Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-01-21

labored under a weight of agitation
that did not suffer her to reason.
but IL he dies?" she cried In a woe
full tone. IF he dies OF hunger? oh,
my God, of hunger! What have we
done then? l tell YOU" she continued:
II cannot bear it! / cannot bear ~!
She looked from one to the other as
appealing TO each in turn to share her
horror, and to act. 1T is wicked, it Is
wicked" she continued, in a Shrlller
tone and with a note of defiance In
her voice, 'and who will answer for II
il he does? mot you! /. who tricked
him, who lied TO him, who lured him
therei"
Fol- a ONE there was a stricken
| .ilence In the room. Then, And what
had he done for her?" Asgili retorted
with spirit-for he saw that IL he did
not meet her on her own plane she was
capable of any act, however ruinous.
"Or, If not to you. to Ireland, TO your
king, to your country. to your hopes?"
He flung into his voice all the ~indigna-
ton of which he was master. "A trick
you say? Was Ii not by a trick ne
ruined all? The fairest prospect, the
brightest day that ever dawned for Ire
land! The day of freedom, of liberty,
Of
She twisted her fingers feverishly to-
gether.
Yes" she said, yes, Yes, but I
can't bear it, 1t is no use talking" she
continued. with a violent shudder. You
are here-look!" she pointed TO the
table strewn with the remains of the
meal. But he is-starving! ~Starving!"
she repeated, as If the physical pain
touched herself.
you shall go TO him tomorrow. Go
yourself" he replied in a soothing tone.
ZIP" she cried. Never"
"Oh, but Asgill began, perplexed
but not surprised by her attitude. But
there's your brother" he continued, re-
lieved. He will tell you, I'm sure, that
nothing can be so harmful as to change
now. Your sister" he went on, ad-
dressing The McMurrough, who had
just descended the stairs, she's wish
ing ONE one will go to the Colonel and
see if he's down a peg. But I'm telling
her,
It's folly entirely, you should be
telling her." James McMurrough re-
piled, CURLY and roughly. Tomorrow
at sunset, and not an hour earlier, he'll
Flavvy, that'll speak to him. What
more is it you're wanting?"
II speak to him." she cried. II
couldn't"
but it'll be you'H have to-" he re-
piled roughly. Wasn't it so arranged"
Il couldn't she replied, In the same
tone of trouble. "Some one else-if you
like"
but it's moi some one else will do"
James retorted.
But why should l be the one-to
go?" she walled. She had Colonel Johns
face before her. haggard. sunken, fam
ished, as, peering into the gloomy, fire
lit room. she had seen it that after
noon.
Crew a yor,v croo5 raoson - bar bro+h
er retorted with a sheer. He looked at
Asgill and laughed.
That look startled her as a fash OF
light startles q traveller cropping
through darkness. WHY" she repeat
ed. III a different tone.
But neither her tone nor Asgilrs
glance put James McMurrough on his
guard; he was in one of his brutal hui
mors. ''Why?" he replied. Because
he's a silly fool, as I'm thinking some
others are, INT has a fancy for you,
Flavvy. Faith, you're not blind" he
continued, land know 1t, I'll be sworn,
as we'll as / do. Anyway, Nv a notion
that IL you let him see that there is
no one in the house wishes him worse
than you, or would see him starve with
a lighter heart-I'm thinking it will be
for bringing him down, If anything
will"
She did not answer Outwardly she
was not much moved, but inwardly the
horror of herself which she had felt as
she lay upstairs in the darkness, think
ing of the starving man, choked her.
They were using her because the man
her! Because hard words, cruel
treatment. brutality from her would be
10 times more hard, more cruel, more
brutal than from others! Because such
treatment at her hands would be more
likely to break his spirit and crush his
heart! To what viler use, to what
lower end could a woman be used or
human feeling be prostituted?
Nor was this all. On the tide OF this
loathing of herself rose another, a
stranger feeling. The mar loved her.
She did not doubt that statement. Its
truth came home to her at once. And
because it placed him in a light in
which she had never viewed him before.
because it recalled a hundred things,
acts, words or his part which she had
barely noted at the time, it showed him.
too, as one whom she had never seen.
Had he been free, prosperous, triumph
ant, the knowledge that he loved her,
that he, her enemy, loved her, might
have revolted her-she might have
hated him the more for 1t. But now
that he lay a prisoner, famished, starv-
ing, the fact that ne loved her touched
her leart, transfixed her with an all
most poignant feeling, choked her with
a rising food of pity and self reproach.
so there you have it, Flavvy!"
James cried complacently. And sure,
you'll no be making a fool of yourself
at this time of day"
Continued Next Week.