Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-02-08

There is nothing OF the spectacular in
my makeup. l have no Deief IN the
value OF martyrs n martyrdom.
Causes are not won-and in my humble
opinion never have been won-in the
~graveyards. Alive and afoot and
armed, and true TO my cause. | am the
dreaded menace TO systematic and re-
spectacle robbery. What possible good
could have come OF mobs killing me
and the bandits dividing my estate?
But why should l seek to justify my
self? l care no a rap for the opinion
of my fellowmen. They sought my life
when they should rave been hailing me
as a deliverer; now they look up to me
because they falsely believe me guilty
of an infamy.
My guards expected to be recalled on
Tuesday. But Melville heard what
Crawford had done about me, and
straightway used his influence to have
me detained until the new grip OF the
old gang was secure. Saturday after
noon we put in at Newport for the
daily communication with the shore.
When the launch returned Mulholland
brought the papers to me, lounging aft
in a mass of cushions under the avn
ing. I'VE are going ashore, said he.
THE order has come."
had a sudden sense OF loneliness.
Il IL Take yOu OWu W 49,
said /. II prefer to land my guests
where / shipped them"
AS the Albatross steamed into the
little harbor | saw Mowbray Langon's
Incidence at anchor. l glanced toward
Steuben Point-where his cousins, the
Vivians, lived-and thought / recog-
nized his launch at their pier. We
saluted the Incidence; the Incidence
saluted us. My launch was piped away
ard took me ashore. | strolled along
the path that wound round he base
of the hill toward the kennels. AT
the crossing of the path down from the
house, / paused and fingered on the
glimpse of one OF the corner towers OF
the great snowy palace. l was NUT
tering something listened to myself.
1t was. "M~ulholland, Mrs. Mulholland
and the four little Mulhcllands.' And
I felt like laughing aloud, such a joke
was 1t that / should be envying a po-
liceman his potato patch n his fat
wife and four little brats, and that he
should be In a position to pity me.
You may be imagining that, through
all, Anita had been dominating my
mind. That Is the way 1t is in the
but not in life. No doubt
there are men who brood upon the i'm
possible, and moon and maunder away
their lives over the grave of a dead
love; no doubt there are people who
will say that because i did not shoot
Langdon or her, or myself, or fly to
q desert or pose in the crowded places
of the world as the last scene of a
tragedy, / therefore cared little about
her. / offered them this suggestion: A
mar strong enough to give a love worth
a woman's while is strong enough to
live on without her when he finds he
may not live with her.
AS / stood there that summer day,
locking toward the crest Of the hill,
at the hooking mausoleum of my dead
dream, / realized what the incessant
battle Of the street had meant to me.
There is peace for me only In the
storm" said /. But thank God, there
Is peace for me somewhere"
Through the foliage / had glimpses
of some one coming slowly down the
ZigZag path. Presently, at one of the
turnings half way up the hill, appeared
Mowbray Langdon. What is he do
ing here?" thought 1, scarcely able to
believe my eyes. Here Of all Places"
then | forgot the strangeness of
his being at Dawn Hill In the strange
OF his expression. For 1t was ap-
parent, sven at the distance which sep
arated us, that he was suffering from
great and recent blow. He looked
OIu anu ~ lie WdIkeQ IKE a man
neither knows nor cares where he
is going.
He fought hard to keep his eyes
steadily on mine; but they would waver
and shift. Not, however, before l had
found deep down In them the begin
nings OF fear. you see, you were mis-
taken" said L. You have nothing to
say TO me-or / to you"
He knew that l had looked straight
to the bottom of his real self, and had
seen the coward that Is in every man
who has been bred to appearances only.
Up rose his vanity. the towards sub
for courage.
You think / am afraid of you 2" he
sneered, blufling and clustering like the
school bully.
i don't In the least care whether
you are or not" replied I. What are
you doing here, anyhow"
1T was as If l had thrown off the
cover of a furnace. II came to get the
woman / love" he cried. You stole
her from me! You tricked me! But.
by God. Blackjack, I'll never pause I'M
til l set her back and punish your'
He was brave enough now. drunk with
the fumes from his brave words. All
my life." he ragged arrogantly on. "I'ye
had whatever | wanted. I've let MOTH
ing interfere-nothing and nobody. rye
been too f~orebearing with you-frst. be-
us | knew she would never care for
you. and, then. because rather adj
mired your pluck and impudence. 7
like TO see fellows kick their way up
among us from the common people"
/ put my hand on his shoulder. No
doubt the fiend that rose within me.
as from the dead looked at him from
my eyes. He has great physical
strength, but he WINGED under that
weight and grip, and across his face
fitted h terror that must come to
any man at first sense OF being in the
angry clutch OF one stronger than he.
| slowly released him-I had tested and
realized my physical superiority: to
use II would be cheap and cowardly.
You can't provoke me to descend to
your level" said i. with the easy phil
osophy of him, who clearly has the
better of the argument.
He was staring at me with a dazed
expression. i rather expected him to
show some of hat amused contempt
with which men OF his sort always re-
ceive a new Idea that Is beyond the
range OF their narrow, conventional
minds. For / did not expect him TO
understand why / was not only willing.
but even eager 10 r%elinquish a woman
whom ! could only hold by asserting a
property right In her. And do not
think he did understand me, though
his ann changed to a sort of grudg-
Ing respect. He was, 7 believe. about
to make some impulsive. generous
speech. when we heard the Quick
strokes Of iron-shod hoofs on the path
from the kennels and the stables-is
there any sound more arresting? Past
us AZ 2 gailop swept a horse, on his
Il - n ~At&A fA ~. -