Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-03-10
a liar" he said. Then you'll catch

purpose in the delight OF anticipation.
"He'd tan you--gee, but he'd tan YOU.
I'D show him If he tried it," blus-
tered Chetwynd. Il wont let any man
lick me-, ! don care who he is.
Eric returned to his original attack.
Il don't care If you do tell Aunt Rena.
h knows it amt true. He killed his
man In a duel, Il fair and square duel.
1t was according to the code. all good
and proper. She has no business ay-
ing 1T was a murder"
Well. it was murder" cried Chet-
you're talking about"
Eric went on rashly. I'D like to see
what your father'd do if he had to fight
Il duel. He'd rum. he'd back out. He
wouldn't stand up to anybody with pis-
tolls. My father was a brave man. He
met his man and"
Met him ?' sneered Chetwynd. catch
him in the dark and he shot him in the
back. That's the kind OF Il man he
was-and. darn you, that's just the kind
of a man you'll be. Everybody says so.
My father says it's in the blood"
It's a lie! It's a lie!" screamed Eric.
Chetwynd threw discretion to the
winds. He had been waiting for the
opportunity to hurt his proud cousin.
whom everyone else liked so we'll.
And say, while you're talking about
my mother. let's talk about yours. Do
You know what h was? Say. do you?
Do you know what she did? She was
a bad woman. She was a woman like
well. you know what French Fanny
is down in Fourth street, don't you?
n keeps a house of Ill fame. Nobody
speaks to her. do they? Amt every
girl in town warned against being the
kind of woman she is? Well. Aun
Mary was like French Fanny. She was
a prostitute. She-s"
Eric was upon him like IA wildcat.
pummelling. scratching and kicking.
The attack was so sudden that the
In mingled rage n dismay. The
smaller boy, blinded by fury, struck
wildly n without much effect, but
Chetwynd would have fled from his at
tack II 1t had been possible. The trellis
barred the way to escape. He was
compelled to stand and defend. For
tune favored him in an unexpected
manner. Eric stumbled and fell to his
knees. Before he could coy the
larger boy was upon him. bearing him
to the ground.
Despite his most valiant efforts. Eric
could not throw him OFF. He was forced
to endure a vicious pummelling. His
nose, his lips and an ear We're soon
bleeding. Tears OF rage n chagrin
ran down his cheeks. He was power
less, but his cousi was relentless.
Between blows. Chetwynd ground out
the bitterest taunts he could invent.
There was nothing too vile for him to
apply to the father and mother OF his
helpless victim.
That's what she vast" he kept on
repeating. And that's what YOU sis
ter will be, too. She'll go to the devil,
just as Aunt Mary did. Shut your
mouth. blame you! There! That'n
shut 1T. I guess. And you'll be as dirty
body says so. They're just waiting to
see when it crops out. I've heard 'em
say SO. They pray for you. Did you
know that? They pray for you and
Mary. The have Mr.. Pressure pray for
you, too: He does it every Sunday.
But you'n both go to the gutter. Pray
ers won't. help. you can bet on that.
You're going to shoot somebody in the
back some day and Mary's going to be
a Ouch! oh, you will, will you?
Fake that, INT that! I guess father
ought to know. He's your mothers
brother. II he hasn't a good word for
her, I'd like to know who has. But
what does he say about her? Mother
tells me all about 1t. She don't lie. She
tells the truth"
hausted, perhaps. had not Intervention
occurred to release the painting. beaten
boy. Little Mary had been attracted
by sounds of the conflict. A glance had
shown here the situation. She ran
screaming to the house, alarming her
aunt. Mrs. Blagden lost no time in
going to the rescue of her son!
She separated them n dragged Eric
to his feet shaking him violently by
the collar. The she led him by the ear
step Of the way. while Chetwynd fol-
lowed close behind bawling out trium-
phantly that Eric had called her a liar,
and a thief. n a bad woman.
The victim vas thrust unceremoni-
ously into a lark closet, without being
allowed to INTER- q word i'm his own do.
Tense.
Your uncle shall attend to you when
he comes home from The bank, young
man." said Aunt Rena as h locked
the door. Then she yer downstairs
and made the exasperating mistake of
asking Chetwynd how badly the little
ruff1an had injured him. Her son flung
himself from the room. much to her
dismay. II she had been listening
closely she might have heard herself
alluded to as a 'darned old fool" by her
precious offspring.
; For three bleak, unhappy hours the
! small boy who is to become h hero
of this narrative remained in the dark
! ened windowless closet. from which
, there was no escape. He chafed for q
, put him there. His little heart was full
of h bitterest hatred for these unfair
!. inquisitors: his soul writhed In an ag-
= ony Of shame and humiliation, out OF
which sprung h ever recurring hope
that he might die there in his prison
IL only to make his u feel that SHE
had been the Of his death. HI
was not old enough to be a philosopher;
l he could not see beyond the present In.
I dignity. There was no hope ahead, 81
r far as he could see. His whole lifl
seemed cramped and squeezed into thi'
d narrow cruel hour or two of despair
o He was crushed. but there was a dog
ged fury in his soul that would not b,