The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-04-28

thing you have been imagining in your
heart, as you rode through the North
Country, and that was the spur that
drave you home with such haste-to
guard your honor as husband and to
put to shame an adulterous wife? Par
don me If / was slow in catching your
meaning, the charge has taken me
somewhat by surprise" And already.
before her face. Dundee began to weak
en- and to shrink for the first time in
his life.
And you are the man whom /, Jean
Cochrane, have loved alone OF all men
In the world, and for whose love for
sock my mother and my house, and be-
came stranger in the land! You are
the husband whom trusted utterly, for
whom I was willing to make the last
sacrifice OF life, OF whom boasted in
my heart, in whom l placed all my
JOY! 1 knew you were bigot for
your cause; l knew you were cruel in
the doing Of your work; / knew you
had a merciless ambition; l knew you
had an unmanageable pride; ! have not
lain in your arms nor lived by. your
side, have not heard you speak nor
seen you act. without understanding
how obstinate Is the temper of your
mind, and how fiery is your heart. For
those faults did not love you less, and
OF them l did not complain, for they
capable OF trusting, that you could sus-
pcct your wife of dshonor, that you
would be moved by the report OF a
spy, baseborn peasant man. that you
could offer the last gross, objectionable
insult to virtuous woman. Is what
never could have even imagined. The
Covenanters called you by many evil
names. and / did not believe them. I
believe every one OF them now-they
did not tell half the truth. They called
you prosecutor and murderer, they for
got to call you what / now do. AS
when one strikes cur with whip,
so to your fair. false face ! call you
liar and coward. Peace till I be done,
and then you may kill me. for 1t were
better 1 should not live. and IL l had
the sword OF one Of my kinsfolk here
] would Kill you where you stand. God
in heaven, what an accusation: A wife
of five years, and mother of only
few weeks, that she should sin with an
honorable man who Is her friend and
her husbands friend! Did Livingstone
say. according to that bastard hiding
in the wood. that his heart was with
us? That was with our cause. and not
with me. Did he say honor hindered
him? That was not honor towards you,
1t was honor towards his colors. But
now. my lord. l have never thought
of Livingstone more than any other
man who has good name and has
never betrayed a trust. This night my
heart is favorable to him. for saw him
In an agony about his honor. and I
Judge IL he were a woman's husband.
and she was such woman as am
before God this day. he would rather
die than insult her"
I'VE wished for some weapon where
with to take towards life. Here is
my sword, Jean, and here is my heart.
] would not be sorry to die. and would
H.
than from my enemies. 1t is not worth
while to live. for I>have no friend, and
soon shall have no possessions. Ny
cause Is forlorn, and my name Is by
have lost my only love. Strike Just
here. and my blood will be an atone
ment to thee for my sin. and genera
tions unborn will bless the hand which
slew Claverhouse.
"Ye hesitate for a moment"-for she
was holding the sword by the hilt and
her face was still clouded with gloom.
although the fire was dying down.
Then I will use that moment. not to
ask your pardon. for Judge you are not
be in your place-but to explain.
I shall not speak OF my love for you,
for that now ye will not believe. nor
of my shame in having received those
heart. have never known the bitter
ness of shame before. but I would
fain tell how it happened. that the
remembrance of me be less black after
we have parted forever. Had I been
In my natural state it had been Inn
possible for me to doubt thee. Jean
and if I had seen thee in before mine
eyes, would have thought it was an.
other But my mind has been dis
traught through WEAKNESS of the body
on the long rides. and nights without
sleep as lay a-planning, and the de.
sertion OF friends In whom / trusted
and the refusals of men OF whom
expected loyalty. and the humiliatine
helplessness before Williams general
my old rival MacKay. was almost
mad In the nighttime. I think, was
mad altogether. But ! had always one
comfort. like single star-shining in g
dark sky. and that was the faithful
ness of my wife. When a cloud oh
scured that solitary light then a frenzy
passed into my blood. I ceased to rea
son. and according to the measure o
my love was my foolish, groundles!
hate"
Take back your sword, Dundee, foI
I am not now minded to use it. Five
minutes ago it had been dangerous Il
give If mo If We fall 1T shall he h,