American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-07-05
CANTON, MISS, SATURDAY, JULY ), 1873.

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slightly face one glover of sullenness
Then he pauses and faces Dalgrish again
he has remembered, perhaps, that they
are on no public road, but out of view and
hearing of anything more professional
than those few cows in the near meadow
And it would seem as if the recollection
has embroidered him accordingly; for, a
moment later he had G wen vent to such a
burst of oathful personality as makes Miss
Martel raise both hands to her ears with a
short, shocked cry.
Her companions grasp tightens about
the slim little walking stick he is carry
ing. you Internal scoundrel!" he shouts
furiously, eff you're not off this instant
I'll give you the sort of thrashing that you'll
not forget for weeks
The object of this Indignation replies
with husky, guffawing laugh, drops his
red bundle, and settles hand on each
hip.
!. Thrash me, will yer, young gent'
S'pose yer try
Dalgrish feels his blood on fire now.
| He does try, but with ill success at first.
In making bellIcose dive at the mans
coatcollar he receives a staggering blow
beneath one of his eyes. The blow is
magnifcently returned in seconds time
for Dalgrish, like many another American
youth, was a proficient in most athletic
exercises long before his college days be-
gan. After this the two opponents came
to very close quarters; they grapple, and
for little while it looks an even chance
| which will first throw the other. Bulk at
length triumphs over agility and practised
sinew; they fall, Dalgrish beneath. But
| just as the ruffian's "vast and filthy hand''
| has reached his assailant's throat an i'm
| mensity of reserved force on the part of
Dalgrish sends him rolling over on his
back, pinions him powerfully between
wrist and forearm, and so turns the tables
with mingled entirety and permanence.
"You needn't struggle, you devil!'
presently roars Dalgrish. It's of no use.
I've good mind to choke the life out of
you before l get up However, I'll give
you one other chance of being of. l
don't think you'll show much more fight,
now that you've found out who is the bet
| ter of us twO.''
With this he springs nimbly to his feet,
his eye fixed, keenly watchful, on the fallen
| man. 1t was correct prophecy. There
| is no more fight shOwn-nothing further,
| indeed, than the slow erection OF that
gaunt body, the picking up of a red
bundle, and the skulking descent down
an adjacent hill-slope.
When fifty good yards lie between him.
| self and his late antagonist, Dalgrlsh turns
to look for Miss Martel. He seee mass
OF whitish draperY glimmering close by
at the foot of a little rocky eminence. 1t
| will not require severe penetration en- the
readers part to infer that this whitish
drapery is in some manner connected with
the object of his search. He believes at
| first that she has tainted, but on drawing
| near he makes the discovery that she has
merely resolved herself into the most
crOuching attitude conceivable by wo-
man, and has buried her dropped head in
both hands.
Dalgrish makes rapid work of placing
himself IN position very similar to her
own. "Miss Martel," he murmurs, excit-
eddy, Gillian" Then he stops short,
and colors a little at his own boldness,
tear->taine face.
The next moment she has caught both
his hands in both hers.
"Oh, you dear, splendid, brave man!
Don't think that I've been doing this all
the time; only got down here and began
making a fool of myself when l was sure
it was over and you were not much hurt.
Are you much hurt?' she rattles on with
the incest kind of feminine logic, sob
now and then breaking her pell-mell SEN
fences. at was all my fault. If hadn't
said what l did say, that wretch would
never have behaved SO horribly"
Don't let us talk about the wretch"
Dalgrish answers. His palms are tingling
where her warm hands press against
he tears Sic has Sucu DcCduSt
of his danger made her, in her sympathetic
woman's weakness, divinely beautiful to
him.
Have you forgiven meg" she questions
TREMENDOUSLY.
'.Pshaw! what is there to forgiven 1
didn't think honestly 1 didn'tD that you
cared enough about me Toto"
"Well?"
"To mind much what became of me-"
he finishes, with lips close against her
ear, as though unwilling that even the
silence and solitude shall hear him.
She lowers her face, where the color
makes rosiest riot; she tries TO draw away
her hands, but he holds them firmly.
Lillian" he whispers, Lillian Martel,
l have no right to tell you that love
you"
Even with her face afiame as it is, she
lifts it then. "How no rlght?" she fall
ters
mo right in a worldly sense. For in
worldly sense l am not your equal" 81
Not my equal!'
He drops her hands abruptly and starts
to his feet She rises also, an instant
later. Silence One of the distant cows
lows melodiously; a light wafture of
scented breeze sets a little sisterhood of
daisies just between them quivering in
every fragile cluster.
"Good heavens" he apostrophizes
''you must know; everybody knows; it |
has followed me like my own shadow ever |
since it happened. Miss Heath must have
told you"
She shakes her head as though asking
herself whether his late gladiatorial ac
tiOns have had some melancholy mental |
effect upon him. Il don't understand you
bit, Mr.. Dalgrish."
He laughs oddly. "WM you have plain
English? I'm as poor as church mouse |
once had quite fortune, you know, but |
it's all gone now"
His words certainly do not seem much |
of bombshell to her. 81 am very sorry" |
she presently comments with calmest com
miseratiOn.
Whereupon he gets holder. "Of course
for this reason, l seem wholly without the |
right Lillian (moving to her side through |
the daisy punches while he speaks), cot |
saying that l want you for wife. You |
are really beyond my reach. All your
friends will say so. Nearly everybody |
will believe that l covet not you, darling, |
but your fortune"
my fortuner' She opens upon him |
the widest eyes of amazement who on |
earth told you that had more than few |
hundreds year,"
He finds voice enough to answer, and no
more than to answer:
MRS. Heath.'
this. Then she suddenly turns her back |
upon him and walks away with head bent
groundward.
time, but remains with eyes fixed in one
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