Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-20

the reslstless logic and utter hopelessness
of his situation. The inevitable culmina-
ton of all this was only question of
time-and very brief period. Would it
be sufficient to enable him to reach the
casa? No! Could he regain the corral +?
Perhaps. Between it and himself already
were thousand cattle. Would they con-
tinue to retreat as he advanced? Posi-
bly,. But would he be overtaken mean
while by those in the rear? He answered
the question himself by drawing from his
waistcoat pocket his only weapon, small
Derringer," and taking aim at the fore
most bull. The shot took effect in the an
imal's shoulder, and he fell upon his
knees. As Arthur had expected his
nearer comrades stopped and shifted at
their helpless companion. But, as Arthur
had not expected, the eager crowd press
ing behind overbore them and their
wounded brother, and III another instant
the unfortunate animal was PROSTATE and
his life beaten out by the trampling hoofs
OF the resistless, blind and eager crowd
that followed. With terrible intuition
that it was foreshadowing of his own
fate Arthur turned in the direction of the
corral and ran for his very life!
As he ran he was conscious that the act
precipitated the inevitable catastrophe
but he could think of nothing better. AS
he ran he felt from the shaking of the
earth beneath his feet that the act had
once more put the whole herd in equally
active motion behind him AS he ran he
noticed that the cattle before him re-
treated with something of his own pre-
cipitation. But as he ran he thought of
nothing but the awful fate that was fol-
lowing him, and the thought spurred him
to an almost frantic effort. Arthur was
quite inaccessible to any of those weak
nesses which mankind regard as physical
cowardice. In the defense of what he be-
lieved to be an intellectual truth, in the
interest of his pride or his seIf-love, or
in moment of passion, he would have
faced death with unbroken fortitude
and calmness. But to be the victim
of an accident; TO be the lamenta-
BILE sequel of logical succession
of chances, without motive or purpose; to
be sacrificed for nothing-without prov
ing or disproying anything; to be
trampled to death by idiotic beasts, who
had not even the instincts of passion or
revenge to justify them; to die the death
of an ignorant tramp, or any negligent
clOwn-a death that had CHASTITY ludi-
crousness in its method, death that
would leave the body a shapeless, indis-
tinguishable, unacceptable clod, which
affection could not idealize nor friendship
reverence-all this brought horror with
it so keen, so exquisite, SO excruciating,
that the fastidious, proud, intellectual
being fleeing from it might have been. the
veriest bastard that ever turned his back
on danger And superadded to it was q
superstitious thought that for its very
horror, perhaps, it was a retribution for
something that he dared not contemplated
And it was then that his strength sud
denly tagged. His senses began to reel.
His breath, which had kept pace with the
quick beating of his heart, intermitted,
hesitated-was lost! Above the advanc-
ing thunder of hoOfs behind him ne
thought he heard woman's voice. He
knew now he was going crazy; he shouted
and fell; he rose again and staggered for
ward a few steps and fell again. It was
all over now! A sudden sense Of some
strange, subtle perfume, beating up
through the acrid, smarting dust of the
plain, that choked his mouth and blinded
his eyes, came swooning over him. And
then the blessed interposition of uncon-
seriousness and PEACE.
He struggled back to life again with the
word g Philip in his ears, a throbbing
brow, and the sensation of an effort to do
something that was required OF him. OF
all his experience of the last few mo-
ments only the perfume remained. He
was lying alone in the dry bed of the
arroyo; on the bank horse was standing,
and above him bent the dark face and
darker eyes Of Donna Dolores.-From
Bret Rarte's g Gabriel Conrog," IN Serb
ner' s for February.