The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-06-16

Oy Seilln9 Nun what. nttte he knew Ot
Tarleton's disDpsitloit. and also OF the
Indlan-arnatna plot I had overheard.
Wei dodge the redcoats. never you
fear: We're at u best In that he re-
joined, rather caretessly. And as to
the Cherokee upstirring. that's an old
story. The kings men have tried 1t
twice and they have not yet caught
Jack Sewer OF Jimmie Robertson
a-napptng. Ease your mind on that
score. Captain Ireton. and come along
with US. II you have nothing better to
DO. can promise you a hard living.
n hard fighting enough to keep 1t in
~countenance."
At this | was brought down to some
consideration Of the present and its de-
swlrled; 1 had my life to be sure; but
ny n having of 1t was made the
basest traitor to my friend-to Jennifer,
and no whit less to Margery.
Twas out of any thought that I
should take the field against the COM
mon enemy, leaving his tangled web
OF mystery and misery behind. In
infer to make a swift and frank confess
sion OF the ill-concluded tale of happen
g That done. l owed it equally to
him and Margery to find some way to
set aside h midnight marriage.
SO l fell back upon my wound for an
excuse. telling the captain that I was
not yet fit to take the feld-which was
true enough. Whereupon he and his
men set me we'll beyond the danger Of
immediate pursuit and we parted COM
pany.
When. I was left alone L had no plan
that reached beyond the days end.
Since to go to Jennifer house by day
light would be to run my neck afresh
into he moose. I saw nothing for 1t
but to lie in hiding until nightfall. The
hiding place that promised best was
the old hunting lodge in the forest, and
thttherward I turned my face.
1t was a wise man who said that he
VINO goes with heavy heart drags heavy
feet as we'll; but while I live 1 shall re-
member how that saying clogged the
path for me that morning, making the
shrub-sweet summer air grow thick
and ifeless as I toiled along. For sober
second thought. n the u%nnerving re-
action which comes upon the heels of
some sharp peril overpast, left me
aghast at the coil in which a tricky fate
had n gled me.
The second thought made plain the
dispiteous hardness Of 1t all, showing
me how l had reasoned like a boy in
planning for r%etrieval. Would Jennifer
believe my tale. though I should swear
1t out word for word on the Holy Evan
gelists? I doubted it; and striving to
see 1t through his eyes, was made to
doubt 1t more. For death should have
been my justifier. n death had played
false.
As for setting the midnight marriage
aside. I made sure the lawyer tribe
could find a way, If that were all. But
here there was a loyal daughter of the
church to reckon with. Loathing her
bonds. as any true-hearted maiden
must, would Margery consent to have
them broken by the law? knew we'll
she would not. Though our poor knot
ting of the tie had been little better
a tragic farce, it lacked nothing
of force to bind the tender conscience
OF a woman bred to look upon the
churchly rite al final.
So, twist n turn as Ilmight. the coil
desperate; inc as I strobe on
gloomily. measuring his the first
stage in a pilgrimage 1 had never
thought to make, a fire of sullen anger
began to smoke and smolder within me
and I could find 1t In my heart to curse
the rue kindness Of my rescuers: to
sorrow in my Utmost soul that they had
between to make a living recreant
Of one who would fain have died an
honest man.