The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-07-20
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

claimed. 1T think nc more of shooting
that villain through the head than IL
he had been a mad dog"
He kicked a clod down the cleft, and
az it fell with thud ON the lime that
covered old Peter, he said:
Fancy a thing like that-a vile, ignor-
ant ruflian, ninety and odd, keeping me
under his thumb for dozen years, hold
ins me ut his mercy, threatening my
daughter with lifelong disgrace. With
little more wit he might have taken ev-
cry penny of my ill-gotten fortune from
NE. You must know by this time that
am the man who gave him that chest
&C. sink out at sea. Every meeting we
had was in the dark, and under dis
guise. i believed he could not recognize
mt-but he aid. He was used to the
night; it was part of his old business TO
penetrate DISCUSSES, and knoNwhat sort
o. man he had to deal with. He told me
how they had discovered her and brought
her to life. But no bride would induce
him to give her up to me, or tell me
where ], would find her. Perhaps your
gTandfather's mercy had something to
90 with that. He thought, maybe, that
having tried to destroy her once, / only
wanted to get her again to do the deed
| effectually. For twelve years that went
on. Then / saw yo,r advertisement in
the Times, and answered it through a
firm Of solicitors in London. When l
heard from hem that the girl you had
found was the child l had tried 60 mur-
DER lost my head, and Peter Beamish
coming to me at that very moment for
money, and with his usual threats of
exposure, l ieiied him TO produce the
girl. and, 90 like a fool put him on the
scent. He had told mo that the child was
stout, healthy wench in service. / ex-
pected to find her vulgar, coarse and ro-
bust. You can imagine the shock when
| heard the truth, and found the sweet,
fcail lit0e thing, whose wasted life |
lad to answer for. Heaven knows I did
not mean to bury her alive. You ask
why ! tried TO kill the child. I have
brought You here to tell. Nct that l
may excuse myself, but that it .,,2y lessen
no child's shame when the truth IS
known. l married in direct defiance to
my fathers wish. He disinherited me.
|. a spendthrft, a ne'er-do-well, who had
never occupied myself with one serious
consideration, found myself unable to
earn living. Ny wife died. Ethel was
sick. My hast guinea was paid for the
advice of physician. He declared that
Ethel could he saved by being taken 10
Madeira for time but could never live
through the winter in this climate. At
that juncture my father died, leaving
everything TO an adopted infant, for he,
Ike me, was n friendless, unlovable man.
BY a strange coincidence the adopted
child was weaK-not expected to outlive
childhood. Ny father knew this, and left
lis fortune to her with reversion to me,
simply as a means of prolonging my pun
ishment for few years longer. And
now this question was presented to me
Should l suffer my own child to die,
WI hen I might save her life by destroying
the child who was not expected to live?
did not hesitate an instant. My child
was everything to me, the other was moth
Ing to anybody. l stole the child, and
on believed took her life away with
an opiate. / believed that she was dead
when I gave her into the hands of Peter
Beamish. May heaven deny me mercy if :.
this is untrue" He paused, and then,
in softened tone, he said: IT do not
wish to exonerate myself. Time will
show that / have paid the penalty for
the woe brought upon poor unhappy
Psyche
He did not return to the Chase. Ethel
tried to believe that her father was Sc
curing relief from physical sufferings
abroad. A month passed, and we heard
no tidings of him. One day my grand
fath 20 With
u. his face. Sonny" he said. in
hcctoring tone he had learned from hts
father, you've got to come along of me.
You've got to put on your hat and ask
no questions, but just hear what I've got
to give you as we goes along"
/ put on my hat and went with him.
We turned in the direction of the Half
way House.
III don't see much good in reforming"
he began, as we trudged along. Seems
to me if you 20 bit out o your right
course at the first start, not all the
tracts or total abstemiating In life amt
going to put you straight again."
What's the matter?- asked.
''You speak when you're spoke to and
not before, sonny, or you'll so wrong like
the rest of the family"
Having walked on some distance TO let
this warning sink, he recommended
IT don't see what's the use on it.
Here's father been out on the loose over
month and never come anigh me.
You've got to so down in that cave again,
sonny"
stopped short. chilled to the heart
at the very thought of revisiting the scene
of my poor Psyche's captivity.
"Come on--you'vc got to co. he said.
doggedly. I'D so myself If I'd got the
strength, and it amt the fear of not