Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-05-16
CHAPTER IX-Continued.

anxiety-to discover the path from the
causeway on to the dixie. When once
/ had stumbled on TO the latter, /
found l had lost sight of both figures,
but i ran along at the top of my speed
calculating that the two, who could not
be far apart, the man being the nearer
to me, were about quarter of mile
or rather more from the road. i had
gone one-half of this distance perhaps
when shrill scream in front caused
me to redouble my efforts. l expected
to find the ruffian in the act OF rob-
bling the girl, and clutched my cudgel-
for, alas, had left my sword at home
more tightly in my grasp so that
II was an immense relief to me When,
on turning an angle in the dixie, l saw
her running toward me- Her face, still
white with fear, however, and her hair
streaming loosely behind her, told how
narrow had been her escape. II escape
II could be called. For about ten feet
behind her. the hood he had plucked
off still in his grasp, came Master
Spaniard, hotfoot and painting, but
gaining on her now with every stride.
He was a tall fellow, gayly dressed,
swarthy, mustachioed and fierce eyed.
His corset and sword belt shone and jim
gled as he ran and swore, but he had
dropped his feathered bonnet in the
slight struggle which had evidently
taken place when she got by him, and
1t lay a black spot in the middle of
the grassy avenue behind him. The
sun--it was about three hours after
noon--was at my back and shining di-
rectly into his eyes, and ] marked this
as / raised my cudgel and jumped
aside to let the girl pass, for she in
her blind fear would have run against
me.
1t was almost the same with him.
He did not see me until / was within
few PAGES OF him, and even then ]
think he noticed my presence merely
as that of an unwelCome spectator He
fancied l should step aside. and he
cursed me, calling me a Dutch dog for
getting in his way.
The next moment-he had not drawn
his sword nor made any attempt to
draw tive came together violently,
and l had my hand on his throat. We
swayed as we whirled round one an
other in the first shoe. of the collision.
A cry of astOnishmeit. escaped him
astonishment at my hardihood. He
tried, his eyes glaring into mine and
his hot breath on my cheek, TO get at
his dagger, but ii was too late. /
brought down my staff with al! the
strength of an arm nerved at the mo-
ment by rage and despair, upon his
bare head.
He went down like a stone, and the
blood bubbled from his lips. | stood
himself out and turned with a con-
Vulsive movement on his face. His
hands clawed the grass. His leg moved
once, twice, a third time family. Then
he lay still.
There was a lark singing just over
my head, and its clear notes seemed
during the long, long minute while
stood bending over him in an awful
fascination to be the only sounds in
nature. l looked so long at him in
that dreaded stiffness and absorption
dared not at last look up lest |
should see / knew not what. yet when
a touch fell on my arm did not start. |
You have killed him." the girl whis-
pered, shuddering.
Yes, have killed him." / answered
mechanically.
l could not take my eyes off him. 1t
was not as II l had done this thing
after a long conflict, or in a melee
with others fighting round me, or on
the battlefield. l should have felt no |
horror then such as l felt now, stand |
ing over him in the sunshine, with the |
larks song in my ears. 1t had hap |
pened SO quickly, and the waste about |
us was so still, and had never killed |
man before nor seen a man die.
"Oh. come away" Dymphna walled |
suddenly. Come away!"
/ turned then, and the sight of the |
Bii wan ldIt tllu SlTdll6u eyes re- |
called me in some degree to myself. |
saw she was ill, and hastily i gave |
her my arm and partly carried, partly |
supported her, back to the road The |
way seemed long and looked behind |
me often, but we reached the cause |
way at last, and there in the open
] felt some relief. Yet even then, stop- |
ping to cast a backward glance at the |
marsh. l shuddered anew, espying a
bright white spark cleaning amid the |
green of the rushes. 1t was the dead |
mans corslet. But If 1t had been his /!
eye could scarcely have shrunk from
1t in greater dread.
1t will be imagined that we were |
not long in crossing the island. Nat
urally l was full of what had hap
pened and never gave thought to
Van Trees jealousy or the incidents |
of his short visit. l had indeed for
gotten his existence until we reached |
the porch. There, entering rapidly, |
with Dymphna cl!nging to my arm, |
was so oblivious of other matters that |
when the young Dutchman rose sud-
denly from the seat on one side of the
door and at the same moment the |
duchess rose from the bench on the |
other l did not understand in the first |
instant of surprise what was the mat |
ter though l let Dymphna's hand fall |
from my arm. The dark scowling face |
of the one, however, and the anger and |
chagrin written on the features of the |
other, as they both glared at us.
brought all back to me in flash. But
1t was too late. Before l could utter
q word the girls lover pushed by me
with a fierce gesture and fiercer cry
and disappeared round a corner of the |
house.
Was ever such folly!" cried the
duchess, stamping her foot and stand |
hpf0rp arin n,
such fools! You idiot! YOU"
Hush, madam" said / sternly. Had |
/ really grown older in doing the deed? |
Something has happened"
And Dymphna, with a low cry of |
"the Spaniard! The Spaniard," tottered
up to her and tainted in her arms. |
CHAPTER X.
This is serious matter" said Mas
Ter BERTHE thoughtfully as we sat in the |
conclave an hour later round the table |
In the parlor. Mistress Anne was at
tending to Dymphna up stairs. and Van
Tree had not returned again, so that
we had been unable to tell him of the |
mornings adventure. But the rest of
us were there. 1T considerably adds |
TO the danger of our position" BERTHE |
continued.
"Of course it does" his wife said
promptly. But Master Lindstrom here |
can best judge of that and of what
course II will be safest to take"
1T depends" our host answered
slowly. upon whether the dead man
be discovered before night You see,
If the body be not found"
"Well?" said my lady impatiently as
he paused.
"Then we must some of us go after
dark and bury him." he decided. And
perhaps, though he will be missed at
the next roll call in this city, his death
may not be proved or traced to this
In that case the storm
will blow over and things be no worse
than before"
II fear there Is no likelihood of
that" l said, for l am told he had a