Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-09-28
FROM GLOOM
ITO SUNLIGHT


head, but | have killed her, l am sorry
l am glad"
Whom have you killed." asked the
earl, calmly.
Whom? The Countess of Caraven,
the beautiful, proud. imp"rious woman
who, with one wave of her hand, sent
me TO ruin-I have killed her"
How did you Kill her, inquired
the earl.
A wild laugh came from the mans
lips.
How? have watched and waited
maAy 4 long day; | have stood in the
high road when she passed by. ! could
have shot her dead a hundred times, but
I would not. lest in taking her life |
took also the life of II who had never
harmed me. l hated her because she
ruined me. She drove me from my
place, she left me branded as n thief
among my fellowmen. She was my ban
and my curse, so l shot her. But | am
not all bad, and l was sorry whcn l
saw her fail dead. I came home, but
she followed me: ami she has stood
near me ever since-a woman with dead
eyes: awful to Loo upon, awful to
sect
Tel me-" said the earl quietly. "how
did you know that it was my wife,
II knew her by the scarf-her silver
scarf-she wore it over her arms the
first time l saw her"
"You tried to take q terrible revenge,
said Lord Caraven.
ut has been worse for me- rejoined
the dying man, "a thousand times
worse. l went five times after differ
eot situations, and on each occasion 1t
Was flung scornfully in my face that
had been dismissed from Ravensmere.
when 1 found that l was ruined
uwore that 1 would kill her ladyship,
and l have lone it,"
Thank heaven that you have not,
said the earl hastily. Il am thankful
to say that your murderous shot never
| reached my wife. The lady you awe in
! jured is a stranger to you-Lady Ham
ilton. She had thrown Lady Caraven's
! scarf over her shoulders-hence the
: mistake"
! The look on the dying mans face was
terrible to see-the fiendish disappoint-
ment. the bitter hatred.
Then 1 have not killed her after ALL"
be cried.
No; you have wounded an innocent
i lady, a stranger to YOU, that is all. My
lear wife you have not injured
And 1 sent for you. believing that
she was dead, dreading lest an inno-
cent man should suffer for my deed,
longing also that you should know I
had taken my revenge"
Il can only thank heaven you have
failed !" said the earl.
John Blantyne raised himself the
hatred, the bad passions iii the dying
face were terrible to see.
Tell her. he cried, Il am sorry 1
did not kill her; tell her that b ruin
ed me, and that 1 hate her for 1t. Tell
her that 1 sent her my curse, and that
after 1 had cursed her I never opened
my lips again."
He fell back exhausted, and he kept
his word. Never again were his lips
opened in mortal speech. After that
one terrible curse his lips were mute
and dumb, whether so stricken by
heaven, or whether the result Of his an
ger and disappointment, no one ever
knew he died in obstinate sulleN, Sd
lence.
When that last scene was over the
earl, who had remained with him to
the end. returned to Ravensmere. John
Blantyne's crime and suicide had sad
dened him ineXpressibly.
allow I wish that I could live my
life owe again." he thought. Il would
BILE, l must make the most of the time
that remains"
He was more saddened and unhappy
than he ever remembered to nave been
in his life before. He sought Sir
Raoul's room.
Il am quite out Of spirits to-day"
he said. Let me talk to you, Raoul.
This death of Blantyre has been q
shock to me that l shall never get over.
I feel as though 1 am to blame for 1t,
all through my negligence and want OF
looking after people. 1 seem suddenly
to have grown into a man, wiser, sad
der than 1 had ever thought to be.
One thing above all others puzzles me
how could I have been so blind or 50
foolish as thus to misjudge herr"
"Misjudge whom?" asked Sir Raoul.
Mildred. Oh, forgot, I had not
told you that! You believed Of course
that she had been sent for? There was
no truth in it; l SEN her away myself.
I told her that she must never enter my
| doors again. Now I find that it is all
a mistake"
81 do not in the least understand
| what you mean, Uric. Why did you
send Hildred away, and what was a
mistaken"
II shrink from telling you. Upon my
homer, l am ashamed of myself. Do
you know, I positively believed Hill
dred had done this deed-I believed
she had shot Lady Hamilton"
An expression of deepest contempt
came over Sir Raoul's face.
az should never have imagined such
a thought would enter 0 u breast" he
said, Indignantly. II speak plainly to
you, Uric, as 1 have never done before.
Your wife is wasted on you-she is q
thousand times too good for ycu She
is one of the noblest, truest, purest
women under the sun. You-if you
could so misjudge her-are to be pitied.
Hildred capable of murder! Heaven
give me patience! l could not have be.
lieved you would entertain such an
idea. I could not nave imagined that
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