Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-11-07

ullallOn Ill nef tone; rnere was q very
singular sort of pride also, and this as
unthinking as the other, 1t was so in
genuous and plain. But Tom saw moth
ing with those dreadful eyes and
heard but little beyond her soothing
brogue. And then she did think and
saw a mark on the blanket in a rod of
moonlight (for she had shut the door,
and cried out to God to forgive the
most selfish woman in all the world.
She had thought of herself and not
Of Tom. She had talked about herself
and not about Tom. In her %selfshness
she had forgotten what she had brought
him, and a medicine bottle of pilfered
milk and rum was at his parched lips
In al instant. She made him drink of
1t, and drink deep, and mutton sand
wiches, d%eliciously cut and salted, she
put between his teeth with her own
fingers, bite after bite, as though he
had been her infant. And all the time
she was railing at herself for forget
ting this and being the most selfish
woman in the world, while he ate and
drank from her tender hand and never
said a word.
But when this was over he took that
hand in his, and so they sat as it
seemed for hours in a thin rain of fill
tered moonshine. Still his eyes were
steadily downcast the whole time.
Thus they missed the happy tears in
hers.
At last he spoke, and it was terrible,
for she could not understand a word.
Then he coughed and tried again and
said, God bless you, Peggy-only there
isn't II in New South Walesw And
that left them both silent and the girl
grieving openly for almost as long
again.
Then he said quite quietly:
"You know I've been in the con-
demned cell, Peggy. But it was moth
ing to this. My God, it was nothing to
this!!"
Peggy pressed his hand.
"The condemned cell at Newgate,"
he went OH. 81 was there I'D to the
very last night and heard the people
taking their places to see me swing.
Well, that night was nothing to this.
And If they had hanged me in the
morning it would have been nothing
nothing-it would have been nothing
The hoarse voice broke, sob after sob
shook the tortured body, and the girl
glowed with shame to find herself the
useless witness of an agony so SUI
preme. But his tears dried hers and
bound their fount. 1t froze her heart
to hear and see him. She was afraid
to speak to him, to touch his hand.
She withdrew a little, and her bare
foot pressed a. cold oasis on the warm
ground. She stopped and picked up a
coin.
"Ha!" cried Tom.
Ills voice was very bitter now, but
under control in a moment.
"Where did it come from?" asked
Peggy, with the coin to a shining
%crevice.
II am ashamed to tell you," and he
ground his teeth. "But you will never
guess. From a greater brute than Ell
tIC WI lilC toulllNul1S. LII Culle 10 look
at me just afterward. l was steaming
like a horse in this blanket, and he
came and gloated over me and flung
me a farthing-a farthing-the very
beast who ordered me the lashes and
pretended to be so kind"
"a farth'n'"
eyes. God help him if ever I get his
yellow throat between these ten fin
gers" And they were clutching MUIR
derously in the air, and there was
murder in every vibration of the husky
voice.
"Sure, an it isn't a farth'n' it is at
ALL"
"What is it. then?"
ga sov'rin!'
And the soft Irish brogue- was rich
with honest satisfaction. She showed
him the coin in triumph. He regarded
1t with a leader, eye.
ga sov'rin!" repeated Peggy. with
enthusiasm. "Stick it in your pockut
an be grateful liver afther to Peggy's
bare fut."
He shook his head.
"You wont?"
Another shake.
"'Tis sinful pride l call It," remon-
strated the girl. "The kind man meant
well"-
"The kind mani"
can isn't he?"
81 owe him a bit already" replied
Tom. "Let me settle that first"
"But this he meant we'll. man. This
is nc farth'n'"-
$50 much the worse. He thought to
heal the wounds I owe him with a SOW
ereign, did he? His conscience and
my wounds! May they lie open and
sting and throb and tickle all at once
as they're doing now till 1 have my
fingers at his throat!" The girl looked
so frightened that he gulped at his pas
sion and said: "You keep it yourself,
Peggy, like a good girl. You deserve
a purse of them for all you've done for
me this night. Why, what now?"
He sat alone in the lookup. The girl
had stolen swiftly out. In the uncon-
scious egotism of his grief and shame