Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-04-24
A CROWN or FAITH


amid all the lager, talking crowd, which
as yet showed no signs OF clearing Beryl
Court Of It's clarnor and excited presence,
no trace or sign of the doctor neither
could he gee Mrs. Wycherly, nor the colo
mel, nor ella, in the throng.
He, had not exchanged n word with
Miss Wycherly during the evening. The
colonel's daughter had been beset with
| partners in her W sphere, and Lionel
| Leigh had stood aside, feeling that Tor
him this gay and brilliant bali was but
q pageant, of which he was merely a spec
tator.
Ella had given him one smile. Lionel
was in a misanthropic mood that night.
He dashed into the yellow drawing room.
Was DR.. Dundas there? No. On a couch
lay Arthur Calthorpe, white as death, but
with open eyes. in which cleaned con-
seriousness.
DR.. Tuition was bathing the wound at
the back of his head, Dr. Richards was
feeling his pulse. The crowd had been
banished from this room. There were only
a few visitors present, chiefly young men,
friends Of the earl's heir, one or two la
dies, three servants, the poor old earl
crouching in an armchair, and suffering
tortures from mingled govt and grief.
IT cannot find DIR. Dundas,' said Lionel
to the earl respectfully.
VERY selfish to go off at a time like
| this - cried the earl, striking his ivory
| headed cane on the carpet. II suppose
that woman-that Mrs. Wycherly mas
nerves which must not be upset by the
sight of blood. Dundas is clever. Our
poor boy cant last till morning, Tuition
thinks
Then Lionel heard OF detec-
| tives having been telegraphed for, anc he
left the room, and resolved to leave the
house. Very angry he felt-very mach
outraged; but with whom or by whom he
| could not tell.
Passing down a long, lighted corridor,
he saw approaching him a slight, rounded
form draped in white lace, and with
rubies sparkling on the neck and arms.
| 1t was Ella Wycherly, in the costly dress
| and Jewels which she despised. Under a
lamp, held by a marble goddess, she paus-
ed and looked at Lionel.
"What has happened, Mr.. Leigh"
In his delight at meeting her, in all
| the excitement of a love, rapturous and
passionate as his, the tutor forgot the
| tragedy, forgot that rumor popularity as
ISOLATED the names of Mr.. Calthorpe and
Miss Wycherly, he answered:
MIR. Calthorpe has been wounded in
the head by somebody unknown, and his
life is in danger
Ella turned white, then put her hands
before her eyes.
.I-I-I knew nothing of til she said
yehenently. II have been watching the
whist players, and listening to the band
Mamma said / must not dance any more.
Miss Worthington was with me. All at
once mamma came into the room and cali
ed her away; they told me not to come
out until they returned. l waited and
waited. I had nobody to speak to, for
all nv partners had been kept away by
Miss Worthington then other people
came in and whispered, and the whist
players went out, and III ran out here ;
and now / shall be lectured, scolded so for
stirring y
She looked at him; her eyes cleaned.
her red lips parted in a maddening smile ;
she held out a small, white hand toward
him. Lionel seized it, and, intoxicated
with his passion, he began to devour it
with kisses.
Observation-Disclosures !" she cried, draw
ing it away from him, and looking at it as
if it had received some injury. You
think"-she looked at him scornfully-
s.that because / am a poor, ill-used girl.
whose mother is cruel. and whose gov
erness is hateful, that l am a little idiot,
do you?'
"Oh, no, Miss Wycherly."
"But / tell you you do" she said
land you will find out your mistake. l
-. - ;d.a+ ,,rhotoyor Alec 7 ~ ~,
Miss Wycherly, if my life could atone
| for my fault-
Hold your tongue she said. stamp
ing again. Who wants your life? Your
life, indeed! II you were dead, they
would bury you, | suppose, and your
mother would cry. Most likely she loves
you mine hates me! Al! It IS a cruel
thing to feed a young heart on scorn and
severity it withers it, Mr.. Leigh-nips
it in the bud.'
How tender her voice sounded and the
large eyes shone through tears. Lionel
dared not tell her that his beart and his
life were at her service. She seemed So
terribly capricious, this beautiful Ella,
that he feared she might almost turn upon
him. and execrate him in her angry scorn
If he presumed again to manifest any Of
the burning love which was fast making
his soul into an inward Tophet; hewilder-
ing his brain; varying his judgment /;
causing him to forget the great aims with
which he had started in life, though only
as a teacher of languages, eighteen months
before.
II shall be SO blamed-so cruelty blam-
ed for stirring, for leaving that room ; but
I cannot stay there any longer. 1 will
not "
Miss Wycherly, I really believe that
the colonel and Mrs. Wycherly and DR..
Dundas have driven away, have forgot
ten you at least, / cannot find one of
your party-not even Miss W~orthington.''
Elias large eyes opened in amazement.
She clasped her hands and the sweet
mouth was prettily puckered up as that
of a child about to cry.
"Gone-forgotten me! Impossible, Mr.
Leigh p
IF you have not supped, Miss Wych-
erly, will you permit me to take you to
the supper room, and then, while you are
eating something-you must want some
thingf'
Indeed, l do! I am not a heroine in
a story-one who lives on ethereal
thought and excited sentiment; pecks like
a bird at d crumb. and does all sorts of
absurdities. I have eaten nothing for
hours, and your offer of supper sounds
IKE the noise of a fountain IN a thirsty
land, ike the scampering Of a mouse be-
hind a Uaiuc.at IN tha aorS .f a hunorv