The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-11-25

~ years, UuI HE ulSltlOIy u0Q n6y
tricked him. Less h a so PAGES below
they came on a cabin. close to the foot
Of the waterfall. The door was not
f~astened-for what, In such q place.
was there to steal?-and Colonel John
thrust it open with his foot. Tho IN
terior was dark, the place was almost
windowless: but he made out the form
OF an old crone who. nursing her
knees. crouched with a pipe In her
mouth beside a handful Of peat. Seeing
him the woman tottered to her feet
with a cry OF alarm, and shaded her
eyes from the thrush of daylight. She
gabbled shrilly, but she knew only
Erse. and Colonel John attempted no
explanation.
The lady of the house." he said, In
that tongue. And he laid Flavia, not
urgently, but very quickly. on the
floor. He turned about without another
word, shut the door on the two and
stretch of his legs. In half a minute
he had overtaken his companion and
the two pressed on together on the
heels OF the main party.
The old beldame, left alone with the
girl, viewed her with an establishment
mad not reached that age at which all
sensations become dulled. How the
lady of the house, who was to her both
power and providence. came to be
there. and there In that state, passed
her conception. But she had the sense
to loosen the girls frock at the g
TO throw water on her face and to beat
her hands. In a very few minutes
Flavia. who had never swooned be-
fore-fashionable as the exercise was
at this period in feminine society
self.
Where am II" she muttered. Still
Tor soma nnnoarfo cho co~<i~,,~l A.
look about her In a dazed way. At
length she recognized the old woma
and the cottage. Then she remembered.
with a moan, what had happened--the
ambuscade, the flight, the knife.
She could not turn whittier, but she
last. with shrinking, she looked at her
dress. Am I-hurt?" she whispered.
The old woman did lot understand,
U h patted Flavia's hand. Mean
while the girl saw that there was no
blood on her dress. and she found
throat. She found no wound. At that
she smiled family. Then she began to
cry-for she was a woman.
But, broken as she was by that
moment of terror, Flavia very quickly
overcame her weakness. She rose, she
understood and h extended her arms
In rage and grief and u%navailing pas
sion.
h would that the villains had kill
ed her! She would tina they had fin-
tshed her life! Why should she sur
vive, except for vengeance? For not
only We're those who had trusted them
selves to the McMurrough perishing
now in the hands Of ruthless foes,
but her brother, whom her prayers. her
influence, q d brought into this path.
he, too, was shared. OF his fate also
there could be no doubt!
She felt all that was most keen, most
poignant. Of grief. of anger, of indigna-
ton. But the sharpest pang of all-had
she analysed her feelings-was inflicted
by the consciousness of. failure, and Of
failure verging on the i~gnominious.
The mature take good and evil fortune
as they come, but to fail at first set
ting out in life, to be outwitted in the
opening. venture, IL a mishap which
sours the magnanimous and poisons
young blood.
She had o known before what Il
was to hate. Now she only lived to
hate; to hate the man who had shown
himself so much cleverer than her
friends, who, in q twinkling, and by q
single blow, had wrecked her plans
duped her allies. betrayed her brother,
her name a laughing stock, robbed
Ireland of a last chance Of freedom!
Who had held her In his arms. terrified
her, mastered her! oh, why had she
swooned? Why had she not rather.
disregarding her womanish weakness,
her womanish fears. snatched the knife
from him n plunged it into his treach-
erOus breast?