Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-12-06

| will be closed forever In a few hours.
Oh! Peggie, Peggle. he must not die
for me-"
"He does not die for you,d dear Prue.
He dies for his crimes. Faith. I'm
sorry for 1t, thought he isn't my hus-
band. But think what a plight you
would be in If he We're to live!!" Peggy
demonstrated.
Prue ooked at her like a child sud-
denly reused from sleep and finding
Its way back gradually from dream
land.
Ills true" She gasped. What would
become of me?"
You are his Wife" Peggie went on.
and as long as he lives you can not
marry any one else. AS to your debts
If he were not to die. he would have
to pay them or go to prison."
oh, Peggie, stop! Every word you
say makes me hate mystelf worse and
and worse. l must have been mad to
marry a robber-a man who forced a
Kiss from me at the point Of a pistol.
as 1T were. and yet now he is my hus-
band l can not, dare not, wish him
dead"
III you wished it ever so much, dear,
You could neither help nor hinder it,"
Peggie began consolingly.
I'm not so sure of that" cried Prue.
raising herself on her elbow and speak.
Ing excitedly. DO you know last night
when l was in the duchess box had
more n half a mind to fall on my
Knees before her and wv everything
and lmplore her to save Robins life"
Great Heaven!" gasped Peggie.
What on earth do you upp She
would have done to you?"
u do not know. and l am not sure
that care much" sighed Prue. sink
ing back on her pillow. But I'm a
wretched coward at heart. and a lump
came up in my throat and stified the
words. and all l could say when she
saw the tears running down my face
was some fOo%lisllneSs about the play
being so affecting, when every one
round me was laughing and l didn't
even know what the actors were talk
ing about"
What did the duchess say?" asked
Reggie, eager for all the information
she could obtain while her cousin was
In the mood to tell it.
That l was a little fool. And Lord
Ripworth said, No at all, that 1 want
cd them to see how lovely 1 looked in
tears And they all joked me until I
would rather have been hanged myself
IMAM limited at anything tragic in my
life" 10y
Reggie assured her that it was much
Detter as 1t was n thai nothing would
nave come OF such a sclf-betrayal but
scandal and disgrace that would have
Droke their g~randmother's heart and
Dan1shed them forever from society.
Ihen she kissed n petted her until
sne zen asleep, much as a grieved and
frightened child might do, with long
drawn signs and broken sobs gradu-
any softening into the tranquil respira-
tlon or dreamless -repose.
But there was the morrow's walking
10 come, n 1t came to Prue with a
sudden sweep of consciousness md
recollection that scorched her brain and
stopped the beating Of her heart. The
CLOCK on the mantel chimed the half
nour, and starting up in a panic she
saw that the hands pointed to half.
past seven.
ana robin Freemantle was to die at
0 O'CLOCK. Even now he was on the
way TO Iyburn. shackled to other males
lactors In the dreadful cart which he
would never leave alive. Even now the
mob was jeering him and his wretched
companions and gloating over the nros-
pect of the last dying speeches and
concessions" which were expected to
play so important a part in the morn
ing entertainment. Four Of them we're
70 De hanged that morning-two coin-
ers, q mousse breaker and-Prue's hus-
Daho: me h1deOusness of the Thought
struck her again with an agony Of
shame that tingled in every nerve and
Tor the moment dried the tears ,lnon
her burning face. p
she heard Peggie moving ii the next
room and sprang out of bed, dashine
eoio water e her face and head in
1eVerlsh haste to wash off the tears
ana cool down the turgid blood that
tnrobbed in her temples and crimsoned
her cheeks.
Just then the clock struck 8. A neigh
Doring church clock took up the chime.
Ano then another at a little distance.
1T was Robins death knell. Pr,e
roped blindly a few steps and then,
Win a low. wailing cry, fell on the floor
In a deathly swoon. 49,
fegg1e ran in n by main force lift
eu e up and laid her on the he'd.
nc appllcatlon Of such simple remedies
as cold water and hartshorn soon
brought back c-onsciousness and witt, tTo =
, , OF tears n such heart broken
lamentations that Peggie began to ash
aerselI whether there could be- anv
aiasic IN the marriage service to make
= w!dow mourn SO bitterly for a nus
ionS s me mad only seen on two occas-
- an0 masked on one Of thosei
she wisely refrained from investiesf'
ing M the source Of Prue's emotion. how
I've rightly Judging that the mora
SUaapaetely she gave way to It the
quicker nc It would wear itself out.
~ 1act: AFTER an hour or 80 the VIC.
49, BI!eI 0uOS1Qe0, leaV1ng her
pale and languid and much disposed to
pity herself as in some mysterious way
v cruelty used by fate and alto
seLner g most interesting victim.
an tnls frame Of mind she insisted
Upon rummaging out a black dress and
arranging her curly locks in az sub
dued q fashion as their l~uxuriance and
natural willfulness would submit to.
Ihen she permitted PegRie to lead her
downstairs. AeA
Behind the dining room there was a