The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-11-25

while that OF his companion was je
black The younger mans face APP
, peared so dark that ! suspected he wore
: "A beard, and his figure was erect ant
vigorous. in the prime OF life. Virile ant
full of power.
: He certainly dominated the oldel
man. | watched them a~ttentively. a.
they paced back and forth. and the de.
pendence of the one upon the othel
was very manifest. Both heads were
bent as though in earnest talk and. foi
perhaps half an hour. they walked slow
~ up and down. Then. at a sign OF
fatigue from the older figure. the other
led him to a garden bench. where both
sat down.
The elder man. / told myself, was no
doubt Worthington Vaughan. Small
wonder ne vas considered queer IL he
dressed habitually in a white robe and
worshiped the stars at midnight! There
was something monkish about the hab-
It's which he and his companion wore,
ana the thought flashed into my mind
that perhaps they We're members OF
some religious order, or some Oriental
cult or priesthood. And Doth of them.
added to myself. must be a little
mad!
AS | watched. the discussion gradu-
ally grew more animated. and tho
younger man, sp%ringing to his feet.
paced excitedly up and down. touching
his forehead with his fingers from time
to time. and raising his hands to heav-
en-, as though calling 1t as n witness to
MS words. AT last the other made a
sign or assent. got to his feet. bent his
head reverently as to a spiritual supe-
rior and walked slowly away toward
the mousse. Ihe younger man stood gaZ-
Ing after him until he passed from
sight. then resumed his rapid pacing
up and down. evidently deeply moved.
AT last. from the direction of the
house. came the flutter of a white robe.
For a moment, ! thought it was the old
man returning, then. as it emerged full
ly from the trees. / saw hat 1t wal a
woman-a young woman, l. guessed,
from her slimness. and from the mass
OF dark hair which framed her face.
And then l remembered that Godfrey
had told me that Worthington Vaughan
had a daughter.
The man was at her side in an in
slant. held out his hand. and said
something. which caused her to shrink
away. She half turned. as though to
lice. III h other laid his hand upon
her arm, speaking earnestly. and, after
a moment, she permitted him to lead
her TO a seat. He remained standing
before her. sometimes raising his hands
TO heaven, sometimes pointing toward
the house. sometimes bending close
above her. and from time to time. MAX
ing that peculiar gesture of touching
his fingers to his forehead, whose
meaning I could not guess. But + could
guess at the torrent of passionate words
winch poure' from his lips. and at tho
e light which was In his eyes!
Tho woman sat quite still, with
bowed head, listening. but making no
sign either of consent or refusal. Grad
ually. the man grew more confident.
ana at last stopped to take her hand.
but she drew 1t quickly away, ard, rails
ing her head. said something slowly
and with n1r1F h 10 clio ~ 1J1 1~Ny- -. 1.EZa
savagely. then. after a rapid turn up
and down. seemed to agree. bowed low
to her, and went rapidly away toward
the house. The woman sat for some
time where he mad left her. her face
IN her hands: then. with a gesture of
WEAKNESS and dtscouragement, crossed
tho lawn and disappeared among the
For a long time I sat there motion.
less. my eyes on the spot where she
had disappeared, trying to understand.
What was the meaning Of the ~scene?
what was 1t the younger man had
urged so passionatel: roon her, but
at which she had rebea.sd? What was
II for which he had pied so earnestlyp
u OBVIOUS answer was that he pied
Tor her love, that he had urged her to
becom his wife: but the answer did
not satisfy me. His attitude had been
passionate enough but it had scarcely
been lover like. 1T had more of adj
monition. of warning. even Of threat.
than of entreaty in it. 1T was not the
OF a lover to his mistress
put OF a master to his pupil.
And what had been the answer
wrung from her finally by his insist
answer to which he had at
first violently dissented, and then re-
luctantly agreed?
no doubt, Ii these people had been
CARRIED in the clothes OF every day
snould have felt at the outset that
all this was none Of my business. and
crept down the ladder and gone
way, But their strange dress
once unreal n theatrical. and not for
an instant a ! felt myself an intru-
der. IT was as though I were looking 81
the rehearsal of a drama designed for
the public gaze and enacted upon a
Siage, q, more properly. a pantomime.
Might it not, indeed, be a re-
hearsal OF some sort-private theatre
believe? But that scene at
,nidnight-that could not be make be-
No. nor was this scene in the
sarQen. AZ was in earnest-in dead
nest earnest; there was about it some
thing sinister and threatening; and 1T
was the realization Of this-the real
ization that there was something here
not right, something demanding acru-
kept me chained to my
minute,
SBut nothing further happened. and I
at last, that If ! was to escape
agonizing cramp in the leg, I must
set down. / put my feet on the ladder.
md then paused for q asst look about
the grounds. My y was caught by
9 flntter OK white among the trees.
was walking along one of the
palms, in a moment, Straining o /