Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1907-04-19

why dld you Drlng your acco1pIict
with you:' she said, looking at CASTOR.
Really. my dear Bebe," he said, lazily
II don't know why you should call hin
my accomplice, as l have committed nc
crime
Have you notT' she said, rising to her
feet and bending toward him, think
again.
mo, / do NOT think I have he an.
swered, CHANGING kcenly at her Il sup
pose you want ne 10 be rs black as your
self"
You coward" she said. in a rage.
turning on him, how dare you taunt me
in this manner? Is it not enough that
you have impcriled my life, without jerr-
ing at me thus?"
BAH" retorted Vandeloup. cynically,
brushing somc dust off his coat, this is
not the point you insinuate that l com
mitted 4 crime, perhaps you will tell me
what kind of n crime:'
Murder" she replied. in a whisper.
"Oh, indeed" sneered CASTOR. coolly,
though his lips twitched a little, ''the same
style OF crime as your own? and whose
murder am | guilty of, prayT'
Randolph Villiers."
"Who can prove it?' he asked, con-
temptuously.
Il can
You" with a sneer, "a murderessE'
WHO can prove am a murderess:"
she cried. wildly. t~s2a.a
Il can" he answered. with an ugly
look land | will if you don't keep a
quiet tongue
Il will keep quiet no longer" boldly
rising and facing Nandcloup. with her
hands clenched at her sides ~ have tried
to shield you faithfully through all your
wickedness. but now that you accuse me
of committing a crime, which accusation
You know is false, | accuse you, CASTOR
Nandeloup, and your accomplice. yonder,"
wheeling round and pointing to Pierre.
who shrank away, .'of numbering Ran
dolph Villiers, at the Black Hill. Ballarat,
for the sake of a nugget of gold he car
ried."
You are mad said Vandeloup, in a
cold voice this is the raving of a luna
tic; there is no proof of what you say
it was proven conclusively that myself
and Pierre We're asleep at our hotel while
Mr.. Villiers was with .Barty at two
O'Clock in the morning."
II know that it was proved" she re-
torted, "and by some ~jugglery on your
part but, nevertheless, | saw you and
him." pointing again to Pierre, murder
yilliers.
You saw it," echoed vandeloup, with
a disbelieving smile; tell me how"
All" she cried, taking a step forward,
you do not believe me, but 1 tell you it
is true-yes, I know now who the two
men were following Madame Midas as
she drove away; one was her husband,
who wished to rob her, and the other was
Pierre, who. acting upon your ~instruc-
lions. was to get the gold from Villiers
should he succeed in getting it from Mad
anne. You left me a few minutes after
wards, but !, with my heart full of love-
woman that l was-followed /
you at a short distance, unwilling to lose
sight of you even for a little time. /
down among the rocks and saw
you seat yourself in a narrow part of the
path. Pierre-that wretch that covers
in the corner-came down the path and
YOU spoke to him in French. What was
said / did not know, but / guessed enough
to know you meditated some crime. Then
came down the path with the mug
get in its box under his arm. / recog-
the box as the one which Madame
Midas had brought to our house. When
came opposite you you spoke to
him he tried to pass on, and then Pierre
sprang out from behind the rock and the
two men struggled together, while you
seized the box containing the gold which
lad let fall, and watched the
You saw that Villiers. animal
ed by despair, was gradually gaining the
over Pierre, and then you stepped
I saw you snatch Pierre's knife
rom the back of his waist and stab Vllliers
the back. Then you put the knife into
hand, all bloody, as villiers fell
dead, and I fed away"
She stopped, breathless with her re-
cital, n vandeloup, pale but composed,
would have answered her, when a cry
from Pierre startled them. He had come
close to them, and was looking straight
1t Kitty.
"'Then " he cried: II am innocent?"
You !" shrieked Kitty. falling back on
ner bed who are your"
The man pulled his hat off and came a
step nearer.
81 am Randolph Villiers !"
Kitty shrieked again and covered her
with her hands, while Vandeloup
in a hooking manner, though his
pale face and quivering lip told that his
was assumed.
YES. said villiers, throwing his hat
on the floor Of the cell, sit was Pierre
Lemaire, and not I, who died. The strug-
took place as you have described, but
he,'' pointing to Vandeloup, wishing to
get rid Of Pierre for reasons of his own,
him, and not me. in the back. He
thrust the knife into my hand, and I, in
my blind fury, thought that / had muir
dered the dumb man. I was afraid of be-
ing arrested for the murder, SO, ms sug-
gested by Vandeloup, l changed clothes
with the dead man and wrapped my own
in a bundle. We hid the body and the
in one of the old mining shafts
and then came down to Ballarat. was
to Pierre in appearance except
my chin was shayen. / went down
to the Waffle Tree Hotel as Pierre after
my clothes outside the window of
the bedroom which Vandeloup pointed out
to ME. Then he went to the theater and
told me to rejoin him there as Villiers. /
got my clothes into the room. dressed
again as myself: then. Docking the door
pose that Pierre slept. l jumped out of
the window of the bedroom and went to
the theater. There l played my part as
you know, and while we were behind the
scenes Mr.. Wopples asked me to put out
the gas in his room. l did so. and took
from his dressing table a black beard, in
order to disguise myself as Pierre. till
my beard lac grown. We went to supper,
and then | parted with Barty at 2 o'clock
in the morning, and went back to the
hotel. where l climbed into the bedroom
through the window and reassumed