The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-08-09

| scOrn. Ducle, white as death, looked al
her steadily, his hands clinched behind his
back. but made no reply. thought of the
| Tuning ofHte .Stre,D, and wondered wheth'
| er Ducie was deciding with HOrtensio
kindness in woman not their beauteOus
looks, shall win my love-" Mary jackson
whose giddy tongue had provoked the quar-
rel, rose uncomfortably, saying it must be
time to dress, aud huttered away, Tom Jack
soE and his pretty wife following. fst
Then, to my great joy, Helen seeing her
self left alone, rose to depart likewise. and
was turning to the door when Ducie stopped
her.
Zone word" he said. speaking with a sort
of forced calmness. Putting this nonsen-
steal story of Miss Jackson's on one side
would you call man coward because his
courage had failed him signally in one soil
tary instance?" ----.-a.- ---
bit my lip. I saw Helen was on her
mettle, and, indeed, her answer proved me
right.
Decidedly should. 1 Judge mans
heart by what he does, not by what he says
and the more sudden the call, the more
surely he acts in accordance to his nat
ural instincts. One greater than you or |
said to his disciples, BY their fruits ye shall
know them, and when | see man do a
cowardly act-I know he must be coward
at heart. You are making yourself special
pleader in very bad cause, MIR. Ducie.
Pray let us drop the subject. You forget u
drawing up her head like an offended queen)
that my father died before Lucknow, and
therefore it is not likely that his daughter
should have any sympathy for coward"
Il am sorry for it, he said. gravely. a
should have thought the fact carried its own
punishment heavily enough without-Miss
Curtis, it wants ten minutes yet to the
dressing bell. May tax your patience for
half that time while | tell you story?"
+" Certainly" she said, and sat down again
with little air of offended surprise.
j made a movement to go, observing that
always knew Ducie was an uncommonly
brave fellow, but now lhad higher opinion
than ever of his courage, since I saw him
venture to brave SO very fiery young lady
as my cousin.
She smiled and blushed a little at this,
dropping her face like lovely pink lily
He only made gesture to stay me, and said
81 would rather you remained, Fred. Y gu
compliment me by calling me brave fellow
Miss Curtis paid me similar compliment
just now. but will tell you my story
and then you shall tell me what you would
call the hero, and whether you could have
any kind feelings for such person."
He spoke to me, but his eyes were on
Helen; and / saw her whiten and finch as
if some one had threatened her with blow
Like fool never guessed the reason
why.
1.-Two years ago." Ducie said, friend of
mine and bis servant we're travelling in South
America. The former went abroad for his
health-not that he was ill when the anecdote
am going to tell you took place. You
will please not make that excuse for him
he was perfectly we'll and he took his serv-
ant with him because the lad was so attach
ed to him, such faithful, true-hearted fell
low that he could not make up his mind to
leave him behind. 1t was scorching hot
weather, such heat as you may expect in a
country which lies on the southern border
of Brazil and my friend used to go every
morning to battle at the Playa Ramirez, a
large unsheltered bay about mile and q
sand it was the best bathing place in the
neighborhood, and yet very dangerous one;
for if you went outside certain number of
yards you were liable to get entangled in
one of two or three conflicting currents,
which in dead calm you could see curling
about within each other like harmless sea-
serpents, but which, if they caught you in
their strong embrace, would assuredly carry
you out into the Atlantic, unless you hap
pened to- be strong and clever swimmer.
"Well, one morning my friend and John
Barton. his servant, went to battle as usual
about seven O'clock late hour in those
climates, Miss Curtis, where most people
start at FIVE. and where the sun is almost
strong enough to roast the brains in your
head by eight. As natural consequence,
they found themselves alone at the playa,
having met most of the Montevideans re-
turning. All the better. Englishmen are
not fond of publicity, as you're aware.
My friend went in first, leaving Barton
to watch his clothes, lest any of the small
fry from the negro hamlet of washer women
above the bay should come down and appro-
pirate the articles and when he had sufli-
| GENTLY refreshed himself and emerged on to
the sands again, Barton went in for SINH
lar enjoyment. - a-.-
at could not possibly have been five min
utes later. He had barely got into his
clothes when he heard a piercing shrek
from the water, and turning saw that Bar
ton had disappeared. The next moment,
however, the lads head rose to the surface
about dozen yards from shore, and he
cried out, Master, help! The cramp
Help!' before going down again like a
stone. -
"Of course you think the master dashed
in and dragged him out. 1t was not much
to do for this faithful fellow who had served
him so well, and left his home and friends
rather than leave him. He did no such
thing. ~ 49, 49, p s'--- ''---
:" He hesitated, and his limbs turned to
ice, and every drop Of blood in his body to
water. Like wave there rushed over him
the thought thathe could not swim stroke,
that be was encountered with his clothes,
that Barton was stronger man than him
self, that once in the current with drown
ing mans clutch at his neck, they must both
inevitably be swept out to sea and perish.
1t was, only moment; then the lad head
rose again. For one second his eyes caught
| his. masters face m a look Of wild, despair
| ing appeal and, maddened by the situation.
my friend rushed-,iot into the water, but
up the bank, shrieking for help 10 the men
who drive the sand-earts along the brow of
the bay. %~SS as-sAA : sFdG& 1s&A@@
rBefore he had gone two yards---before
! they even heard him, Barton .sank for the
third time. aRd-all was, over. -, ...ss-
Sheer physical fear. a spasm Of uncon.
querablsscovardiee which be had never felt
before IN his whole life. and which, finding
him utterly uuprepared for it, completely
| overmastered the mans entire nature, had
] in that one miserable minute cost the life OF