Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-07-26
Captains Double
BY LILLIAs CAMPBELL DAVIDSON


1 hands; but, of course, it does not. You
TO any secrets, my hands and my lips
are tied. | could not say a word of
anything that has been by chance con-
| flded in me by others. and more than
! if had taken my oath over it in
/ COURT
| Il thought you might have been
| moved by pity-by compassion. He is
suchSa boy-so ardent, so full of hope.
He isn't strong; he has put his whole
| life into this effort. II it fails 1T may
kill him. / hoped you might have
! been moved to help him. 1t would
| only have been to say whether he has
no chance of success in his invention,
because it has been already taken
from under his feet"
81 pity him, if he must suffer disap-
| pointment, certainly. But there is
something stronger than even pity,
Countess Ilka"
She let her head drop suddenly and
her look fall before his. Eyes; love is
stronger" she said, in a low, thrilling
voice.
Lover" Winstanley stared, slight
ly taken aback He had meant duty
and honor, of course, and he had
thought she must understand without
more worde. Her sudden misappre-
hension certainly confounded him.
What had love to do with the matter
at all?
"Love!" he repeated, vaguely, crop
ingly--trying to follow her idea.
Eyes, love!" She turned to him
with swift movement; she leant
from her low chair toward the one
where he sat, till her head almost
touched his shoulder in its droop She
put out sudden hand, and caught his
with a burning clasp of agitation
You would tell the woman you cared
fort" she whispered-a whisper that
sprang to his startled ear like a shock.
"Ah! you would not refuse her-you
would tell her all-all; even if it cost
your life. Will you not spare gift as
you? Will you kill her by refusing
what she asks?" For an instant the
room swan round Winstanley, with
it's shaded dim light and it's flowers,
and the ecstacy of the faint, dreamy
throb of distant band. He was over
whelmed, dismayed Mortified, Devil
dered-all in one stupendous whole of
CONSERVATION.
To a man Of simple mind and devoid
of vanity there could be nothing but
shock and humiliation in such mo-
ment as this. He was too petrifed
with the knowledge of her meaning
and his own amazement to do more
than stare aghast at her. She dropped
her head lower, till it swept his cheek
with it's soft perfumed hair, For a
second 1t actually rested against his
coat, and he hadn't the presence OF
mind to push his chair back. What
man, overcome with dismay at such
words, such behavior, would have had
the self-possession to know what to
do?
And it was just at that moment, of
all hapless moments, that Ursula,
coming along the corridor with her
partner, paused at the door of that
very room. They were in search of
soup, without which Mrs Shuttle
waite always earnestly enjoined Ur-
sula never to leave ball: and it
seemed as if they might find it there.
The door stood aiar; there was a
screen between it and the fireplace.
Usurla pushed it little farther open
and looked in. She was the one to see
round the screen first, and as she saw
she drew back SO sharply that she al
most brushed against the man behind
her. No, not here!n she said, sharp
~, and leo him on.
1t is one Of the tricks and sports of
malicious fortune that these things al
!, ways befall. We are seen at the mo-
ment most open to misconstruction by
the one person who will most miscon-
strue, and the mischief done by that
one moment 1t may take years to undo.
Poor Ursula! She had struggled all
night with that new faint feeling Of
bitterness, of chilling doubt. Of uneas-
mess, and now, to find Winstanley in
that remote little room, with his chair
close to that OF Countess Ilka, with
Countess Ilka's head apparently rest.
ing on his shoulder, 1t struck her with
la blow like a sudden realization.
He had no right to sit like that, the
man who had asked her to marry him,
to whom she held herself bound,
though the world did not know. What
EE:did 1t mean what was he doing? The
question had no answer in her shocked
and bewildered mind.
Before the door had been drawn
sharply to again Yyinstanley's self
possession had returned He drew
back with just enough decision to put
/ a space between himself and the dark
and beautiful head of Countess Ilka
and stood up abruptly
The woman / love does not ask me
/ what am bound III honor to refuse,
l he said, rather stiffiy She Ii as jeal
Gus OF my Integrity as Il 1t were hel
/ own, and 30 YOU would be aware II you
knew her. Shall we so i>lck I'd The
ball rooms 4 dare say you would be
gdad to have your carriage called Tor
since you are not wei 4
Twas her last chance, ana she was
losing 4. She knew II, and she
stretched out an inploring hand
listenI aid not mean Ii !.'