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

lookup for the last time that
night. He had made his last
overture to the prisoner, had
cursed M cuffed him for a sulky dog,
and so taken leave Of him for the
night. Not a word had Erickson utter
ed In all these hours. He had an.
swered no question, replied to no taunt
nor yet once raised his eyes from the
ground. There he sat with a damp
blanket about his torn body and his
rough yellow head between his hands.
Food had been put before him and re.
manned there still. A pannikin of tea
stood cold and SOUR and black with
drowned flies upon the ground. The
flies were the worst of all his outward
Ills. But the shocking torrents Of q
brain cruelty cleared by pain and weak
ness We're worse than the flies.
And now he was alone for the night,
The key had been turned in the pad
lock and put in its place on the beam
above. The sergeant's buster had
died away, and the s%ergeant's foot
steps followed suit. Across the yard
there came a laugh, an oath, a good
night ironically shouted, then a throw
ing Off of boots that jingledi and a
shutting Of doors. Now all was still,
and in the lookup the stiffness was as
unbroken as elsewhere. He never stir
red but to shrug away a fly. The moon
shone in through holes in the tin lid
roof, through crevices in the match
wood walls, and in the soft sifted light
he sat immovable. 1t was such a
prison as a man of spirit could have
broken with preposterous ease. But
this one had no spirit left. He was no
longer a man. His precious manhood
had been beaten out of him like dust
from a carpet And the sense of that
l~rrevocable loss bit deeper than the
glutted flies.
Was it a horse outside against the
brushwood fence? The sound was the
first Tom seemed to have heard for
many years. In his blackened brain it
struck a first inappreciable spark of in
terest. He listened. Then came an
other and a nearer sound as of some
thing torn. He listened eagerly. What
could it be: Minutes passed. There
were no more sounds until the paddock
was tried and a hand went feeling for
the key. Tom raised his head for the
first time as the moon streamed in
through the open door, when he per-
ceived that it was Peggy's bare feet
which had made no noise. With that
he lowered his head again, for there
was no place in it even for surprise.
But unconsciously he gave a moan.
She went upon her knees beside him
and flung out her arms, but drew them
back. with a shiver, from that loose
spread blanket. "Tomw she whisper
ed. "Speak to me, darlin'. It's Peggy
come to see how v are"
He never spoke, never looked up nor
gave any sign that he heard her words,
unless it was that his bowed head
hung more heavily than before.
"1t's Peggy O'Brine," the girl pur-
sued, with a sob in her throat. "Sure
an we've not forgotten Peggy the
cook? It's to comfort We I've come,
dearie, an haven't l the right? All,
then, an wasn't 1t all through me it
WASP"
The sob got loose, and she was
wringing her hands and gazing at Tom
through her tears as though her heart
would break for him. In return he
stared heavily at her, but shook his
head as her meaning came home to
him.
'sIndeed an it was" persisted Peggy.
"Only for me you niver would have
struck m at all. An to think it was
meself that warned We in the beginning
an went an drove We to 1t in the ind!
If only you had let m strike me dead
at his feet! 1t d have been bettheI
than that-an' this!"
Still he looked at her without a word
and still there was no light, no life, nc
| feeling in the look, but only dumb and
dead despair.
"You thought l liked 'im!" exclaimed
| Peggy wildly. They've been tellin
We their black lies in the huts. It's
little they know how it's been between
III from the sthart. I'll tell We this
Tom, betther a hundred times be the
man he's a spite agin than the CIR
he's his wicked eye upon. That's Mr.
Nat for We, an I hate 'im-I loathe
limits Gods truth I'm telling We
Tom, dear, he cot me out there las
night niver. whit out wild I'm. HI
cot me prowlin' about, as he said. an
that's the truth, too, though he tould 1t
I couldn't sleep for thinkin' o. the two
o yez. . It's we'll I knew he was up tt
some drills work at last. I'd seen in
talkin'-an' what do you suppose le's
up to now?" asked Peggy, going off a
a tangent. What no you suppos,
he's dom at this moment2 Lynn
dhrunk on his bed-lyin' de'd dhrunl
for the shame of it! You knocked N
down. You knocked m down. II.
won't get over t till his dyfn' day. No
j INI,, Alco fva.. 80 >,,olANn~ rEHx~l