The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-03-17
| IN THE SHADOW OF SHAME
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ried him to his home with needless
haste.
He dined lightly. and drank but lit
tie Wine that evening: then passing
| into his study he gave orders that he
was not to be disturbed
Electric light strove to brighten this
cosy room with its thick carpet and
! heavy hangings, It's bookshelVes con-
tanning rare and handsomely bound
Volumes. many of them first editions
and presentation copies from their au
thors. Fencing foils he had brought
from Toledo hung over his portrait
and around the library We're other curl
osities he had gathered in various cit
| les and continentS-an ivory idol
struggled from Persian temple; a
Turkish scimitar which had severed a
| Christian head; Il Itinerary statuette
in green glazed pottery he had un-
earthed in Egypt: mosque lamp of
ancient date: a scarab of the time Of
Amenemhat II. Each had some pleas
ant recollection attached to it: all he
valued. Therefore he looked upon
| them with sad eyes, reluctant to say
| farewell.
AS he lay back in his chair before
his desk. the despair that blinds hope.
| letters JOY, and brushes vitality. came
| upon him; but striving to rise above
these feelings. he set himself to his
task. He had already destroyed such
|
as he deemed too sacred for other eyes
to look upon when he had gone And
next he made will leaving pensions
| to his servants, dividing his valuables
among a few friends, and bequeathng
all else he possessed to Olive Dunn
| barton.
1t was hard that while in the enjoy
ment of vigor and vitality he should
make preparations for what was to
happen a few hours later, when men
would count him among the dead. He
was intelligent enough to know life
could not end here, and the dread Of
what might come was full upon him.
Yet he did not finch from his pur-
pose.
With overwhelming sadness he be-
| gan letter to his cousin, whom he
| might never see again, and whom he
addressed now for the last time. And
while he wrote, the pain and despair
| within him grew until tears blinded
his eyes and fell upon the page. More
than once he laid down the pen as If
| unable to continue, and then again be-
gan, eager to finish his task, yet re-
luctant to say the final word fare
well to her he loved. And this was
| what he wrote:
my Dear olive: l begin by i'm
ploring you to forgive me for the cruel
wrong l have done you. which now, at
| this late hour, | am going to repair.
When few days ago you said George
Bostock had not committed murder.
your woman's instinct was right; your
faith In him was justified, for it was
who killed your husband.
When, on the night l dned with
you before leaving England you told
me of his return. l was filled with un-
easiness, not knowing what steps such
a scoundrel might take to prosecute
and defraud you. | ought to have re-
| M NV ,,,1,, 10,
tive, but my. desire for pleasure was
too strong for my sense Of duty, and
| l went While in Paris my anxiety
| increased, but even then | debated with
myself as to whether l should return
or continue my journey | decided on
the latter, and then wrote and posted
to you the letter and book which
reached you that unhappy night. No
sooner. however than l had done so,
Than the heartlessness of my conduct
IN leaving you unprotected became
plain, and | determined to return and
see for myself what course he had
TAX en-. AS my stay might be brief |
left my luggage behind and did not re-
turn to my house. then in charge OF a
caretaker
"On arriving at Charing Cross ]
stayed at the Eagle Hotel, and after a
late dinner set out for Hixton road
with the intention of surp Using YOU,
'>e'''h '''S 'hele ! taebnt - nj OF
man walking stealthily up and down
In front of your house. My first I'M
Il pulse was TO aCcost, my second to
watch him. for which purpose with
drew TO the opposite side of the road
He disappeared, but finally returned
when | saw him open the gate. BY
this time | had recognized him as
Dumbarton. and going over, caught
hold of his shoulder and flung him
aside. Bitter words followed: he
struck me and | clutched him hv the
throat, suddenly | felt a sharp pain in
my left shoulder. when, in a momen.
of passion. | snatched the knife with
which | was stabbed from his hand
and struck him with it in the breast
startled by what had done ana by
the fear of It's consequent | rushed
from the spot. until hearing "A servants
cries and seeing a policeman. paused