The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-10-05
CHAPTER XXIII.

Duane returned to Fairdale and
camped in the mesquite till the 23rd of
the month. The few days seemed end
less. All he could think of was that
the hour in which he must disgrace
Ray Longstreth was slowly but ineXor-
ably coming. In that waiting time he
learned what love was and also duty
When the day at last daWned he rode
like n possessed down the rough
slope, hurdling the stones and crashing
through the brush, with q sound in his
ears that was not all the rush Of the
wind. Something dragged at him.
Apparently one side Of his mind was
unalterably fixed, while the other was
a hurrying conglomeration of flashes
of thought, reception of sensations. He
could not get callnness. BY and by,
almost involuntarily, he hurried faster
or Action seemed to make his state
less oppressive; it eased the weight.
it was to continue. Had he turned his
back upon love, happiness, perhaps on
life itself?
There seemed no use to go on farther
until he was absolutely sure Of himself
Duane received a clear warning thought
that such work. as seemed haunting
and driving him could never be carried
out in the mood under which he la
bored. He hung on to that thought.
Several times he slow up, then stopped,
only to go On again. At length, as he
mounted a low ridge, Fairdale lay
bright and green before him not far
away, and the sight was a conclusive
check. There were mosquitoes on the
ridge. and Duane sought the shade be-
meath them. 1t was the noon hour,
with hot, glary sun and no wind. Here
Duane had to have out his fight. Du-
ane was utterly unlike himself; he
could not bring the old self back: he
y,r, ~ $h~A l-I
been. But he could understand why.
1t was because Of Ray Longstreth.
Temptation assailed him. To haye9her
his wife! 1t was impossible. The
thought was insidiously alluring. Du-
ane pictured a home. He saw himself
riding through the cotton and rice and
cane, home to a stately old mansion,
where long cared hounds bayed him
welcome, and a woman looked for him
and met him with happy and beautiful
smile. There might-there would be
children. And something new, strange,
~confounding with its emotion, came to
life deep in Duane's heart. There
would be children! Ray their mother!
The kind Of life a lonely outcast always
yearned for and never had! He saw 1t
all, felt it all.
But beyond and above all other
claims came Captain MacNelly's. 1t
was then there was something cold and
deathlike in Duane's SOU. For he
knew. whatever happened. of ono thing
he was sure-he would have to kin
either Longstreth or Lawson. Long,
stretch might be trapped into arrest;
but Lawson had no sense, no control,
no ear He would snar like a panther
and &c for his gun. and he would have
to be killed. This, OF all consumma-
tons. was tho one to be calculated
upon.
Duane came out Of 1t all bitter and
| callous and %sore--in the most fitting
OF moods to undertake n difficult and
deadly enterprise. He had fallen upon
| his old strange. futile dreams, now rem
dered poignant by reason OF love, He
drove away those dreams. In their
places came the images OF tho olive
skinned Longstreth with his sharp
eyes. and the dark. evil faced lawson
and then returned tenfold more thrill
lang n sinister the old strange pas
sion to meet Poggin.
1t was about ! o'clock when Duane
rode into Fairdale. The streets for the
most part Were deserted. He went al
rect1y to find Morton and Zimmer. He
found them at length. restless, aom :
| her, anxious, but unaware or tho nart
he had played at Ord. They said Long
streth was home, too. 1t was possible
that Longstreth had arrived homo In
| ignorance.
Duane told them TO be on hand In
town with their men In case no might
need them. and her with teeth locked
Duane stole through tho bushea and
trees. and when nearing tho porch hs
heard loud. angry. familiar voices,
HNH.lH+E UFFEe