The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-01-20

labored under q weight OF agitation
that did not suffer. her to reason.
But IL he dies?' she cried in q woe
full tone. IL he dies of hunger? Oh,
my God, of hunger! What have we
Il cannot bear It! I ann bear it,"
She looked from one to the other as
appealing to each in turn to share her
horror. and to act. 1T is wicked, 1t is
wicked" she continued, in a shriller
tone and with a note of defiance in
her voice, land h will answer for 1t
IL he does? I-not you! /. who tricked
him, who lied to him. who lured him
there!"
For a moment there was a stricken
silence In the room. Then. And what
had he done for herr" Asgill retorted
with spirit--for he saw hat IL he did
not meet her on her own plane she was
capable of any act, however ruinous.
"Or, II 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 1t not by a trick he
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 feverisAly to-
gether:
YES" she said, Eyes! Yes, but l
can't bear 1t! 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.
yourself" he replied i'm a soothing tone.
"I?' she cried. "NpVprto
"Oh. but Asgill began, perplexed
but not surprised by her attitude. But
there's your brother" he continued, re-
lieved. He will teTl 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 some one will go to the Colonel and
see if he's down a peg. But I'm telling
her.
Its folly entirely, you should be
telling her." James McMurrough re-
piled, CURLY n roughly. Tomorrow
at sunset. and not an hour earlier, he'll
Flavvy, thatll speak to him. What
more is 1t you're wanting?"
II speak to him." she. cried. IT
couldn't"
But it'll be you'll have to-" he re-
piled roughly. Wasn't 1t so arranged?'
II couldn't" she replied, in the same
tone Of trouble. Some n else-if you
like"
but it's not some one else will do"
James retorted.
but why should I 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 1t that after
noon.
For a very good reason her broth
err retorted with a sneer. He looked at
Asgill nj laughed.
That look startled her as a fash of
light startles a traveller cropping
through darkness. ''Why?" she repeat
ed, in a different tone.
But neither her tone nor sAsgill's
glance put James McMurrough on his
guard; he was in n of his brutal hui
mors. ''Why?" he replied. Because
he's a silly fool. as I'm thinking some
others are, and has a fancy for you.
Flavvy. Faith, you're not blind he
continued, land know 1t, I'll be sworn,
as well as 1 do. Anyway, I've a notion
that IL you let him see that there is
no n In the house wishes him worse
than you, or would see hin starve with
a lighter heart-Tm thinking 1t will be
for bringing him down, il 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
loved her! Because hard words, cruel
treatment. brutality from her would be
10 times more hard, more cruel, more
brutal han 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 man loved her.
She did not doubt that statement. It's
truth came home to her at once. And
because 1t placed him in a light in
which she had lever viewed him before.
because 1t recalled a hundred things.
acts, words on 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
revolted her-she might have
hated him the more for 1t. But now
that he lay a prisoner, famished, starv-
ing, the fact that he loved her touched
her l.eart, transfixed her with an al
poignant feeling, choked her with
rising flood Of pity and self reproach.
$50 there you have it, Flavvy!"
James cried complacently. "And sure,
you'll not be making a fool Of yourself
this time Of day."
Az