Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-05-30
CHAPTER xI.-Continued.

for myself. Perhaps later-l hope so
! should have come to think OF Pc
tronilla and my uncle and other peo.
pie. But before this stage was reached
the duchess reassured me. Courage
lad!" she cried heartily. TT is al
right, Dick. The villain struck him or
the breast bone. an inch too low, ano
has just ripped up a scrap OF skin. II
has blooded him for the spring, that Is
all. A bit Of plaster
And a drink of strong waters" sug-
gested the Dutchman soberly; his
thoughts were always to the point wher
they came.
yes, that, too" quoth my lady, land
he will be all right"
thought so myself when ! had
emptied the cup they offered me.
had been good deal shaken by the
events of the day. The sight of blood
had further upset me. / really think
It possible I might have died of this
slight hurt and my imagination If
had been left to myself. But the
duchess assurance and the draft OF
schnapps, which seemed to send new
blood through my veins, made me feel
ashamed Of myself. If the duchess
would have let me, would at once have
gone to search the premises. AS II
was, she made me sit still while she
ran to and fro for hot water and plas-
ter, and the men searched the lower
rooms and secured the door afresh.
And so you could see nothing OF
him?" our host asked when he and
Master Bertie returned. weapons in
hand. Nothing of his figure or face?'
Nothing, save that he was short"
answered, Shorter than ] am. at any
rate, and l fancy a good deal"
"A good deal shorter than you are?'
my lady said uneasiy. THAT is no
clew. In this country nine people out
of 10 are that. Clarence. now. is not.
NO" l said. HE is about the same
height. 1t was not Clarence"
Then who could it be?" she NUT
tered, rising and then with a quick
shudder sitting down again. Heaven
help us, we seem to be in the midst of
foes! What could be the motive? And
why should the villain have selected
you? Why pick you out?"
Thereupon a strange thing happened
Three pairs of English eyes met and
signaled a common message eye ia
eye. No word passed, but the message
was ivan Tree" When we had glanced
at one another, we looked all of US at
our host-looked somewhat guiltily. He
was deep in thought. his eyes on the
stove, but he seemed to feet our gaze
upon him, and he looked up abruptly.
Master Van Tree"--he said and
stopped.
You know him well?" the duchess
said, appealing to him softly. We felt
kind OF sorrow for him and some deli
caCy, too, about accusing one of his
countrymen of n thing so cOwardly.
'DO you think II is possible" she con-
tinued, with an effort, possible that
he can have done this, Master Lind
strom?"
Il have known him from a boy" the
merchant said. looking up, a hand on
xst 49, L. ,1,s. IL.
plicity almost majestic, "and never
knew him do a mean thing. madam. I
know no more than that" And he
looked round on US.
THAT is good deal. Still he went
off in 81, Of jealousy when Master
Carey brohsht Dymphna home. We
must remember that"
Yes. l would he knew the rights Of
that matter said the Dutchman
heartily.
And he has been hanging about the
place all day" my lady persisted
Yes" Master Lindstrom rejoined pa
tiently, "yet do not think he did this"
Then who did?" she said, somewhat
nettled
That was the question. ] had my
opinion, as ! saw Master BERTHE and
the duchess had. did not doubt it
was Van Tree, yet thought struck me.
ut might be WELL" l suggested, that
someone should ask Mistress Anne
whether the door was open when she
left the room. She passed out just in
front Of me"
But she does not go by the door,
my lacy objected.
mo; she would turn at once and go
up stairs" / agreed. But she could
see the door from the foot of the stairs
If she looked that way. / mean"
The duchess aSsented and went out
of the room to put the question. We
three, left together, sat staring at the
dull flame Of the lamp and were for
the most part silent, Master BERTHE only
remarking that 1t was after midnight
The suspicio" ne and I entertained of
Van Trees guilt seemed to raise bar
rier between us and our host. Ny
wound, slight as it was, smarted and
burned, and my head ached. After
midnight, was it? What a day it had
been!
When the duchess came back, as she
did in a few minutes. both Anne and
Dymphna came with her. The girls
had risen hastily and were shivering
with cold and alarm. Their eyes were
bright. their manner was excited. They
were full of sympathy and horror and
wonder, as was natural, of nervous
fear for themselves, too. But my lady
cut short their eXclamationS.
Anne said she did not notice the
door" she said.
No" the girl answered, trembling
vislbly, as she spoke. Il went up
straight to bed. But who could it be?
Did you see nothing of him as he
struck you? Not feature? Not an
cutline?"
No" murmured.
Did he not say a word?" she con-
ttnued, with strange insistence. WAS
he tan or short? Her dark eyes,
dwelling on mine. seemed to probe my
thoughts, as though they challenged
me to keep anything back from her.
inC?' she suggested.
NO" l answered, reluctantly. This
man was short"
short, was he? Was it Master Van
Tree, them"
We, who felt also certain that it was
Van Tree started nevertheless at hear
ing the charge put into words before
Dymphna, wondered, and think the
others did. too, at Mistress Anne's
harshness. Even my lady, so blunt and
outspoken by nature, had shrunk from
trying to question the Dutch girl about
her lover. We looked at Dymphna
wondering how she would take it.
We had forgotten that she could not
understand English. But this did not
SSINc HtE, LOT WIlHoul pause hlSITeSS
Anne turned to her and unfalteringly
said something in her scanty Dutch
which came to the same thing. A word
or two OF questioning and explanation
followed. Then the meaning of the ac-
cusation dawned at last on Dymphna's S
mind. looked for an outburst of tears
or protestation. Instead, with a glance
of wonder and great scorn. with a sim
gle indignant widening of her beautiful
81 hn anlf hNv n ~ tnh cor
tence.
What does she say?" my lady ex-
claimed, eagerly.
"She says" replied Master Lind
strom, VINO was looking on gravelyi
that ii is a base lie, madam"
On that we became spectators. II
seemed TO me, and I think to all of us
that the two girls stood apart from us
In circle Of light by themselves, con-
fronting one another with Sharr