Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1908-12-04

| BILE. II was a place where she had been
in the habit Of walking for weeks-a path
which anybody might walk upon In the
daylight without the slightest danger. And
the calamity happened in broad day. She
could not nave fallen accidentally. Either
sine threw herself over, or he pushed her
over in a moment of ungovernablc anger
She was a very provoking woman, and
had a tongue which might goad a mar TO
fury. l saw. a good deal of her the win
ter before her death. She was remarkably
clever, and she amused me. | had a kind
OF liking for her, and used TO let her tell
me her troubles
What kline of troubles"
"Oh, they all began and ended in one
subject. She was jealous, intolerably
jealous, Of her husband; suspected him
of Inconsistency to herself II he was com
monty civil to a handsome woman. She
watched him like a lynx, and did her ut
most to make his life n burden to him,
yet loved him passionately all the time
in her vehement, wrong-headed manner"
Poor girl. poor girl p Mil
dred, with Z sti1cd sob, and then she
asked with intense earnestness, but,
Lady Lochinvar, you who knew George
Ransome. surely you never suspected him
OF murder?"
IL don't know, Mrs. Greswold. ! be-
lieve he was a gentleman, and a man of
an open, generous nature; but, upon my
word, I should be sorry to pledge myself
to a positive belief in his innocence as to
his wife's death. Who can tell what a
man might do, harassed and tOrmented MS
that man may have been by that woman's
tongue! / know what pestilential things
she could say-rhat scorpions and adders
dropped out Of her mouth when she was
in her jealous hts-and she may have
gone just one step too far-waIking by
his side upon that narrow path-and he
may have turned upon her, exasperated
to madness, and-ons push-and the thing
was done. The edge Of n cliff must be
stances" added Lady Lochinvar solemn
ly. II am sure l would not answer for
myself in such . situation"
81 will answer fer him." said Mildred
firmly.
"You know him, thenT
Eyes, I know him. He was a happy
Manor seemsd to be happy-for thirteen
years Of married life. Inc then his only
child was snatched away"
"He married again, thenY
Yes, he married q second wife four
teen years ago. Forgive me, Lady Loeb
invar, for having suppressed the truth
till now. I wanted ysu TO answer me
more freely than you might have done had
you known all. George Ransome is my
husband: he assumed the name of Ores
void when he succeeded to his mothers
property"
Then Mr.. G~reawold, your husband, is
my old acquaintance. Is he with you
here?"
mo. I nave left him-perhaps forever"
"On account Of that past story?'
"No, for another reason. which is my
sad secret. and his-a family secret.
1t involves no blame to him or
me. 1t is 4 dismal fatality which
part, us. You cannot suppose. Lady
Lochinvar, that l could think my hus-
band a murdererT
"A murderer? No. do not believe
any one ever thought him guilty of de-
liberate murder-but that he lost his tenn
per with that unhappy girl, spurned her
from him, flung her over the edge of the
cliff"
20, no, no, no! 1t is not possible. 1
him too well. He is not capable of
. brutal act even under the utmost exas-
peration. No irritation, no sense of in
Jury, could bring about such a change in
lis nature. Think, Lady Lochinvar. l
nave been his wife FOR fourteen years. l
must know what his character is like"
"You know what he is in happy cir |
.~umstances, with an attached and confd- |
NJ wife You cannot imagine him goaded
o madness by an unreasonable, hot-head-
woman. Toa remember he was mad |
or half a year after his wife's death.
must have been some sufficient rea-
on for his madness"
His wife's wretched death, and the |
act that he was accused Of having muir
her, were enough to max him
mad. Did his wife ever tall to you Of her
'wn history?"
"Never. She was very fond of talk
ne to me about the mistake she had made
Il marrying a man who had never cared
or her; but about her own people and
Ter own antecedents she was silent as the
rave. In a place like Nice, where ev-
10 idle. there is sure to be n good
Of gossip, and we all had our own
about Mrs. Ransomc. We put her
lown rs the natural daughter of some
,erson of Importance. or ut any rate. of
God means. She had her own fortune, !
nd was entirely independent of her hus-
and, who was not a rich man at that
Il am very grateful to you, Lady Loeb
nvar, for having been frank with me. l
will 60 and look at the house where they
ived. l may find some one, perhaps, who
them"
You want to make further inquiries?'
Il want to find some one who is as |
onvinced of my husbands guiltlessness
s l am
'sThat will be difficult. There was
cry little evidence for or against him.
The husband and wife went out to walk
one April afternoon. They left
he house in peace and amity, as it seem
d to their servants but some ladies VINO
net and talked to them an hour after
yard thought by Mrs. Ransome's manner
she was on bad terms with her hus-
and. When she was next seen she was
ying at the foot of the cliff, dead. That
$ all that is known Of the tragedy. You
,ould hardly hang a nan or acquit him
lpon such evidence. 1t is a case of not
CHAPTER XVI.
Lady Lochinvar kissed Mildred at part
She did not care for commonplace
she could not sympathize with