The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-06-10
I'LL III nm
~IX-(Continued)
iii I'LL NH

a miserable liar and sneak
you are, and
She iied!" cried Eric, fiercely.
Here! Don't you go saying my moth
sr is a liar. Ill-Ill-"
You're both liars. No! Wait a min
ute. I don't believe Aunt Rena told
your father that. She's as mean as
1irt to me. but I don't think shed do
That. I'm going to ask Uncle Horace"
Chetwynd's bloodshot eyes shifted.
YOU'D better keep your mouth shout"
ne growled Fathers promised he'd
overlook it If nothing more was said
Uncle Horace knows you're a thief"
:ried his cousin. and / know it, and
I'VE got to help shield too. We've
I'll got to protect the blessed Blagden
name. What a joke it Isl"
ChetWynd's face was of a greenish
white. He looked over his shoulder as
VI In mortal fear that these words had
peen overheard. You keep your jaws
closed" he Kissed.
What's Adam al been watching
you began Eric, but the loo of alb
solute terror in his cousins face
stopped him.
Adam Carr" he gasped, his jaw
tagging. HAS he been" He pulled
.imself together with a mighty effort,
,,ried to grin derisively. "Ah, come off!
You can't pull that off with me. Adam
Tarr's on a bank job for father"
What did Judge Bright want to see
vou for last night?"
Say, I'm not here to answer ques-
ions for you,' roared Chetwynd. you
ire nothing but a pauper, living off of
as, anyhow. You and Mary, both Of
you. Your the scum of the earth. If
YOU didn't have father ack Of you,
bobody with any decency in 'em would
ook at you. You know what your ia
t1er was and what our mother was,
30 why"
Take care, Chef. Don't say any
Thing more" warned Eric. white to the
lips.
And you'll both come to the same
tnd," went on the other ruthlessly.
Mary! Ho, no! She's a fin one to
ak She got caught with me, and she
aad to lie out Of 1t. She put 1t all on
ne. And I was man enough to stand
Tor it. too"
You lie"
Chetwynd's eyes cleaned with a sud-
len malicious JOY. He gave vent to
nervous, uncertain laugh.
letter just now. didn't you? Well. it
Vas a note from Mary. She's crazy
about me. / can do what I please with
her, and at any time. She's no better
than any of h rest of her sort. If
fou think She's SO blamed good and
| 5irtuous-'
If you saw another word, I'll kill
you." cried Eric. quivering all over.
you're afraid to throw it." sneered
Ehetwynd, wholly misunderstanding
the emotions that shook his cousins
,,rane. "She was coming here to meet
me today. She"
Eric's heart gave a great throb OF
Toy and triumph.
You lie! III is out riding with Joan
Bright. Oh, you cowardly dog! You
You can say such things to me be-
cause you've got a rock in your hand
Without hesitation, Eric tossed the
rock into the ditch.
Lik a ferocious, suddenly freed tt.
ger. Chetwynd sprang forward, a snar
Of fury on his lips. They came togeth.
er with a crash. Twice Eric
went down from savage body blows
once he was kicked in the side while
out upon the rjckety bridge, the small
er youth carefully guarding his face
from the wild. murderous blows of thu
young giant. At last. the chance cam,
to send In a telling blow Of his own.
He drove his fist against his cousin:
law as he came in with a crouching
bull-like rush, death lust In his con
vulsed face.
Chetwynd staggered back against tn,
railing of the bridge, clutching at it t.
say himself from falling. A look O.
foolish surprise came into his eyes. K
be succeeded a second later by one O.
fearful dismay.
20 God!" welled from young Blag
denis lips.
The frail support creaked and spin
tered. There was a tearing, cracking
sound, and then the rail gave way
Chetwynd's shrek of horror was ever
less s%ickening than the groan that fel
from Eric's lips as he leaped forward
to catch the tottering figure on tn,
edge.
In the twinkling of an eve he stoot
alone o n the shuddering bridge.
Up from h depths came a horri,
scream, cut short by he crash Of tim
bers and the thud Of a heavy body OF
the rocks 10 feet below. Then came ut
ter Stiffness.
For a long time Eric M%idthorpe stoo,
rooted to the spot. petrified by horror
he had waited an age, it seemed, 70
the thud of that whirling, unseen body
Now he knew that the thing whicl
had been SO vitality alive a momen ag7
was alive no longer.
He waited for a shout from below
or even a groan-anything that woul
bring to him the courage to look dow,
on the thing that had swayed, an
writhed and c!awed the air but a mo
ment before. He could see nothing blu
that--he could cal nothing but tina
wild scream.
ice. He, was freezing. Suddenly hi
knees gave way and he dropped heayil
IN his tracks. Fascinated by horror
he dragged himself to the edge-to tn
very spot where Chetwynd had las
been seen-and peered over the side
down through that dark. sunless Ri
in the rocks.
Dimly outlined against the blacl
moist floor Of the ravine there was
huddled. motionless shape that took n
definite form. but lay like a heap c
discarded garments waiting for the vii
it of h old iron and rags man. Flo
many minutes the youth on the bridg,
transfixed by horror, glared at thi
vague shape, hoping against hope tina
it would arise and resolve itself int
human form-into the human form h
had hated SO bitterly.
But there was no movement of til
heap. there was no sound. there was n
sign. The thing down there was Che
wynd Blagden-big, brutal, virile Che
wynd-and 1t vas dead, horribly dead
With a low moan of realization, Err
drew back from the edge, covering h!