The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-12-09
Copyright, 1909, by Stanley ]. weyman
CHAPTER xv.-(Continued.)

a. HAs
-
81 am" Colonel John replied sternly
Il am, and I intend to be. Nor a da.
too soon! Where all are children, Their
Is need OF a master! And for m.
cousin, let her hear the truth for once
Let her know what men who have seel
the world think of the visions, from
which she would have awakened in
dungeon, and her fellow dupes unde
the gibbet! A great rising for a grea
cause, IL 1t be real, man, IL 1t be arnes
IL II be based on forethought, HEAVIER
knows / hold 1t a fine thing, and a higl
thing! But the rising of a child will
a bladder against an armed man, Z
rising that can run but cannot help,
know not whether to call 1t more silly o.
more wicked! Man, he devil does hi
choicest work through fools. no
rogues! And, for certain, he never
found filter instruments than at Nor
ristown yesterday"
Uncle Ulick swore impatiently. Nv,
may be FOOLS" he growled. yet spare
the girl! Spare the grill"
What? Spare her the truth?"
All! Everything!" Uncle Ulick cried
with unusual heat. Cannot you SEE
that she at least meant WE'LL"
Such do the most ILL.," Colonel Johr
retorted with se~ntentious severity
God forgive them-and her!" He
paused for a moment and then, In
lighter tone, he continued ,"as I do
Only there must be an end Of this
f~oolishness. The two men who had
reason In their wrongdoing are beyond
seas. The McMurrough is not SO mad
as to act without them. He'-with q
faint smile-'is not i~mplacable. You
Ulick, are not of the stuff Of whom
martyrs are made. But the two young
men outside"-he passed as IL he re-
hected-"they and three or four others
are-what my cousin now listening to
me makes them: They are tow. If the
flame be brought near them. And
therefore-and therefore he repeated
still more slowly, II have spoken the
truth and plainly. To this purpose,
that there may be an end"
Flavia had sat at first with closed
eyes in a state next door to collapse,
her head inclined, her arms dropping,
as IL at any moment she might sink to
the floor. But In the course of his
speaking a change had come over her.
The last heavings of the storm, ply
steal n mental, still shook her. But
the indomitable youth. in her, and the
spirit which she had inherited from
'ome dead forefather, were not to be
ong gainsaid. Slowly, as she listened
her color had returned, her face grown
more firm, her form more stiff. In truth
>oioiSi ooLi Ddu uOpttu Tic WTOUk
course with her. He had been hard
knowing men better than women
when he should have been mild; he
had ~browbeaten where he should have
forgiven. And so at his last declara-
ton, There must be an end" she rose
to her feet n spoke. And speaking,
she showed that neither the failure of
her attempt on him, nor the bodily
struggle with him, horribly as 1t hui
inflated her In the remembrance, had
quellcd her courage.
AN end!" In said, in a voice vi
brating with emotion. Yes, but It will
be an end for you! Children, are we?
Better that than be so old before our
time. so cold Of heart and cunning Of
head that there is naught real for US
but that we touch and see, nothing
measuring, nothing worthy risk but
that we are safe to gain! Children,
are we?" she continued, with deep pas
sion. But at least we believe! At
least we W something higher than
ourselves-a God, a Cause, a Country!
At least we have not bartered all-all
three and honor for a pittance to pay,
traying alike the right and wrong!
Children? May be! But, God be
thanked, we are warm, the blood runs
in U.s.
'Flavia!"
II say the blood runs in us!" she re-
peated. And IL we are foolish, we
are wiser yet than one"-she looked
ut him with a strange steadfastness-
who in his wisdom thinks that a
traitor can walk our Irish soil I'M
harmed, or n go back and forth in
safety who has ruined and shamed us!
You have escaped my hand! But I
know that all you boasted wisdom will
not lengthen your life till the moon
wanes!"
He had tried to interrupt her once
eagerly, vividly, as one who would de-
fend himself. He answered her now
after another fashion; perhaps he had
learned his lesson. IF God Wills" he
said simply, ut will be as you say.
And the Dad will lie open to you.
Only while I live, Flavia, whether I
love this Irish soil or not, or my coun-
try. or my honor, the storm shall not
break here, nor the house fall from
which we spring."
while yru live!" she repeated, with
a dreadful smile. Il tell you, ! tell
you" and she extended her hand
toward him, 'the winding sheet is high
upon you breast, and the salt dried
that shall lie upon your heart"