Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1909-05-27

binary gentle sleep of childhood. His
mouth was half open, showing the
pearly teeth, and there was a high,
unwonted color in the baby cheeks.
/ Miss Decies felt under the impro-
vised quilt for one little plump arm,
withdrew it from its covering, and
placed her thin fingers upon the pulse.
"It's all right she whispered to her
SELF Its all right. DR.. Ludwig knew
exactly the strength of the drug. 1t
has not injured him, and it will not
inure him. He will awake in ten
hours time, feeling little sick and
without any knowledge of what has
passed And now, and now"
She rose, leaving the drawer open,
and went to a cupboard at another
side of the room. From this cupboard
she took large square of material,
heavily quilted with eider-down upon
the inside. The out side was of black
and white macintosh, very much like
those holdalls with which ladies travel
so much nowadays, and with the usual
combining straps.
| Miss Decies laid this in the center
of the carpet. Then she stole back
into the sitting-room and glanced at
the clock. 1t was now exactly twenty
minutes to two.
Then, for a moment her resolution
and courage seemed to fail her. She
tottered to an arm chair which stood
by the bedside and sank down upon
it. Her head fell forward and she
lifted her thin, sinewy old hands and
covered her face
What am I doing?" she moaned to
| hercelf. ooh, what am doing? Leo
| pold! Leopold! it is for your sake;
| it is for your sake, my son, that | am
committing this frightful crime; that
am turning upon the hand that fed
me, that I am bringing misery and
ruin upon a great house. My son, it
is for you'll
She rocked backwards and forwards
in a piteous agony of terror and re-
morse. And as she did so a faint
moan came from the child who lay in
the deep coffin shaped box protruding
from the wardrobe
She rose with a swift movement
and went to the drawer. The little
Duke had but turned uneasily in his
sleep. One tiny, chubby hand was
raised toward the rounded velvet
check, and deep sigh came from be-
! tween the little rosebud lips.
Miss Decies knelt down once more,
and as she did SO sudden impulse
came to her. he bent over the coffin
like box and lightly kissed the little
boy upon the brow.
Poor little Fitz,' she murmured,
poor Beatrice. But it is for Leopold: :
is is to save him. 1 must do it. -
The tears had begun to trickle from
her eyes. when she quickly jerked her.
self upon her feet, almost ran into the
sitting-room once more opened the oak
cupboard and filled the tinted glass
with courage. She drained it, shud-
dered again, and then, with slower
steps, went back int the bedroom, Just
as the clock upon the mantlsshelf,
with it's muffled cathedral chimes,
beat out the message that it was a
quarter before two.
| She bent over the drawer and with
supreme effort lifted out the sleeping
child. Staggering towards the quilted
covering in the center of the room,
she placed him upon it so that his
head projected It'll from the upper
edge. Then, with purposeful fingers,
she rolled the thing about him and
strapped it carefully until the little
sleeping boy resembled nothing SO
/ nnnh Nf fhncn
in which the Indian woman carries her
papoose. The unconscious boy moan.
ed again uneasily as the long, thin
arms of his betrayer bound his secure
ly in the padded prison. When the
strapping was complete, however, he
remained nlotionless, and no more
sound came from him.
\ Then Miss Decies took woolleu
skull cap and placed it upon the curl
Ing chestnut hair, tying it beneath the
chin with it's silken ribbons. Finally
she lifted the whole burden by a
leather handle in the center, to which
| a ring, lined with india-rubber, was
! attached and carried it into the sitting
room as il 1t were mere bundle Of
9 rugs and umbrellas.
She laid the bundle down lust I'M
/ der the straight fall of the rope which
depended from the high pulley above
& The bundle, with the little project
ing head half covered with the wooler
cap lay upon the floor with the ghast
suggestion of a corpse. The woman
i looked at it steadfastly for minute
! or two, and as she did so all the hest
J tation and remorse seemed to die GU
!. of her face. The eyes began to glow
t not now with grim determinatio,
alone, but with the fierce and horrit
light of madness.
) She pointed one long, lean finger a
. the bundle, and chucked dryly in he
throat.
"Ahn she whispered, with a fright
/ full leer, there you are! The grea
: little duke, heir to untold millions
You who were going tosbe might
8 prince Of England. There you arr
Il q knowing nothing at all! Mine! Mine
t and Lecpold's! Mine and Leopold
and Sophia's! Sophia, who once wa
{ q my own barge nv little stnhbnr