Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-09-08
for The Term of Ills Natural Life
By MARCUS CLARKE
CHAPTER XVII.
By MARCUS CLARKE

chaplain. He came to her one after
noon, and, after talking for some time,
In a vague and unconnected manner,
about the miseries of the prison, and the
wretched condition of some of the pris-
oners, began to question her abruptly
concerning Rufus Dawes.
II do not wish to think of him." said
she, with a shudder. 81 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. l 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 him?"
Eyes, gave it him. Why not7 You
are not angry?"
"Oh, no. Why should be angryf
she laughed constrainedly. 1T was
strange fancy for the man to have, that's
ALL"
81 suppose you would not give me an
other rose, if 1 asked your"
why notT' said she, turning away
uneasily. 'You? You are a gentleman"
mot You don't know me. 1t would
be better for you If you had never seen
me-"
"Mr Northp Terrified at the wild
CLEAN in his eyes, she had risen hastily
"You are talking very strangely"
ooh, don't be alarmed, madam. l had
better leave you. Indeed, l think the
less we see Of each other the better"
Deeply wounded and astonished at this
extraordinary outburst. Sylvia allowed
him to stride away without a word. The
next day he met her, and, bowling, pass
ed swiftly. This panied her.
So week passed, and Mr.. North did
not retnrn Unluckiy for the poor
wretch, the very self-sacrifce he had
made brought about the precise condi-
ton 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.
Her husband, she had long ago admit
ted. with bitter self-communings, was
utterly unsuted to her. She could find
I'm his society no enjoyment, and for
the sympathy which she needed was
compelled to turn elsewhere. She I'M
derstood that his love for her had burn
ed itself out In word, she found that
the society of North had become so far
necessary to her, that to be deprived of
It was a gref-notwithstandi 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 to Maui
rice and begged to be sent back to H0-
bart Town. 81 cannot live in this hor-
rible island" she said. II am getting
i'll. Let me go to my father for few
months, Maurice" Maurice consent
ed. His wife was looking ill, and Major
Vickers was an old mana rich old man
who loved his only daughter. 1t 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 if you like, my dear" he said.
al expect her every day" At this de-
cision-much to his surprise-she kissed
him with more show of affection than
she had manifested for a long time
Inc news VI LHc approaching ucpuit
ure became known, but still North did
not make his appearance. Had it not
been n 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 sufficient morbidity In the sym
pathy she had for him to restrain her
from an act which young girl. though
not more innocent, would have dared
without hesitation.
Between the corimandant and the
chaplain now arose GOODNESS, and
Frere set himself, by various petty
tyrannies, to disgust North and compel
him to a resignation of his office. The
convict jailers speedily marked the diff
ference in the treatment of the chaplain
and their demeanor changed. For re
spect was substituted insolence; foi
alacrity sullenness; for prompt obedi
ence, impertinent intrusion. The mer
whom North favored were selected a!
special subjects for harshness, and fol
a prisoner to be seen talking to the cler
gyman was sufficient to insure for hin
a series of tyrannies. There was bu
one being who was not to be turned from
his allegiance-the convict murderer
Rufus Dawes, who awaited death. Fo
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 tn
doomed felon met his taunts and tor
ments, thought that he was shEnminI
piety to gain some indulgence of mea
and drink, and redoubled his severity
He ordered Dawes to be taken out t
work just before the hour at which tn