St. Landry democrat., 1884-11-08

cruel horns, tossed him high in the air.
l saw the boy dashing away across the
prairie for the help which it would
have been madness for him to have
attempted to give. heard Mrs. Her
der cry:
s:My God, the brute will kill him."
as she sank on her knees with look of
agony on her face, the like of which l
pray | may never see again. Thompy
stood as if turned to stone, till, at a cry
from the defenseless man out there all
alone, she turned, and snatching the re-
volyer from the wall where it had been
avoided so long she dashed by US to his
help.
'sArabella Thompson!" cried,
clutching at her as she passed me-,
"have you lost your senscs?"
She was gone! sank down on my
knees, and. burYing my face in my
hands, lost all consciousness save of a
/, horrible sickening pain in the place
where my heart used to beat. [ be-
lieve know something of the tortures
of the lost in that space. do not
know whether it was long or short, it
seemed forever The first thing of
which [ became conscious was the
noise of voices in excited question and
answer. I raised myself from the
ground and saw George Bradley and
several others about the PROSTATE body
of Mr.. Herder. He still lived, though
badly hurt, and they soon had him on
the bed Visiting for the doctor to come
from the town.
They found Thompy unconscious not
far from where the bull had died, the
revolver was some distance beyond;
where she had thrown it after shooting.
George Bradley brought her in in his
arms, and we could none of us make
enough of her.
How did you ever do it, you who
are so much afraid of frearms?" l ask.
"There was nothing else to do" she
answered simply.
How did you aim?" asks some one.
81 didn't aim, l just shut my eyes
and prayed and then shot and threw it
as far as 1 could.''
believe she was more afraid of the
revolver than she was of that horrible.
beast.
After that the two families got sort
us all, struggled slowly back to life.
Mrs. Herder could not do enough for
Thompy, and as for that George Brad
ley, he acted as though she belonged to
him.
began to realize about this time that
the prospect of our model old maid
hall was growing beautifully less. 1t
did not improve my temper when the
cold weather began to threaten and we
with whole month yet to stay. When
November did come it found us fairly
showed in with no possible hope of es-
cape. OF course there was no use fret
ting, but that was no excuse for the ex-
aggerated cheerfulness with which
Thompy met this misfortune.
The long winter days, hopeless and
relentless, dragged by. There were
two people, though, who did not find
the days too dark, or the winter too
long, but it is rather slow fun for a
third party to watch the progress of
love-making through long Dakota
winter.
When the late, cold spring finally re-
leased me, l turned my back on my
ruined estate and blasted hopes, and,
leaving the happy lovers behind
me (their claims joined). / found
my way back to the Sixth Ward school
house, a sadder, poorer, and, I hope,
wiser woman.
My quarter section and my winter in
Dakota cost me just $780, (and /
can't afford to spend the two cents in
chocolate creams), to say nothing of my
ruined castles in Spain and the loss OF
my friend Now, if any one wants this
valuable property, he can have it on
'.long time and easy terms. - Chicago
Tribune.