The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-12-14

L cannot understand now you Gun
ask such a question, since 1T has been
the constant subject of discussion in
all our letters!" she replied, sitting UP
with asperity n drying her tears.
She was on the verge of growing angry
with him for his petty, wilful m%isunder-
standing of words whose meaning h
felt he must know well.
Il do ask it," he said quietly. and.
believe me. l have a good motive in
doing So"
She looked at him In surprise. 1t
was Impossible to be angry with those
kindly eyes, ever though he did persist
in a wilful stupidity.
stated once more L will tell you"
she declared. the tears yelling again
into her eyes. you first demanded
that 1 marry you-demanded-without
any pretense whatever Of caring for me
with a hidden threat in your demand
that If | did not. you would bring some
dire calamity upon me by means that
Were already in your power. You took
me for the same foolish little girl whom
you had delighted TO tease for years
before you went abroad to live. And
when | refused you, you told me thaG
you could not only take away from my
mother ali the property which she had
inherited from her brother, by means
of a will made Just before my uncle's
death, and unknown except to his
lawyer and you; but that you could
and would blacken my lear dead
fathers name and honor, and show that
every cent that belonged to mother
and Jefferson and myself was stolen
property. When / challenged you to
prove any such thing against my hon
ored father, you went still further and
threatened to bring out a terrible story
prove 1t with witnesses who would
swear to anything You said. You knew
nv f3fhar'S u-Hi4n life 90 yp,,oLo-
owned your charges We're false, and
yet you dared to send me a letter from
a vie creature who pretended that she
was his first wife, and who said she
could prove hat he a spent much
or his time In her company. You knew
the Whole thing was q falsehood, but
you dared to threaten to make this
known through the newspapers If I did
not marry you. You realized that
sEneW thaf, even though few people and
no friends would believe such a thing
or my father, such a report in the
papers-false though 1t was-would
crush my mother to death. You knew
that l would give my life to save her,
mi SO you had me in your power, as
Q have me now. You have always
wanted me In your power, Just because
you love to torture, INT now you have
me. But you cannot make me forget
what o have done. I have given my
life but I cannot give any more. If it'll
is not sufficient you will have to dol
your worst
She dropped her face into the little
wet handkerchief, and Gordon sat with
white, drawn countenance and
cienched hands. He was fairly trem-
DING with Indignation toward the villain
who had h u dared impose upon this
delicate flower Of womanhood. He
Ionged to search the world over for the
Iaise bridegroom; and, finding, give him
his just dues.
And what should he do or say?t
dared ne tell her at once who he was
ana trust to her kind heart to forgive
MS terrible blunder and keep his secret
till the message was safely delivered
dared he3 Had he any right? No, the
secret was not his to divulgs either for
his " benefit or for any others. He
must keep that to himself. But he
must help her In some way.
At Inst ne began to speak. scarcely
cha he was about to say:
Tt tsfterrib1e, terrible, what Won have
told me. To have written such things
70 n like youth fact, to any one!
M earth-seems to me unforgiyabIe.
AZ - the most inhuman cruelty have
ever 2 OF. You are fully justified
IN hating and despising the ma who
wrote such words to you.
y why did you write them ~ she
burst forth. aAnd how can you SIT
there calmly and talk that way about
y, as q yom 9 nothing 70 do with
because / never wrote those letteran
ne said, looking her steadily, earnestly.
In the eyes.
"You never wrote them.n ana A.
claimed excitediy You dare to deny
8 dare % deny Al, His voice was
quiet. earnest, convincing.
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