Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1915-08-26

~S 6AOT 80
the long. slanting rays Of the west
ward sun, and people In automobiles
and other vehicles had halted wheel in
the street to read the message so
piquantly given to the world. These
were the conditions when a crested
victoria arrived at a gallop, and a
large, chastely magnificent and highly
flushed woman descended and pro
crossed across the yard with an air OF
violence
At sight Of her the adults OF the
waiting line hastily disappeared, and
most of the pausing vehicles moved In
stantly on their way. She was follow
ed by q stricken la In livery.
The stairs to the auditorium were
narrow and steep. Mrs. Roderick
Magsworth Bits was Of a stout favor,
and the voice Of Penrod was audible
during the ascent
"Re-mem-bur, gentilmun and lay
deeze, each and all are now gazing
upon Roderick Magsworth Bits, Jr.,
the only living nephew Of the great
Rena Magsworth- She stuck ars'nic
in the milk Of eight separate and dis
timex people to put in their coffee, and
each and all of 'em died. The great
ars'nic murderess, Rena Magsworth,
genhlmun and lay-deeze, and Roddy's
her only living nephew. She's a rela-
ton of all the Bits family, but he's
her one and only living nephew. Re,
mem-bur, next July she's goin' te be
hung, and each and all you now see
before you
Penrod paused abruptly, seeing some
thing before himself-the august and
awful presence which filled the entry
way. And his words ct should be re-
lated froze upon his lips.
Before herself Mrs. Roderick Mays
worth Bits saw her son-her scion
wearing a m%oustache and sideburns of
blue, and perched upon a bog fanked
by Sherman and Verman, the Michi-
gan rats, the Indian dog Duke, Her
man, and the dog part alligator.
Roddy also saw something before
himself. 1t needed no prophet to read
the countenance Of the dread appari-
tioa in the entryway. His mouth open
ed-remained ~open-then filed to capac-
ity with a calamitous sound Of grief
not unmingled with apprehension,
Penrod's reason staggered under the
crisis. For a horrible moment he saw
Mrs. Roderick Magsworth Bits APP
preaching like some fatal mountain In
avalanche. She seemed to grow larger
and redder; Hghtnings played about
her head. He had a vague conscious
ness Of the audience spraying out in
flight, Of the sQuealings, tramplings
and dispersals Of a stricken field. The
mountain was close upon him
He stood by the open mouth OF the
hay chute which went through the
floor to the manger below. Penrod
also went through the floor. He pro-
PEELED himself into the chute and shot
down, but not quite to the manger,
for Mr.. Samuel Williams had thought
fully stepped into the chute a moment
in advance of his partner. Penrod lit
upon Sam.
Catastrophe noises resounded in the
loft; volcanoes seemed to romp upon
the stairway.
There ensued a period when only a
shrill keentng marked the passing Of
Roderfck as he was borne to the tum-
bril- Then all was silence.
Sunset striking through a western
window rouged the walls of the Soho
fields library, where gathered a joint
family council and court martial Of
four-Mrs. schofield, MI. schofield and
Nj. and Mrs. Williams, parents of
Samuel OF that Fix. Mr.. Williams read
aloud a conspicuous passage from the
last edition Of the evening paper:
Prominent people here believed
close relations Of woman sentenced to
hang. Angry denial by Mrs. r. Mays
worth Bits. Relationship admitted by
younger member Of family. His state
ment confirmed by boy friends
"Don'tw said Mrs. Williams, adj
dressing her husband vehemently.
We've all read 1t a dozen times.
We've got plenty Of trouble on our
hands without hearing that agatn!.
Smgularly enough, Mrs. Williams did
ASS ASOh LAouDAChs ShS AOOhcA Nv IL bu6
were trying to look troubled. Mrs.
Schofleld wore a similar expression.
So did Mr.. Schofeld. So did Mr.. WI
liams.
What did she say when she called
you upY" Mrs. Schofeld inquired breath
iessiy OF Mrs. Williams.
-She could hardly speak at first, and
then when she did talk she talked SO
fast I couldn't understand most OF 1t,
and
1T was just the same when she tried
to talk to me-" said Mrs. Schofleld,
nodding.
~ never did hear any one in such q
state before" continued Mrs. Williams.
$50 furious
quite justly, Of course, ( said Mrs.
Sch0field.
"Of curse. And she said Penrod
and Sam had enticed Roderick away
from home-nsually he's not allowed to
go outside the yard except with his
tutor or a servant-and had told him
to say that horrible creature was his