Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-09-27

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pute nor protest against. 1t was the
rule of war, and he acknowledged it.
There was no special hardship In his
case. Only the sense Of disappoint-
ment, Of failure, rushed over him like
a flood OF bitterness. He had had his
chance and missed It, Now all hope
was over. He should never win Ur-
sula back or clear his name. He had
time enough to think 1t all over as he
lay in the rough prison where he was
hastily placed. There was a guard
mounted, but small need for the
was in the very middle of the camp,
and there was no smallest hope of
escape Even If he could creep away
unobserved, what would that serve
him? He would be taken again before
he could get half mile away He
would die, and IL might even never be
known what had become of him; he
would not fall in action, a hero, but
perish by the doom Of spy.
He sat on the rough wooden box
which was all the camp afforded by
way of "a seat. 1t was the death Of a
dogwithout any comfort to tighten
it. He had said to himself, in the first
bitterness Of his disgrace, that death
would be welcome, but now that it
came and stared him In the face he
could not welcome it.
He was young still. The quick fire
that ran through his veins had not
thinned and chilled down to zero point
It still cried to him of the sweetness
of living, even II it were in an altered
life Ursula, he dared hardly to let
himself think OF her-his sweetheart,
his wife who was to have been. And
yet he could not keep his thoughts
from her; her face rose before him as
wildly as If he could see it smiling at
him in reality from the corner Of the
hut where he gazed and gazed.
Ursula, away in England, with a
heart that waited patiently and faith
fully, as she had promised it would
wait. Ursula, the dearest and the
sweetest, his one and only love. a
long, long breath came like a groan,
but he checked it in haste as he heard.
1t might come to the ear Of the sentry
and make him think he minded-that
he was afraid!
The sun was just setting; he could
see it through the little narrow win
dow, with Its dusty pane. The whole
sky was one flood Of purple and gold
and crimson glory such as cold
English skies can never know. He
stared at 1t with heart that had q
strange yearnang in 1.-THE last sun
set he should ever see. He was to die
tomorrow morning at the sun-risng.
Odd to think he would never watch
the evening sunlight again!
All day long, over the rolling green
OF the grass country, a. man had been
ridinghis face that way. He had
passed clumps Of shrub, dark against
the paler green about them, and barren
rock, jutting UP, bare and stern and
.gaunt, against the sky. He had come
with the slow, regular pace Of the man
who has the end Of his business well
before him, and does not hasten to
meet that end.
AS he came In sight Of the camp,
where the huts long built were
hemmed in by new tents, and the hast
ily-built defenses that circles the
whole. he drew rein, and halted for a
moment to look down on the place
from the rising ground above it. He
was tired. apparently, for he moved In
the saddle as If to find ease after long
trayel, and he had weary look in his
handsome face. ,;
He Moved again, and a man sprang
out from the group OF bushes his
rifle pointed. his head alert. who
goes Friend or foe r? rang the quick
challenge The 5horseman gave pass.
word, and the rifle lowered,
sIs Van Beer anywhere about here?
4 want to get to him z
Down in the camp. He has lust
come back from days scouting.
You'll find him at the school house. Z
The man was staring hard at the one r,r
on the horse, with q kind $of amaze
sment In his look.
That's right. i have got some
thing Tor him. I've been down to
SWynberg and Cape Town picking up
what I could. The papers III Eng land
are doing lot Of service. Ii it wasn't
Tor their corresponds and kilograms
We should be out in the dark. They
play Into the hands of our side every
day. n
The other grunted, whather In satis-