The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-02-07

1
my makeup. ] have no belief In the
value ~ martyrs and martyrdom
/ Causes are not won-and I'm my humble
| opinion never have been won-in the
/ graVcyards. Alive and afoot aud
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?
hut why should seek To justify my
I SELF I care not a rap for the opinion
| ~ my feliowmen. They sought my life
when they should have been haIling me
as dcliyerer: now they look up tn me
because they falsely believe me guilty
! OF an luiamy.
Ny guards expected To be recalled on
| Tuesday. but Melville heard what
Crawford had done about me, aud
strnightwRy 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
a. a mass of cushions under the avn
ing. We are going ashore" said he.
The order has come"
had "A sudden sense OF loneliness.
"i'll take you down To New York
said !. II prefer 10 land my guests
Where ! Shlppeu lhtU.
IA tho Albatross steamed into the
li'tle harbor ! saw Mowbray l.nngon's
Incidence at anchor, ! glanced toward
Steubcn Polnt--where his cousins. the
Niviars. lived-and thought l recog-
uiZed his launch at their pier. We
salutej the Incidence. the Incidence
slluted vs., NV launch was piped away
ard took me ashore. | strolled along
the path that wound round the base
N.gNN ~
the crossing OF the path down from the
house I paused and fingered on the
giimpsc Of one Of the corner towers OF
the great snowy palace. ] was NUT
terlng sumcthinH-i listened tn myself.
IL was: "Mulholland. Mrs. Mulholland
and the four little Mulholiands." Aud
felt like laughing aloud. such n Joke
was u that | should be envying "A po-
liCeWan his potato patch and his fat
wife ana four little brats. and that he
should he I'm u position To pity me.
You may Toe imagining that. through
all Anita had been dominating my
mind That II the way II Is In the
romanccs. but not In life. No doubt
there nr" men who brood upon the inn
possible. and moon and mnunder away
their lives over the grave OF dead
love. No doubt there are people who
will Say that because I did not shoot
Langdon or her. or myself. or fly To
desert ar pose In the crowded places
or the world ne the last scene OF "A
tragedy, ! therefore cared little about
her. I offered them this suggestion: A
man strong enough 10 give love worth
woman's while IN strong enough To
live on without her when he finds he
may not live With her.
As I stood shere that summer day.
locking toward the crest OF the hill.
at the knocking mausoleum OF my dead
dream, I realized what the incessant
battle OF the street had meant to me.
There Is peace for me only In the
Storm" said l. But thank God. there
is peace for me somewhere"
Through the foliage 1 had glimpses
OF some one coming slowly down the
zigzaE path. Presently. nj one OF the
turninGs half way up the hill. appeared
Mowbray Langdon. What is he do
ing here" thought I. scarcely able TO
believe my eyes. Here OF all places"
Aad then I forgot the strangenesa OF
his being ~ Dawn Hin In the strange
Hsss OF his expression. For IL was APP
parent. even nj the distance which sep
ar1ted us. that he was suffering from
some great and recent blow. lie looked
old and haggard: he walked like "A man
who neither knows nor cares where he
" going
He fought hard Ia keep his eyes
steadily on mine: but they would waver
and SHIFT. Not. however. before had
found deep down In them the begin
nings of fear. You see. you were mis-
taken" said I. You have nothing TO
gay 10 mc-or I TO you
He knew that had looked straight
10 the bottom OF his real self. and had
seen the coward that il In every man
who has been bred TO appearances only.
Up rose his vanity. the towards sub
stitute for courage
You think ! am afraid OF YOU" he
sneered blufiing and clustering like the
school bully.
I don't I'm the least care whether
you are or not" replied ]. What are
| you doing here. anyhow"
IL was as " I had thrown of the
cover Of 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 un-
| I'll get her back and punish you"
He was brave enough now. drunk with
| the fumes from his brave words All
| my life" he ragged arrogantly on. I've
had whatever I wanted. I've let moth
| Ing matchmaking anu nobody. i've
! been too fnrebcaring with you-first, be-
cause I knew she would never care for
! YOU. and. then. because ! rather ad-
/ mired your pluck and impudence. I
| like To SEQ fellows kick their way up
| | put my hand on his shoulder. No
doubt the fend that rose within me,
as from the dead looked ut him from
my eyes. He has great physical
| strength. hut he WINGED under that
weight and grip. and across his face
/ nltted The terror that must come TO
| any man at first sense OF being In the
angry clutch of one stronger than he
| ! slowly released him had tested and
realized my physical superiority: to
l Use u would be cheap and cowardly.
| You can't provoke inc To descend to
| your level said I. with the easy phil
| osuphy uf him. who clearly has the
I better ot the argument.
| lie WIS staring AT me with n dazed
| expression. | rather expected him To
| show some OF that amused contempt
| wi'h which men OF his sort always re-
| ceiyc % new idea that ~ beyond the
/ range OF their narrow. conventional
minds. For ! did not expect him tn
understand why | was not only willing.
but even eager la rclinquish woman
whom I could only hold by asserting "A
property right ia her. And l do not
think he did understand me. though
his manner changed To "A sort of grudg-
ing respect. lie was. ! believe, about
to make some impulsive. generous