Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1906-01-11

| today MONTH" he sighed then added,
with impetuous haste: Hang 1t all,
Pm not going to let my thoughts run
ahead in This depressing manner. Tn
committed to stand my trial, and I'll
stand 1t. II were to show the white
| feather now, don't know who would
despise me most-other people or my
self! / walked into the hands of the
police with my eyes open and counting
the cost-ah, by Joye. though, / didn't
| count the cost quite fully! I had no
idea how hard it would be to carry
| through to the end. l was intoxicated
with my love for Hilda. / was myself,
strong of purpose and unt1inching. yet
not myself. But it is one thing to rush
on when excitement is at fever point,
and to die orIsaye the woman one
loves before that excitement has evap-
GRATED; but it is totally different
thing to sit here, in this small, wretch
ed cell, a common prisoner, day after
day, waiting and waiting. The one
thing that would have given good
deal not to do is wrecking Reggie's
life. But he went long way on the
road himself that evening when he
brought back Ellinghams CORY pen
knife, and jumped to the conclusion
that it was mine-by Jove, he did!
There's no doubt that he laid the foun-
dation stone Of my claiming to have
committed the crime. And my love
for Hilda quickly completed matters"
He sprang to his feet and began
hastily pacing the cell.
ITO think that / shall never see her
face again!" he said, sharply and ex-
citedly. ITO think that murderer will
have the joy of her sweet companions
ship whilst am herded with GRIMM
ais, or worse--hung! Am l a fool to
have saved her happiness at this awful
price? Yes, believe am an idiot. a
perfect idiot! How do know that the
police are not in full possession of the
fact that Ellingham was Margaret's
husband? If they are, and Hilda is
branded with the infamy of her true
position, there's not a person on earth
who would do SO much to negative her
unhappiness as would. And of what
use shall be as a criminal-or dead?
And what will Ellingham do? Only
that which will suit his own infamous
seltishness. What reliance can be
placed on a murderer? He said that
he murdered the woman for Hilda's
sake-but not half so much for her
sake as for his own, I expect! Oh,
why was / such a fool as not to see
his conduct in the proper light before?
Shall go back from my statement
confess the lying part that have
played?"
The last questions burst from his
lips in a voice of agony.
He was quivering with emotion and
his harrassed eyes cleaned with sud.
den hope, but only for a second.
What, brand myself as the biggest
liar and fool that ever lived?" he
thought. "Not I! should be the
laughing stock Of half the world and
the scorn of the other half. No. I'll
be consistent. I'll go through it to the
end. How wish / could pass the in,
tervening days before my trial with my
powers Of thinking deadened."
But as day succeeded day those
powers of thinking were destined to
grow keener and keener, and his abil-
ity to argue himself into believing that
his life's sacrifice would avail nothing
grew more and more cruelty vivid.
Restless, tortured with ceaseless re-
grets, he lived through those interven-
ing five days, suffering mentally to a
degree that has never been exceeded
by mortal.
Then came the final, awful day be-
fore the trial-the twenty-four hours
when the horrors Of vacillation held
their sway over his mind, bringing
with them moments during which his
reason trembled in the balance.
Twice Mr.. Streeter asked to see
him; both times he was refused.
Ito BE continued.)