The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1907-05-17

There. there. little one that wasn't
fair. l was a beast to say it to you-
more of a beast because you are going
20 be put to the test"
why. Dick, what do you mean"
Just this, Maysie grille. We can
not go back to England-at least can
not"
You cannot go back, Dick? Surely,
surely you have not committed some
crime which prevents you from going
back. 1t isn't that? Say it isn't"
We'll, I'm not exactly a criminal, lit
tie girl. out l might just as well be-"
he said bitterly. Il should be treated
like one If / went back. and every n
believes me to be the most d~espicable
wretch on the face of the green earth"
A nameless fear grew in the girls
eyes.
For heavens sake, Dick, tell me
what you ean
II mean just this: If / went back to
England tomorrow my own relative
would in all probability cut me dead.
The fellows at the clubs-in the park
On the street, would pass me with a
cold nod, II I offered them my hand,
not a mothers son Of them but would
quietly and coldly ignore it. Ny Cod,
chtld. you don't know what it meant to
me. / went through 1t once, but not
e for you could l go through that
tefl a second time"
But why. Dick; tell me why-what
have you done?"
IT'S not good hearing for innocent
ears like yours, little sweetheart: but
1t is your right to know. 1 have told
you that when / came into my none
at 18 / kicked over all restraints and
went the pace till-well, until became
the worst kind of a cropper. You see.
Margrave and two or three others Of
the Oxford set came into their money
at tho Sana time and like a 1nt nf
hot headed fools. we turned London up
side down hunting for some new devil
ment in which to make ducks and
brakes of 1t all. / was the hottest
headed fool OF them all and soon found
that l had not only established an un-
that l had run dangerously near the
end of my tether-things had arrived at
n stage where I could no longer hold
my own with the fellows. so l made up
my mind to pull up stakes and go to
one of the colonies with the remainder.
He sat gloomily silent for a moment,
apparently lost in a retrospect any
thing but pleasant. An impatient ooh,
go on, Dick. please go on" from the
girl brought him back to the present
again.
Just before I sailed for Australia
the day before, l think 1t was-Mar-
grave came to me and said: See here.
old chap, I'm in a devil Of a hole; I
need two thousand pounds the worst
sort Of a way and not mother sou can
1 raise on the estate. I've got to have
1t or thereIl be a scandal that will
break the matters heart; help me out,
for Gods sake
"Margrave's mother had been awful
ly good to me when 1 was a lonely lit
tie chap at Eton-used to have me
dow for the holidays inc all that, you
know-so the upshot of it all was that
1 promised to let him nave the two
thou.--it was just half of what l had
left-and, further. he got me to prom
Use to take the check to the party he
was rowing with. l took it, got a re-
ceipt for 1t. and sailed the next day.
For eight years in Australia : got
no word from the home folks, but
thought that the letters had gone
astray, as l was far up country. and
finally l went back to England with a
nice little pile and a big longing for the
society of my w kind again. God.
what a homecoming 1t was. Not a well
come; black looks. yelled insinuations,
everywhere. One day l asked n chap