The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-05-26

CHNPTER y
How y FoRLoRN HOPE CAME To
GRIEE.

GRIEF,
Although | could not hope to know
thu outcome of this desperate cast TO
speed the warning to the oNer-mouu-
tam settieaaents-Gould never live TO
snow IL. as i thought-l screened the
candle and stood beside the open win
dow, not to see or hear. bug rather
from the lack of sight or sound to
gather some ENCOURAGEMENT. For sure,
l reasoned. il Marsery's messenger
should fail to pass the sentries there
would be clamor enough To tell me OF
il.
SO while the minutes of this safety
silence multiplied and there was space
for sotor after-thought. l fell to cast
ing up the chances of success. Now
that Margery was gone, and With her
all the fine enthusiasm that such de-
voted souls as hers do always radiate.
1t was plain enough that nothing less
than A miracle could bring success.
Tarleton's Legion was made up OF vet
Grams schoolsd we'll in border warfare,
and though the bivouac seemed but a
camp of motionless figures fast man.
acled in sleep-l could see them strewn
like dead men round the smoldering
tires-I made no doubt the sentries were
alert and wakeful. How then was any
messenger of Margery's to pass the
lines. or. passing them. to come at Jen-
lllIelp wiz ny lulS III WOull De at
Jennifer House. a prisoner In all but
name?
Chewing such wormwood thoughts as
these. l watched and listened while
the measured minute circling slow on
leaden wings. pecked at my heart in
passing. n despair. cold like a winter
fog. had chilled me to the bone. For
now it came to ME that while l would
be saving life. mayhap l had been per-
iliy~ II - yoiU TL1ra no .-,-lI l-.ts
that II the messenger We're taken with
my letter his life would pay the forfeit.
And IL the fear of death should make
him tell who sent him and to whom he
was sent-I had been careful so to
word the letter as to shield my corre-
spondent-both Margery and Dick
would be involved.
'Tis worthy of remark how. building
on the simplest supposttion, we seldom
%prophesy Alright. For all my tine-spun
theories the manner of the thing that
happened was all unlike the forecast.
Suddenly. and in silence. out of the
ghostly shadows of the trees and into
the wan moonlight of the open space
beneath my window. with neither shot
nor crash of sentry u to give warm
ing. came three figures riding abreast
a man in trooper trappings on either
hand. and on the led horse sandwiched
in between, a oma
You may believe my heart went cold
at the sight. l knew at once what she
had done-this fearless maid who would
be loyal to her friend at any cost. Hav-
ing no messenger she could trust-she
knew it we'll when she had promised me
she had taken the errand upon her
self, Drawing a hazard tina would
have daunted many a man.
l thought the worst had surely now
| hafallan and uiShad n h,ir5raI +;r,o,
that l had died before it come to this.
But there was worse in store. Her
captors passed the word while yet L
locked and choked with rage and grief;
II then the bivouac buzzed alive. and
men came running. some with arms
and some with torches. these last to
fash the light upon her md to jeer
age to mean officer appeared to fog
the rabble into order: then she was
taken from her horse and led into the
house.
Anon the windows OF the great fore
room flung hands of yellow torchlight
out upon the lawn. and i knew that
Tafi-.cn's court was set again. AT that
the pains of hell gat hold upon me and
l did pray as l had never prayed before
that God would grant me thiso one boon
to stand beside her in his time of
trial; to give me tongue of eloquence to
tell them all hat she was innocent;
to give me breath to swear she knew
not why she went. or what the message
was she carried.
Yours is a skeptic age. my dears,
and you have learned to scott at things
o do not understand. But, so long
as 1 shall live. 1 must believe that
agonizing plea was answered. While
yet the anguish of it wrung my soul
there came a hasty trampling in the
corridor, the sentry's challenge. and
hen a quick unbarring of the door.
turned upon my heel to face a young
ensign come with two men at his back
to take me to the colonel.
CONTINUED Next Week.)