The New era-leader. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1911-1912, 1911-06-09

rawhide frightened p~erceptibly at the
movement. Neil was watching him.
His face shone az white as the starlit
sand. His mouth vas partly open.
I'm devilish sorry-for you-Nat-
he said.
His words came with painful slow
ness. There was a grating huskiness
In his voice.
'This damned rawhide-is pinching
my Adams apple
He smiled. His white teeth CLEAN
ed, his eyes laughed. and with q
heart bursting with grief Nathaniel
looked away from him. He had seen
courage, but never like this, and deep
down in his soul he prayed-prayed
that death might come to him first, so
that he might not have to look upon
would be CHASTITY in its fearless resig-
nation. His own suffering had become
excruciating. Sharp pains darted like
red-hot needles through his limbs, his
back tortured him, and his head ached
as though a knife had cloven the base
of his skull. Still-he could breathe.
BY pressing his head against the post
it was not difficult for him to fill his
lungs with air. But the strength of
his limbs was leaving him. He no
longer felt any sensation in his
cramped feet. His knees were numb.
A moaning, wordless cry broke
through the cloth that gagged him.
A tho cr,,nH ~ that nrv foinf for.
| rifying, with all the horror that might
fill a human soul in it's %articulate note,
a shudder of life passed into Neils
body. Weakly he flung himself back,
| stood poised for an instant against the
stake, then fell again upon the deadly
throng. ~Twice-three times he made
the effort, and failed. And to Ma
thaniel, staring wild-eyed and silent
now, the spectacle was one that
seemed to blast the very soul within
him and send his blood in rushing tor
rents of fire to his sickened brain.
Neil was dying! A fourth time he
struggled back. A fifth--and he held
his ground. Even in that passing in
slant something like a flash Of his
buoyant smile fiickerei in his face and
there came to Nathaniers ears like a
throttled whisper-his name.
Mat"
And no
The head fell forward again. And
Nathaniel, turning his face away, saw
something come up out of the SHIN
mering sea, like q shadow before his
clustering eyes, and as his own limbs
went out from under him and he felt
the strangling death at his throat
there came from that shadow q cry
that seemed to snap his very heart
strings-a piercing cry and (even in
, his half consciousness he recognized
IT'D q woman's cry! He flung himself
back. and for q moment he saw Neil
struggling, the last spark of life in
him stirred by that same cry; and
then across the white sand two figures
Jew madly toward them, and even as
the hot film in his eyes grew thicker
he knew that one of them was Marion
and that the other was Winnsome
Croche.
His heart seemed to stop beating.
He strove to pull himself together,
but his head fell forward. Family,
as on a battlefield. voices came to
him, and when with a superhuman ef-
fort he Strengthened himself for an
instant he saw that Neil a no longer
at the stake but was stretched on the
sand, and of the two figures beside
him one suddenly sprang to her feet
and ran to him. And then Marion's
terror-flled face was close to his own.
and Marion's lips were moaning his
name, and Marion's hands were slash.
ing at the thongs that bound. him.
When with a great sigh of joy he
crumpled down upon the earth he
knew that he was slipping OF into OBJ
livion with Marion's arms about his
neck. and with her lips pressing to his
the sweet elixir of her love.
Darkness e~nshrouded him but a few
moments, when a dash of cool water
brought him back into light He felt
himself lowered upon the sand and
after a breath or two he twisted him
self on his elbow and saw that Neils
white face was held on Winnsome's
breast and that Marion was running
up from the shore with more water
For a space she knelt beside her broth
err, and then she hurried to him. 10,
shone in her face. She fell upon he
: knees and drew his head in the hollow
of her arm, grooming mad senseles'
words to him, and bathing his fac
: with water. her eyes shining dow
: upon him gloriously. Nathanie
. reached up and touched her face. an
|. she bowed her head until her hal
!. smothered him in sweet gloom. an,
: kissed him. He drew her lips to hi
. own, and then she lowered him gentl,
= and stood up In the starlight, lookinI
first at Neil and next down at him
: and then she turned quickly back I
the sea.
From down near the shore sh
called back some word. and with
Z shrill cry Winnsome followed her. M