Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-12-14

49, - OWN piotAtSp t5dtC It'll dl oil "
troubled dignity, and real anxiety t,
kno his fault that puzzled the CIR
more than all that had gone before.
Il cannot understand how you cal
ask such a question, since it has beer
q constant subject of discussion IL
all our letters!" she replied, sitting III
with asperity and drying her tears
with him for his petty. wilful misunder
standing of words whose meaning sh,
felt he must know we'll.
Il do ask it," he said quietly, and
believe me, 1 have a good motive II
doing SO"
She looked at him in surprise. Il
was impossible to be angry with those
in a wilful stupidity.
Well. then, since you wish 4
stated once more / will tell you,'
she declared, the tears yelling again
into her eyes. You first demanded
that l marry Observation-Disclosures
any pretense whatever OF caring for ms
with aehidden threat in your demand
that II l did not, you would bring some
dire calamity upon me by means thai
were already In your power. You tool
me for the same foolish little girl whom
you had delighted to tease for years
lbefore you went abroad to live. And
when I refused you you told me that
you could not only take away from my
mother all the property which she had
Inherited from her brother. by means
OF g will made just before my uncle's
death, and unknown except to his
lawyer and you; but that you could
and would blacken my dear dead
fathers name and honor, and show that
every 9 n that belonged to mother
and Jefferson n myself was stolen
property. When I challenged, you to
prove any such thing against my hon
ored father, you went still further and
threatened to bring out a terrible story
and prove 1t with witnesses who would
swear to anything you said. You knew
my fathers white life. you as much az
owned your charges were false, and
yet you dared to send me a letter from
9 vile creature who pretended that she
was his first wife. Inc who said she
could prove that he had spent: much
the whole thing was q falsehood. but
you dared to threaten to make this
known through the newspapers IL 1 did
not marry you. You realized that ]
knew, thnt. even though few people and
no friends would believe such a thine
OF my father, such q report In the
papers-false though It was-would
crush my mother to death. You knew
tnat l would give my life to save her,
and 80 you had me In your power, as
you have me now. You have ALWAYS
wanted me In u power, Just because
you love to torture. and now you have
me. But you cannot make me forget
what you nave done. / have given my
HE blu 1 cannot give any more. If Il
is not sufficient . will have to dc
your worst"
She dropped her face into the little
wet handkerchief. and Gordon sat with
white. drawn c~ountenance AND
clenched hands. He was fairly trem-
bling with indignation toward the villain
who had thus dared impose upon this
delicate flower of womanhood, He
longed to search the world over for the
false bridegroom; and, finding, give him
his just dues.
And what should he do or say!
Dared he tell her at once who he was
and trust to her kind heart to forgive
his terrible blunder and keep his secret
Eli the message was safely delivered?
Dared he3 Had he any right? No, the
secret was not his to dsVulge either for
his own benefit or for any Others. He
must help her in some way.
AT last he began to speak. scarcely
knowing what he was about to saw:
II Is terrible, terrible, what you have
told me. To have written such things
toYone like youth fact. to any one
one earth-seems to me unforgtyable
AZ is the most inhnman cruelty / have
in hating end deepfsanE the man who
wrote such words to you"
Then, why did you write them?' she
burst forth. And how can Won All
there calmly and talk that way about
4, az 4 g had nothing to do with
the matter r. Z
Because 4 never wrote those letters
ne said. looking her steadily. earnestly,
You never wrote theln;n she. *
claimed excitedly. You dare to deny
sI dare TO deny IT. His voice Wa.
quiet, earnest, convincing.
She looked ut him. daxed, bewildered,
indignant, sorrowful. ssBut you cannot
deny 4. !. she said. her fragile frame
|tremblings With excitement. 4 have
the letters MI la my suit case. You
Ecannot deny your NJ handwriting. /
have thosslAst awful one--the one r
which you threatened fathers good
|name-here In my hand bag. dared
not putt with the rest, ana i had no
opportunity to destroy Il before Ieay-
Eiags RENE W. I felt 81 6 I must always
There II is.S Read IL md your Il
nSEnassigned 70 the words you say YOU
ala mot WratalOn ~
While she talked. her trrneblins finx-
erAshAd taken; q folded. Scrumpled letter
s1f0mH = ftttle5 handba4, and this she
reAcnea md daid supon the arm q
ssHssdsi 1 i raid. READ IL and Is,
s6Af ynuScannotsden IT,
sas1 ggehO1ld EAthsr not read itt,S q s1ald.
60an6tsneed@@to read it Is dssnSz!that
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