Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-07-03

oI yOu navy y SeSb gou "'i htfN tAN
kindness to leave the house" said Arthur
Calthorpe.
With a light, ringing laugh, Miss Wat
son passed out of the French window,
s~lashing off with her riding whip the
head of a tall, golden lily which grew
close to the window.
Il have left my pony at the little side
gate below the plantation" she said 80
I wish you good evening, my affectionate
Spouse
Arthur Calthorpe ground his teeth with
rage. This woman, whose hand he had
scarcely clasped in courtesy, to claim him
as her husband! 1t was monstrous.
He stood and watched her cross the
lawn. Scarcely had she disappeared
among the bushes, when a loud Shrek
rent the still air, and he at once rushed
out and reached the thicket of bushes in
time to f<d Ellen Watson stretched sense
less and bleeding from a wound in the
temple, while two men fought with the
savage fury of wild beasts a few feet
farther off.
One of these men was a sailor, a sort
of Hercules in strength and build. His
blue shirt-front, half open, disclosed a
hairy chest his dress was travel soiled.
his face brown as q gipsy's, his great
beard descended to s chest. And who
was he struggling with? Whose hands
rained down savage blows upon his head
hands nerved with what seemed O super
natural strength. 1t was Colonel Wych-
crly, the nonentity, the proud, pompous
nobody who owned all the wide manors
Of Wycherly. And he fought like a de-
mon he seemed to aim at the sailors
life. At a little distance lay a terrible
club, which he was making frantic efforts
to clutch.
Help, help" roared the sailor, "if ye
be a man! This is a fend, I'm thinking.
See how he served my poor lass there"
In a M he joined forces with the
sailor; but it seemed that the strength
Of the colonel redoubled with opposition.
he bit and clawed like a wildcat. Arthur
Calthorpe began to shout for help, and
presently the bushes were torn aside, and
there appeared DR.. Dundas.
With one bound the doctor reached the
| colonel, kneeled on his chest, and then
dashed some fluid from a flask into the
| convulsed face. The effect was i~nstanta-
neous. There was another convulsive
| twitch, and then the whole face became
still. 1t was like the face Of one dead.
The hands lay motionless, the teeth were
clenched.
Another rustic amid the bushes, and
Mrs. Colonel Wycherly stood amid the
alarmed and excited group. The lady
wore a long train of lavender colored silk
on her head was a simple fchu of white
lace; her face was CHASTITY white.
Look there" said DR.. Dundas, point
ing to the form OF Ellen Watson. II
have been an idiot, Mrs. Wycherly, to con-
ceal this dreadful secret so long. l will
| tell all now, and I will no longer act as
| kesper. Mr.. Cathorpe, l owe the whole
county-and you, more especially-an ac-
count of this wretched secret Of Wych-
erly; it shall be made in writing. But
now let me see to this victim of Colonel
| Wycherly."
Mrs. Wycherly wrung her hands. The
anguish upon the woman's face was ter
rible. The doctor, meanwhile, put his
hand upon the heart of Ellen Watson.
"She will live" he said coolly but
she will want care and long nursing"
AYE, my poor lass said the rough
sailor, looking at her fondly; "she were
a bit skittish, and fond of finery, and a
clever lass; but she thought I were dead.
1 will say that for her. She i. my wife,
sir" he added, looking earnestly at Ar
thur Calthorpe-"my wife, whom I mar.
ried four years ago at st. AIMS church.,
in Penwa gsan, a village of the Orkneys.
I can prove my marriage and bring for
ward parson and clerk, if she feels in
clined to dispute it, which she won't,
take it; for she thought me dead, drown
ed OF Cape Horn, when tho Mermaid
went DOWN there three years ago, and only
five hands saved, Of which I am one"
From that night forth the young gem |
tleman was forever rid of the preposter-
Gus claims of Ellen Watson. She, a
vain, ambitious girl, had, In truth, mar |
ried John King, four years back, in the |
Orkneys. She had lived with him COM
fortably for a year. News came of the |
loss of the Mermaid and she believed her
self 4 widow. She went to live with her
father, who wac postmaster in a High
land village, and there made the acquaint- |
ance OF Arthur Calthorpes out on a trip
for the autumn. The scheme entered into |
her ambitious soul of making him call her |
Mrs. Calthorpe before witnesses, and she |
was clever and daring enough to enlist |
sympathy, borrow money, and had not
her husband returned, and been directed
where to find her, there Is no knowing ]
what would have been the result Of a law
suit. As it was, she recovered. Arthur
Catthorpe and Lionel paid of her Dor
rowed money for her, and she returned to
the Orkneys with John King, repenting
Of her cruel and ambitious schemes.
In India Colonel WycheYly, then a
dashing officer, fell in love with the
naughty, beautiful daughter Of his com
manding officer. Miss Fitzgerald was en-
gagged to another gentleman, but she
transferred her affections to the colonel;
they eioped, and were married. The dis
appointed lover followed them to a dis
tant station, struck the colonel in the
face; a meeting was arranged, and the
colonel shot his rival through the heart.
This was the crime Of which Ella spoke,
and which Mrs. Wycherly always said
needed %expiation. Vengeance pursued the
colonel. He fell asleep In the jungle,
and awoke through sunstroke his intel
~lecttal power quenched.
DIR. Dundas, staff surgeon of the regi-
ment, had been his personal friend and,
being humane and fond of science, devot-
cd himself to work his cure. The colonel
recoyered consciousness. and enough sense
to appeal as a rather stupid country gen
tlernan. of which DR.. Dandas said Gym
ically there were a few specimens in the
hunting shires: and the colonel returned
to his fine estates, with his wife, his doc
tor and a few confidential servants.
The colonel was subject to violent and
sudden outbreaks: but his wife would