proved, since presently I heard the
:c1anking OF the officers sword. and
double footballs n%ainishing into silence.
The sentry newly come paced back
n forth to aloW-hummed sQuick-ste
of his own, besairring himself as one
who. oused but now from sleep, would
wake himself and be alert. He made
more noise than did the other, and that
Is why i marked 1t when the fcotfalis
ceased abruptly. Amoment afterward
b bar was lifted cautiously from It's
socket. the latch clicked gently and the
door swung open. I looked, and must