Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02

daredevil enough TO make it an even chance as to
whether temptation gets the best of him in tusse
or not strobe up the hill whstling little love tune
gone astray out of an opera. laugh played like a
wiIothe wisp in his face, and his long white hand
caught az branch above his head when he passed
under, which his fingers stripped of leaves as he
went.
Suddenly ne came upon pair Of staring eyes that
met him boldly and steadily. "Dont you do her
hurt =! said voice strained and hoarse yet high in
the throat scarce under control through passion
'Pre watched and watched. week in and week out,
and / know every time you've met her Don't you
do her hurt-bad might come of it for you'
"Well. WELL was the light and somewhat con-
temptuous reply, "Im glad you've shown your
hand, my fine fellow. And pray, who may you be p
''sep Wright" was the answer, given short aud
sullsn, while the white, set face grew whittier and a
blue and livid look circled about the mouth
"Do you often do this sort OF thing {? the other
man went on coolly. " I'm afraid at this distance
you haven't been able to hear very WE'LL though
| you've had a very fair view of proceedings"
al put myself out OF earshot purpose; but /
watched" said the high, strained voice "rll watch
/ again. III see every you make every time
you meet her. II you should meet her inside one of
/ these mountains I'd be there to see no harm didn't
happen to her l know how you're hiding in Pat
terson's old cabin yonder, and I amt quite spelled
out the deytry that sent you here, not yet but I'm
studying on it and I'll get it. Say you'll let Angie
Moore alone and keep the promise, and you may
4 hide where you will as long as you will"
4 The tall strong man laughed, and leaning forward
he touched the small weak tantalizingly on the
/ cheek with the end of the live oak twig he had
stripped OF its leaves. With choking sound in his
throat, in a moment the weak man had thrown him
self against the strong one battling at him with
strength strange TO another moment, striking out
with clenched fists and seeming as if he would have
torn him with his teeth. The tall man pushed him
easily to arms length. " What, the devil !" he said
coolly yet somewhat angrily, and while rage seemed
to blind the other he cut the white face dozen
tunes across with sharp blows of the Eve-oak twig,
LAYING on a red welt al every stroke, then shaking
his opponent to the ground he went his way over
the hill.
In an agony of anger and defeat the caves
dropper writhed on the ground in the lengthening
shadow of the buckeye BUSH His blue-veined
hands clutched the pebbles and red dirt, and foE
some inmates he made no attempt to rise After q
moment be lay quite still so still that lizard came
ny over stone and peeied lat him with darling
eyes By-and-by he dragged himself together and
slowly Stood revealing in the effert useless foot
that hung limp and dead upon the ground. The
welts upon his face were rapidly turning to blue
marks as with manzanita cane he went down the
hill toward the school house.
The little mistress was gone and lonesome 81
lence was upon the place, but the cripple went up
to the door, pushed it upon its leather hinges and
entered His eyes rested hungrily upon the rude
platform at the end of the room, and fastening to
ward it he fell on his knees before it and rested hi:
hot and smarting face on the spot where the young
teachers imperious feet often stamped in impa
thence.
ooh Angie, Angie !" he murmured, while the
tears dropped and he kissed the spot reverenty.
That night Angie Moore rounded and turned lit
tie ball of thought, then sent it rolling.
Father Jim was placidly smoking his pipe as he
sat from habit in the corner of the chimney which
nov was bare and empty but in winter evening:
glowed with heat and light. Young Jim crawled a.
full length asleep on the hearth, and warm faint
odor as Of sleep and childhood guided the nostrl tc
still younger lay in slumber
The little schoolmistress sat at a small table with
her elbows upon it and her head on her hands, APP
parentJ studying slate upon which she had worked
out a problem. She eyed stray number off in
corner by himself with steady, intent gaze FOL
some minutes, then she sighed bit to herself q
little tremuous culver of sigh that was given fol
the love she had received and bestowed, and then
she turned abruptly in her chair, her mind having
travelled miles and miles of thought.
"Father," she said, cant we have postofficC
here at Saints Rest %
swell, dear" began and ended her father com
fortably.
Because" she continued, az need one. want
| to be writing here, there and everywhere, and
want to get letters. How am | ever to get then
| over to Harding's Hill?'
Who'd be writing to you, Angieg p was the calm
reply, vet with something argumentative about it.
Why, father, now; lots of people, to be sure
I'd be glad 10 write to mothers people if 1 could
You've said you had brother somewhere, and per
| haps I'd be able to look him up again for you, and
ever so many possibilities might cluster round 8
postofice." How woman will turn and twist to
gain her point without giving her true object
Well, dear" was Jim Moores closing reply but
for ell that Angie had set the ball rolling. She
gave it another toss next day.
1t seemed as if the long hot afternoon never would
draw along to its close. The twin Mulligans wept
tears OF misery the page in geography they had
begun upon month ago, the Oldest scholar was
| puzzling the problem the mistress herself had
worked out but the night before, and the youngest
J had topped over and fairly gone to sleep upon his
bench But the final moment did come at last and
Angie left to herself. They all alike now,
dreary days that were not blissful Ones and urged
to do it by the something that forbade her, Angie
started up tine hill instead Of down it. in the very
faint but rosy hope that she might meet one
/ coming
| She came upon figure lying on the ground with
cane by its side and after instant of recol she
saw it was Sep Wright, and that he had been asleep
but that her step, light and slow though it was had
walked him. He came to sitting posture. and hi;
smile of pleasure died after its first hall of exist
ence. He remembered the marks on his face and
shamed and flushed at memory of them.
"Why, Sep y exclaimed Angie directly, he
knew she would "What ails your face ?"
lie struggled TO keep MS eyes Tree OF not wafer
and the man IN him shamed again at his owl
shame. "come and sit down here, Angie, and
I'll tell you the truth about it," he said with hot
resolve.
She advanced at once and sat down little way
from him without suspicion. Sep looked at her, and
something filed his throat as he thought how sh'
would feel when she knew what he was about tH
tell her 1t was grievous thing that she shouit
hold dear that strange man, hiding himself like
secret but would it not be greater grief to wount
her to the heartg
! "oh, Lord can't, he said, with groan, enc
he turned his striped face away that she might NO
see the CULVER running over it. In that one minute
OF time he offered himself up for sacrifice, and de
termined that he would stand between her and any
sorrow that might come
"Yes, you can tell Sep Wright" she answered
quietly, and something like dart ran thr ugh her
Eyes, you win tell. They're marks left by blow,
from switch, that can see; but who made them +?
Her words did not hesitate to Icy themselves upoI
/ the raw; but woman can see no courage ia a mar
who has been beaten. She loves a hero-but HI
| must be conauerng hero-and she stirs uneon
sciously al the approach OF a whipped fighter. Tt
come off best in Fl sht is almost better than being
peaceable man.
Then Sep Wright took up his manhood and laid