The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-07-23

which she had used me to persuade
Master BERTHE to take the Vessel In
stead or the Santon road. No doubt she
had told Clarence to follow In that d.
r~ection, IL by any a n we escaped
him on the island. And her despair
when she heard In the church porch
that. i had killed Clarence at the ford!
And her utter abandonment to fear
poor guilty thing--when she thought
that all her devices had only led her
with us to a dreadful DEATH These
things, In the light In which I now
viewed them. were cogent evidences
against her.
'rIt must have been written to some
one about us!" said the duchess at
length. ITO some one In our conf
dence. On our side OF the door as he
calls it."
Yes: that is certain" I said.
"And on the wrappe he styles her
Mistress Clarence. Now. who
WHO could It have been? That is
the question we have to answer" Mas
ter BERTHE replied dryly. Hearing his
voice, I knew he had come Mt Last to
the same conclusion to which I had
jumped. II think you may dismiss the
servants from the inquiry" he con-
tinued, The bishop Of winchester
style"
Dismiss the seryantsT Thea who is
leftf" she protested.
II think He lost courase, hesitate
and broke OFF. h looked at him WOE
deringly. He turned to me, and Knining
confirmation from my nod began again.
said.
a BIZ" she cried. stfl not
seeing one whit.
Yes; Anna Brandon he answered
sternIy. u,
She repeated his words softly ana
stood a moment gazing at him. In that
moment h saw 1t all. She sat down
suddenly on the chair beside her and
s~huddered violently, as II she had laid
her HAND unwittingly upon q make.
"Oh, Richard" she Whispered, 1T is too
horriblei' ~
II fear 1T is too true" he answered
gloomily. no
I shrank from looking at them, from
meeting her eyes or his. / felt az IL
this shame had come upon us all. The
thought that the culprit might walk
n the room at any moment filed me
with terror. I turned away and looked
through the window. leaving the hus-
band and wife together.
rs it only the name you are think
ing OFF" she muttered.
No" he answered. Before I left
England to go to Calais I saw some
thing pass between them-between her
and Clarence-which surprised me.
Only in the confusion of those last
days IT slipped from my memory for
II see,' she said quietly. "The VII
Looking back upon the events Of the
last week, I found many things made
plain by the lurid light now cast upon
them. 1 understood how Master Lind
strom's vase had come TO be broken
When we We're discussing the letter,
which, in my hands, must have been a
perpetual terror to the girl. / discerned
that h had purposely sown dissen-
sion between myself n Van Tree and
recalled how she had striven to per-
suade us not to leave the island: then
how she had induced 'us TO take that
unlucky road, finally how on the road
her morse had Jagged and Jagged be-
hind, OBTAINING us all when every min
ute was precious. The things ali dove
tailed into one another. Each by itself
was weak, but together they formed a.
strong scaffold-a scaffold strong
enough for the hanging of a man. ~
she a been a man! The others an
pealed to me, the duchess feverishiy
anxious to be assured one way or the
other, The very suspicion Of the exist.
ence OF such treachery at her side
seemed to stifie her. Still looking out
or the window, / detailed the proofs I
have mentioned, not gladly. heaven
knows, or In any spirit of revenge. but
my duty was rather to my COMPANIONS.
who had been true to me, than to her.
! told them the truth as far as I knew
1t. The whole, wretched. miserable
truth was only to become known to me
later. .'".
81 will go to her." the duchess said
presently, rising from her seat.
My dear!" her husband cried. He
stretched out his hand. and ~grasping
her skirt detained her. you will not
do not be afraid" she replied sadly
as she stopped over him and kissed his
forehead. 1T is, a thing past scolding.
Richard, past love, and even hope, and
all but past pity. / will be merctful
as W. hope for mercy, but she can
new be a friend of ours again, and
some one must tell her. I will do SO
and return. AS for that mani" she
continued, o~bscuring suddenly the fair
and noble sides Of her character which
she had just exhibited, and which. 7
confess, a surprised me, for I had not
thought her capable OF q generosity SO
uncommon. CAS- for that. man. h
repeated, drawing herself to her full
height. while her eyes sparkled and
her cheeks grew red, who has
turned her into a vile chemer and
a shameless hyprocite, as he would
fain have turned better women. 7
will show him no mercy nor grace if I
ever, have him under my feet. / will,
crush him as / would an adder. though
/ be crushed next moment myself"
D. (ContiRued Next Week.l