Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-09-05

without hope. lost. degraded. ana
despairing Don't think | blame you,
William Gouldesbrough, because :
don't. When was at Elton I was a..
ways a pleasure-loving little scug.
was the same at Oxford; have been
the same in all my life in town.
have never been any good to myself.
and / have disappointed all the hopes
my people had for me. It's all been
my OWL fault. Then ! became en-
tangled with you, and was too weak
to resist the money you were prepared
to pay me for the things have done
for you.
But it's all over now. have gone
too far. / have helped you, and am
equally guilty with you, to commit
frightful crime. Lax as have always
been, can no longer feel have any
proper place among men OF my own
sort. All can say Is that am glad
l shall die without anybody knowing
what really am.
II write this note after dinner and,
finding the number of your room from
the hotel clerk, leave it here for you
to see. | am going to make an end OF
1t ALL in an hour or two, when have
written few notes to acquaintance
and so on. can't go on living,
Gouldesbrough, because night and
day, day and night, am haunted by
the thought of that poor young man
you have got in your foul house in
Regents Park. What you are doing
to him don't know. The end Of your
revenge can only guess at. But 1t
is all SO horrible that am glad to be
done with life. I wish you goodbye,
and wish to God, if there is really a
God, that had never crossed your
path and never been your miserable
tool. -Eustace Charliewood."
AS Sir William Gouldesbrough read:
this letter his whole tall figure became
rigid. He seemed to stiffen as
corpse stiffens.
Then-quite suddenly-he turned
round and pushed the letter into the
depths Of the glowing fire, pressing it
down with the poker until every YES
tige of it was consumed.
He strobe to the door of the room,
opened it, came out into the wide-car-
peted corridor, and hurried to the lift.
He pressed the button and heard the
bell ring far down below.
In moment or two there came the
clash of the shutting doors, the
chunk" of the hydraulic mechanism,
and he saw the shadow of the lift-roof
rising up toward him.
The attendant opened the door,
will you take me up to the fourth
floor, please" he said; ito Mr.. Eustace
Charliewood's room?"
Mr.. Charliewood, sir?" the man re-
piled. "Oh, yes, 1 remember; number
E40S. Tall, clean-shaven gentleman
That's him." Sir William said. II
have only just learned that he has
been staying in the hotel. He is an old
friend, and / had no idea he was here"
The iron doors clashed, the lift shot
upward, and the attendant and Sir
William arrived at the fourth floor.
Down the corridor, sir, and the first
turning on the right" the lift-man said.
but perhaps I'd better show you"
He ran the ironwork gates over their
rollers and hurried down the corridor
with Sir William. They turned the
corner and the man pointed to door
some fifteen yards away.
That's 1t, sir" he said. That's Mr..
Charliewood's room"
Even as he spoke there was sud.
den loud explosion which seemed to
come from the room to which he had
pointed-a horrid crash in the warm,
richly-lit silence of the hotel.
The man turned to Sir William with
a white face.
Come on" he said, forgetting his
politeness. Something has happened.
Come, quick!"
When they burst into the room they
found the man-about-town lying upon
the hearthrug with blue circle edged
with crimson in the center of his fore
head. The hands were still moving
feebly, but what had been Eustace
Charliewood was no longer there.
Ito Be contInued.)