Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-06-10
III III M
I'LL I'LL III
CHAPTER IX-(Continued)

you-What a miserable liar and sneak
you are, and
, She led" cried Eric, fiercely.
Here! Don't you go saying my moth
er is a liar. Ill-I'n-"
You're both liars. No! Wait a min
ute. l don't believe Aunt Rena told
your father that. She's as mean as
dirt to me. but l don't think she'd do
that. In going to ask Uncle Horace"
Chetwynd's bloodshot eyes shifted.
YOU'D better keep your mouth shout
ne growled Fathers promised he'd
overlook 1t If nothing more was said
about it"
Uncle Horace knows you're a thief"
cried his cousin, and 1 know it. and
I've got to help shield you. too. We've
all got to protect the blessed Blagden
name. What a joke it Isl"
ChetWynd's face was Of a greenish
white. He looked Owe his shoulder as
y IN mortal fear that these words had
been o~verheard.s You keep your Jaws
closed he Missed.
What's Adam Carr been watching
YOU began Eric. but the look of alb
eolute terror in his cousins face
'topped him.
Adam Cart he gasped, his jaw
Sagslng. Has he been He pulled
himself together with a mighty effort,
,rled to grin derisively. "Ah, come off!
You can't pull that off with me. Adam
Cars on a bank Job for father
What did Judge Bright want to see
you for last night?"
say I'm not here to answe ques-
lons for you" roared Chetwynd. You
are nothing but a pauper, living off of
US, anyhow You n Mary, both of
YOU. You're the scum of the earth. II
you d1dnt have father back of you.
NOBODY with any decency in EN- would
.ook at you. You know what your ia
fhar NrD 9 otaI rl-.
80 why"
Take care, Chet! Don't say any
th1ng more" warned Eric, white to the
Ups.
And you'll both come to the same
emo Went on the other ruthlessly.
Mary 10, no! She's a fine n to
talk. h got caught with NE, and she
had to lie out of it. She put 1t all on
me. And l was mar enough to stand
for it. too"
You lie"
ChetWynd's eyes cleaned with a sud
Sen malicious Joy. He gave ven to
I nervous uncertain laugh.
II do. do I? Say. you saw me burn
J 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
nan any Of the rest of her sort. If
you think she's so blamed good and
T~irtuous-''
II you saw another word. III kill
you cried Eric. quivering all over.
afraid to throw it," sneered
rhetwynd. wholly misunderstanding
the emotions that shook his cousins
frame. she was coming here to meet
Ericis heart gave a great throb of
10y and triumph.
You lie! She is out riding with Joan
Bright. Oh, YOU cowardly log, You
tcast!'
You al say such things to me be
fause you've got q rock in your hand.
Without hesitation, Eric tossed the
rock into the ditch.
III a ~ferocious. suddenly freed IL
ger, Chetwynd sprang forward, a snarl
II fury on his lips. They came togeth-
hr with a crash. Twice Eric
vent down from savage body blows.
once he was kicked in the sid while
rying to arise. They fought their way
put upon the r1ckety bridge, the small,
" youth carefully guarding his face
from the wild, inuTderous blows of the
'oung giant. AT last. the chance came
10 send in a telling blow of his owl.
He drove his fist against his cousins
law as he came in with a crouching,
nul-like rush, death lust in his con.
yulsed face.
CHetwynd staggered back against the
'alilng of the bridge. clutching at it to
rave himself from falling. A look OF
,oolish surprise came into his eyes. to
be succeeded q second later by one OF
,earful dismay.
% Cod welled from young B,ag.
LENS lips.
The frail support creaked and spin.
.ered. There was a tearing. cracking
sound, and then the rail gave way,
chetwynd's Shrek Of horror was even
less sickening than the groan hat fell
rom eric lips as he leaped forward
TO catch the tottering figure on the
.dge.
In the twinkling of an eve he stood
llone on the ~shuddering bridge.
Up from the depths came a horrid
scream, cut short by the crash of tim.
beers and the thud of a heavy BODY or
the rocks 40 feet below. Then came ut.
ter stiffness.
For a long time Eric Midthorne stood
Gooted to the spot, petrified by horror
he had waited an age, it seemed. for
the thud Of that whirling. unseen body
o he knew hat the thing. wbjct
had been so vitality alive a moment age
was alive no longer.
He waited for a shout from below
Or even a groan-anything that would
bring to him the courage to look dowr
On the thing that had swayed. an6
wrftlaed and clawsd the air but a mo.
ment before. He could see nothing but
that-he could hear nothing but tina,
wild scream.
His body seemed to have turned te
ice. He was freezing. Suddenly hit
knees gave way and he dropped iieavil,
IN his tracks. Fascinated by horror
he dragged himself to the edge-to thu
very spot where Chetwynd had las
been seen-and peered over the side
down through that dark, sunless riff,
in the rocks.
D1mly outlined against the black
moist floor OF the ravine there was E
huddled, motionless shape that took M
definite form. Out lay like a heap O.
discarded garments waiting for the Wis
It OF the old iron and rags man. Fol
many minutes the youth on the bridge
transfixed by horror. glared at thi.
vague shape. hoping against hope tl1a'
1t would arise and resolve itself int
human form-into the human form h,
had hated so bitterly.
But there was no movement of thu
heap. there was no sound, there was M
sign. The thing down there was Chef
wynd Blagden-big, brutal. virile Chef
wynd-and 1t was dead. horribly dead
With q low moan Of realization, Fri,
drew back from the edge, covering hi
eyes with his hands to shut out tn,
L ArnA A%s,y -3~1A fH flN