Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1906-09-07
For The Term of His Natural Life
BY MARCUS CLARKE
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CHAPTER XVII.

chaplain. He came to her one after
noon, and, after talking for some time,
IN vague and unconnected manner,
about the miseries Of the prison, and the
wretehed condition Of some of the pris-
oners, began to question her abruptly
concerning Rufus Dswes.
4 do not wish to think of him." said
she, with a shudder. II have the stran-
gest the most horrible dreams about
him. He is a bad man. He tried to
murder me when a child, and had it not
been for my husband, he would have
done SO. / have only seen him once
since then-at Hobart Town, when he
was taken"
He sometimes speaks to me of you"
said North, eying her. "He asked me
once to give him rose plucked in your
garden"
Sylvia turned pale. "And you gave
It himY
Yes, / gave it him. Why not? You
are not angry ??
oh, mol Why should be angry?'
she laughed constrainedly. ut was a
strange fancy for the man to have, that's
all"
4 suppose you would not give me an
other rose, If ! asked your
Why not2' said she, turning away
uneasily. "You2 You are a gentleman"
Not I--you don't know me. 1t would
be better for You if you had never seen
me-
"Mr. Northv' Terrified at the wild
CLEAN in his eyes, she had risen hastily.
You are talking very strangely"
'Oh, don't be alarmed, madam. had
better leave you. Indeed, think the
less we see Of each other the better"
Deeply wounded and astonished at this
extraordinary outburst, Sylvia allowed
him 70 stride away without a word. The
next day he met her and, bowling. pass
ed swiftly. This panied her.
SO q week passed. and Mr. North did
not return. Unluekily for the poor
wretch, the very self-sacrihce he had
made brought about the precise condi-
tion Of things which he was DESTROYS
to avoid. But the very fact of the
sudden wrenching away of her compan
ion showed her how barren was the soil
tary life to which she had been fated.
r Her husband, she had long ago admit
ted with bitter self-communings, was
utterly unsuited to her. She could find
II hia society no enjoyment, and for
the sympathy which she needed was
compelled to turn elsewhere. She UNI
derstoQd that his love for her had burn
ed itself out. In a word, she found that
the society Of North had become so far
necessary to her, that to be deprived of
Il was a Notwithstanding that her
husband remained to console her.
After a week Of such reflections, the
barrenness Of life grew insupportable
to her, and one day she came tONMau-
rice and begged to be sent back to Ho-
BART Town. ~ cannot live In this hor-
rible island she said. II am getting
ill Let me 90 to my father for a few
months, Maurice" Maurice consent
ed. His wife was looking i'll, and Major
Yickers was an old mana rich old man
who loved his only daughter. It was
not undesirable that Mrs. Frere should
visit her father; indeed, SO little SYM
patty was there between the pair, that,
the first establishment over, Maurice felt
rather glad to get rid of her for a
while. you can go back in the Lady
Franklin. II you like, my dear" he said
II expect her every day" At this de-
eision--much to his surprise-she kissed
him with more show of affection than
she had manifested for long time.
The news Of the approaching depart
IRE became known, but still North did
not make his appearance. Had It not
been a step beneath the dignity Of a
woman, Mrs. Frere would have gone
herself and asked him the meaning of
his unaccountable rudeness; but there
was Just sufflcient mOrbidity In the sym
nathy she had for him to restrain her
from al act which a young girl. though
not more innocent, would have dared
without hesitation.
Between the commandant and the
chaplain now arose a GOODNESS, and
Frors set himself, by various petty
tyrannies, to disgust North and compel
him 10 q resignation of his ONCE The
convict jailers speedily marked the diff
ference In the treatment Of the chaplain,
and their demeanor changed. For re-
spect was substituted nsOlenee; for
alacrity, sullenness; for prompt obedi-
ence, impertinent intrusion. The men
whom North favored were selected as
special subjects for harshness, and for
q prisoner to be seen talking to the cler-
gyman was sufIicient to insure for him
q series Of tyrannies. There was but
one being who was not to be turned from
bis allegiance convict murderer,
Rufus Dawes, who awaited death. For
many days he had remained mute. brok-
en- down beneath his weight of sorrow
or Of sullenness.
Frere, unable to comprehend the rea-
son Of the calmness with which the
doomed felon met his taunts and tor
ments. thought that he was shGnming
piety to gain some indulgence of meat
and drink, and redoubled his severity.
he ordered Dawes to be taken out to
work just before the hour at which the
chaplain was accustomed to visit him.
The method and manner of Frere's
revenge became a subject of whispered
conversation on the island. 1t was re-
ported that North had been forbidden to
visit the convict, but that he had re
fused to accept the prohibition, and. by
threat Of what he would do when the
returning vessel had landed him in Ho-
bart Town, had compelled the command
ant to withdraw his order. The COM
mandant however, speedily discovered in
hutus Dawes signs of INSTRUMENTATION,
and set to work again to reduce again
stu further the spirit" he had so in
geniously broken" The unhappy con-
Wet was deprived of food WAS kept