Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1909-01-01

know why.
II hoped that time would have taught
you common sense"
'"Time has only confirmed my resolu
tfon. Do no let us argue the point. aunt
I know that you mean kindly, but l know
that you are false to your own princi
ples-to all the teaching Of your life
when you argue on the side of wrong
Miss Fausset turned her head aside
impatiently. She had sunk back into hei
chair after greeting Mildred, and her niece
perceived that she, who used to sit erect
as a dart, In the most uncompromising at
| titude, was now propped up with cush'
ions, against which her wasted hgure
leaned heavily.
GLOW have you got through the winter,
auntW Mildred asked presently.
mot very well. 1t has tried me more
than any other winter | can remember.
1t has been a long weary winter. i have
been obliged to give Up the greater part
Of my district work. l held on as long
as ever l could, till my strength failed
me. And now I have to trust the work to
others. 1 have my lieutenants-Emiiy
Newton and her sister-who work for me.
You remember them, perhaps Earnest,
good girls. They keep me en- rapport
with my poor people; but 1t is not ike
personal intercourse. l begin to feel
what 1t is to be useless-to lumber the
ground" ,
"My dear aunt, how can you talk so!
Your life has been so full of usefulness
that you may well afford to take rest now
chat your health Is not quite so GOOD
as 1t has been. Even in your drawing
room here you are doing good. 1t is only
right that young people should carry out
your instructions and work for you. l
have heard, too. Of your munihcent gift to
st. Edmund's."
st is nothing, my dear. When all
Is counted, it is nothing. l have tried
to lead a righteous life. l have tried
to do good, but now sitting alone by
this fire day after day, night after night,
It ali seems vain and empty. There Is no
comfort In the thought of it all, Mildred.
I have had the praise of men, but never
the approval of my own conscience
There was a brief silence, Mildred feel
ing 1t vain to argue against her aunts
tone Of self-upbraiding, unable to fathom
the mind which, prompted the words.
'AThen you nre not going back to your
husband?" Miss Fausset asked abruptly,
as il In utter forgetfulness Of all that had
been said and then suddenly recollecting
herself, ..you have made up your mind,
you say. Well, in that case you can stay
with me-make this your home. You may
take up my work, perhaps-by and by"
ayes, aunt, ] hope l may be able to
do so. My life has been idle and useless
since my great sorrow. | want to learn
to be Of more use in the world and you
can teach me, if you will"
81 will. Mildred. I want you to be
happy. I have made my will. You
will inherit the greater part of my for
tune
..My dear aunt, / don't want
mo, you are rich enough already, |
know but I should like you to have still
larger means, to profit by my death. You
will use your wealth for the good of 9th
ers, asI have tried-feebly tried-to use
mine. You will be rich enough to found
a sisterhood, il you like-the Sisters of
st. Edmund. l have lone all l mean to
for the church. Mr.. Maltravers knows
that"
s.I,ear aunt, why should ,we-talk-af
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. many years of
life before you, / hope"
FELT TINT she would be only
doing her duty in taking up her abode in
the great dull house, and trying to soothe'
the tcdium Of decay. She could do very
little, perhaps, but the fact of near kin
dred would be in itself n solace, and for
her own part she would have the sense of
duty done.
II will stay with you as long as you
will have me, aunt" she said gently.
,s.Albrecht is below. May 1 send to the
station for my luggage"
"Of course, and your rooms shall be
rot ready Immediately. The house will
be yours before very long. perhaps. 1t
would be strange II you could not make it
your home"
She touched . spring in her book table,
which communicated with the~c electric bell,
and Franz appeared promptly.
Tell them to get Mrs. Greswold's old
rooms ready at once, and send Albrecht
to the station for the luggage" ordered
Miss Fausset, with something Of her old,
decisiveness. Louisa Is with you, l sup
pose?" she added to her niece.
Louisa is at the station, looking after
my things. Albrecht leaves me to-day.
He has been a good servant, and I think
he has had IN easy place. I have not
been an eager traveller"
"No; you seem to have taken life at a
slow pace. What took you to Nice? 1t
is not a place | should have chosen if I
wanted quiet"
Mildred hesitated for some moments
before she replied to this question.
"You know one part of my sorrow,
aunt, and l think l might trust you with
the whole of that sad story. l went to
Nice because it was the place where my
husband lived with his first wife-where
my unhappy sister died"
eShe died at Nice?" repeated Miss
Fausset, with an distracted air, as If her
power Of attention, which had revived for
a little just now, were beginning to flag.
"She died there, under the saddest cir
cumstances. I am heart-broken when l
think Of her and that sad fate. My own
dear Fay, how hard that your loving
heart should be an instrument Of self
torture! She was jealous of her husband
-causelessly, unreasonably jealous-and
she killed herself in a paroxysm of de-
spair."
The a%wfulness of this fact reused Miss
Fausset from her apathy. She started
up from among her cushions, staring at
Mildred in mute horror, I'M her wasted
lands trembled as they graspcd the arm
of her chair.
Surely, surely that can't be true !"
she faltered. ut is too dreadful! Peo-
pie tell such lies-an accident, perhaps,
exaggerated into a suicide. An overdose