Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-09-11
-~-110~~GwSCo~~oCC =

Up mere IN TINS ola tower inc night Is
magnificent. Stars upon stars stud the
pale blue armament. their brilliant lights
defying the darkness. Even Dolly is a
little less viyacious than usual beneath
the heavenly beauty Of those silent stars
swimming above her in the inefable blue.
II may be their mystic charm, or else a
faint twingP of conscience, that renders
her rnutc-who can say? 1t would be
unfair 10 judge her on such evidence, as
May is very silent, too and Amber, with
arms on the ST., of one of the narrow
windows. her head upliftcd. her large eytt
wrapt and dreamy, has evidently no word
for anyone. Not even for Hilary, WHO is
on her right hand, or for Everard, who
is standing on her left.
The little touch Of calm that seems to
have fallen on them all is now broken.
From outside, from the stone steps lead
ing up to the first room in the old tower,
comes n yell both loud and deep! Nat
urally, Mr.. McGrath is the owner of it.
owen ~ says Mrs. Clarence at once,
with an air of resignation: "he has evil
IDENTIFY fallen on the hard stone steps,
coming up in a hurry, and hurt himself
Indeed, a second later, as he tumb1c
into the room. he tells them so.
"Beastfy stairs! Fancy putting stones
inside a house. Bad enough before the
hall door. Well, here / am at last. Not
missed, 1 can see, although / have been
fighting your battles dow below. But
it's no good! Nothing would get our
darling Lucien of to his silken couch. He
grows ~livelier every minute. He wants
to see you, Hilary; I'd advise you to 20
at once, us he's in one OF his tantrums.
What are you all doing up here, h
Mooning?'
Everard casts an involuntary glance at
Dolly, whose face is impassive. Had she
arranged it? And, indeed, perhaps she
had. Who could say?
At all events, she does not betray her
self. Her wonderfully youthful little face,
with its lucent eyes of simple blue gaz-
ing through the window up to the l~ustrous
stars, is innocent as n babes of any hid
den meaning.
Everard's heart begins to beat quickly.
The time has come, with or without
Dolly's Intervention. Why trihe with it?
Five minutes alone with her-with Am
Der! A word spoken-a word answered.
If she will give herself to him! He jibs
a little at this thought, he, woh, up to
this, has sworn against lasting charms
of any sort. But this one creature in all
the world has caught and held him.
Hilary below is caught by Sir Lucien
in a discussion about the rents Of the
lower farms first-and then, as to the
chances of making Brian Deane tell oil
he knows of the missing jewels. He
knows everything" says Sir Lucien. II
don't believe it," says Hilary, "he is false
all through. He is playing with you"
and so on. Hilary's manner, in spite of
himself, is a little impatient, and he has
lost the power to conceal it. His heart
is with the lovely Amber upstairs, with
the girl who has dragged it out of his
breast. This Though. delights him. "
have now no heart" he has told himself
a hundred times, glad at his loss. mo
heart, but she has given me hers in
stead. And what a heart" All her
grace and sweetness comes to him now,
threefold as he sits listening to Sir Luz
cien's violent diatribes against her mother
and her detested father.
As he saw her last, looking up to the
stars, her pretty elbows on the window
sill. how dear she was. Truth and beauty
lay in her eyes. All! that is her princi-
pal charm, Truth! But beauty is truth !.
And what a lovely nature is hers!
Poor Amber she has need of many
witches to keep away the many harms
that are following her tonight, had he
only known it! Breaking free at last
from Sir Lucien, he rises, and with a
haste thai I am afraid can hardly be call
cd decent, leaves the room.
Now, with mad haste in his steps, he
rushes up the broad staircase from the
hall, eager to reach again that room in
the old tower where he had last seen his
beloved gazing with rapt eyes upon the
stars.
The room is empty. No Amber is
here now. No one ia here-it is swept
clear Of any living thing. Dolly indeed
had been careful to carry of all the
others downstairs, when she saw Amber
and Everard go towards the tiny stairs
that led to the very top of the tower.
Something he cannot define strikes
cold to Hilary's heart. as he stands on
the threshold of the empty room. She
had not waited! 1t was the one, the
first thought. 1t was senseless-absurd
bow could she wait, if all the others
went? But still she had not wait
ed.
He turns to retrace his steps. If not
here, then perhaps in the drawing room.
1t is late, however, and no doubt cncc
having abandoned their desire for the
stars. they-the women-had all gone
to their rooms. Slowly he goes down
wards, and reaching the gallery that runs
round part of the house, walks slowly to-
wards a back staircase that leads to the
halls beneath. He has gone half way
when a slight sound iii the distance be-
hind him brings him to a full stop.
Steps. Steps surely! He turns and
through the darkness-Sir Lucien's eco
nomical mind has ordered lights out at
eleven O'Clock sharp every night-through
the darkness lit only by the moon, that
now is riding gloriously in the heavens
outside, his eyes rest instinctively upon
the stone steps that lead to the tower.
A moment he waits. his heart beating
madly-a moment, and now through the
misis of night. and the strange shadows
of it. and the faint rays rushing through
the central windows, he sees two forms
come slowly forward.
They pause. OneA-it is Amber-leans
slightly forward. Some words fall from
her lips. Her companion-Everard. be-
yond doubt-answers her. Another mo-
ment, and then Everard has taken her
hand. has raised it to his lips, she con
senting, A ~fervent, a passionate caress
on the back of that small brown hand.
and Everard goes down the principal
staircase. tearing her still standing in the
full moonlight gazing after him. Adare
can sec her race perfectly. Beyond doubt
there is intense feeling in it-for bin