Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-02-28

"Not word Of this to a. soul, little
mother, not word Don't you see
the position in which I stand? My
brother is dead; have upon me at
the present moment, his clothes, his
papers, his valuables. Good heavens
little mother, I've traded on his name
and On his appearance; I am mixed up
in l know not what shady things con
corning him. Turn to any living soul
about here tonight, save yourself, and
tell my story. They will laugh you to
scorn will deride your boy, who's
come back from the grave. Don't you
see that their first question would
naturally be, If you are not Dandy
Chater-you who wear his clothes
and use his name, and hide by night
4 because of his sins--if you are not the
man, where Is he? And, heaven help
me, what am to answer them?"
Betty, Siggs seemed altogether non
! plussed, and could only shake her
| head. Philip, with his arm about her
! did his best to cheer her UP again.
Come, you mustn't be downheart-
ed; I'll pull through somehow or 9th
en-" he said. "But for the time 1 must
keep out of the way. Every day l am
getting nearer to the truth about my
brothers death; every day I seem to
see my way more clearly. But 1 don't
want to be accused Of his murder, for
they might say, with perfect Justice
that l murdered him, the better to
take his place. No, I want to track
down the real man; when that time
comes I'll call on you 10 speak. Until
then, you must be silent as the grave. .
81 CAN'T can't" cried Betty Siggs
as my dear boy to come back to me
after all these years, and am to see
I i'm united an drove like this ERE. by
a mere common Tollely, an say moth
ing? Not mel" Betty Siggs folded
her arms, and nodded her head with
much determination.
Little mother-little mother" he
Exclaimed, edo you want to ruin me?
Do you want to undo all that I have
tried so hard to bring about? Shall |
| tell you something understanding
to be hidden deep in that good heart
Of yours, and never breather to any
/ one? Betty you don't
mind my calling you Betty, do you?
-. have you ever been in
love?"
"P'r'aps you'd like to ask Toby as
| is a-snorin' is 'ead off upstairs this
J very minute" retorted Mrs Siggs,
with very becoming blush. TN love,
indeed
"Well then, you will understand my
difficulty. Pm in love, little mother
and with the sweetest girl in all the
world. But even in that my il-luck
dogs me, for she believes that her low
er is Dandy Chatter, whom she has
known for years; if she once heard
that she had whispered her words OF
love and tenderness and sympathy to
a stranger, do you think that she
would look at me again? Little moth
er, it's the maddest thing in the world;
because if she has any regard for me
as Dandy Chatter, she knows me for
everything that's bad and vile--food
only for the common hangman; while,
on the other hand as Philip Chatter,
/ am a stranger. and farther from her
than ever. In any case it is hopeless;
/ vet. knowing that whatever sympathy
she has is given to Dandy Chatter, III
be Dandy Chatter to the end, whatever
! that end may be. And even you, little
mother, shall not change that purpose
1 So don't talk about It,"
She recognized, however unwilling
", that what he said was true: al
1 though she cried little-partly for
love of him, partly In terror at his
!, danger-yet she was comforted by the
1 feeling that all the sad years Of mourn
ing were swept away. and that the boy
4 she had reared and loved had fulfilled
! her most sanguine expectations, and
had grown to the manhood she had
pictured for him.
He got up and took her tenderly in
his ayms again to say good-by ut
a won't be long, little mother he said,
before come again to you, and take
my place in my fathers home. But
for the present want you to swear to
me-to swear to me on something you
love well-that you will not betray my
secret Betty, for the love of your boy,
4 swear to me that you will not betray
a me-will5 not take from me the love
Of the woman who is more to me than
4 anything else in the wide world.
4 Swear to mel"
With tears in her honest old eyes
I she drew his head down and kissed
him. ..I'll swear to you, Phil" she
said, .'by that"
4 He ran out into the darkness, and
left her standing. in the light of the
candle, in the little parlor.
CHATTER XIV.
The Shady I'm as Moral Character
It must be confessed that Mr. Ogle
81 don, better known in some shady cir
cles as saThe Count" was in an awls
: ward situation. For a whole week he
had secretly congratulated himself OF
q the fact that his unfortunate cousin
.as. DANDY Chatter wa q felp s,..F. ~ Il.