The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-11


with astonishment to SEQ the foreman, Tom
Lonergan, throwing himself from the saddle.
Powerless VIII felt 20 utter sornG, only duly
staring from the shadow Of his N.de hat, while
by some strange new power he seemed reading
the thoughts in the mind of this man who stood
regarding him with look of deadly hatred.
In his hands Lonergan was nervously twirl-
ing his .quirt,D the cowboys short leathern
whip, with butt end deadly loaded and he
seemed to be saying within himself Zone quick
blow--easy as killing rattlesnake!-and he IS
done with foreveri It viii seem that he was
thrown-this horse has thrown him before No
one will think Of connecting me with IT. And
she-ah, must have her."
But strange white mist had seemed to be
forming before Lonergan; and now 1t was as
sumiEg shape as a womans garment, clothing
woman's form. The vision was turned from
Will, but it was strangely familiar; and as the
cruel quirt was fercely raised to strike. he knew
the fair white hands that grasped the murderers
wild look on Lonergan's face as if
he had seen seem ghost IT,, whis ne
seemed then to turn toward WILL its race full of
love, and holding out arms with gesture elo-
quent of caressing tenderness; but now the heavy
quirt, dropped from Lonergans neryeless hand,
seemed to fail with singing blow upon Wills
head, and the vision was blotted out.
The sou was high whom he awoke at last, sit
ting up with queer pain in his head, and curl
Gus sense of weakness. Was it dreamY or had
he really been struck with Tom Lonergan's quirts
And had his love really come in spirit to save
his lifes
Practical. prosaic Will Marshall felt sadly at
sea and bewildered as he dizzily got upon his
feet and looked about him. There was nothing
suggesting mystery or fair spirits about the dull
plains, roughened with cactus all bursting into
bud under the warm June sunshine Clearly he
had been wildly dreaming, and yet this strange
pain in his head!
He seemed curiously stupid and benumbed be-
yond the power of surprise, when, by and by, he
noticed the smoke of camp fire rising from
gully not quarter of mile away and mount
ing his horse it seemed scarce matter for
graduation that he should presently discoverthe
tents of the outfit and soon be in camp. The in
stinct of the horse had led him right, after all,
Win duly considered, and he had let himself
give up discouraged within quarter of mile of
his goal. But it did not matter, he alphabetically
argued; nothing mattered.
He left the outfit that morning, walking seven
miles across the country, guided only by the
broiling sum- to reach the railroad when he was
picked up more dead than alive by freight
train and carried into Denver. He was used up
to the verge OF sickness, aud Beth's sweet face,
as he had seen it in his dream, drew him to her
by an irresistible force. Lonergan did not ap-
pear surprised but he was altogether cool and
unembarrassed when Will announced his inten-
ton of going. Surely, it was all dream.
A few days later as he sat with his arm
around his recovered treasure, Beth shame
fessed.
You were right, DEAR did f1irt with him.
fancied that all the romance dying out of our
engagement; that you had fallen into habit of
taking it all for granted, and were growing cold
and Indifferent"
II cold and Indifferent o Bethm
"And | wanted to tease you just little to see
if you really cared"
"And heaven grant you were sufficiently salts
fed never to try it againw devoutly retorted the
victim of the experiment
'"Tom Lonergan has always been flirting with
two or three girls at time, and it never entered
my head to think him in earnest until the day
after you and | had quarreled, when he came
and proposed to me. And then hated him and
| told him so. / gloried in telling him that
loved you and only you. I was wild with my
own pain and it made me cruel to him. / fairly
loathed him as the cause of our trouble-but of
course it was my fault-all my wretched folly
and wickedness." viii was softly comforting
her with kisses.
"And the other morning had such strange
dream, dear. / had been nervous and wakeful
all night, thinking of the hardships and dangers
cowboys 60 through. and that you were endur-
ing all because of my childish folly. had cried
until / seemed to have no tears left, to think
how powerless | was that l did not know
where to send letter to beg you to come
back. By and by the crazy idea came
to me that might go and find
you myself; and 80 my mind was rapidly wan
dering when at length l fell asleep. And then
dreamed had found you. You seemed 10 be
lying on the ground asleep, while standing over
you, with a look of deadly hatred, was Tom
Lonergan. 1t was all so wonderfully real He
seemed to raise his arm to strike, and l rushed
forward and seized his wrist, while pale as if he
had seen ghost he staggered back, calling my
name. And then with scream | woke up,
trembling with fright. It washorrible!" clinging
to him with terrified shudder at the remem-
brance.
AS if he, too, had seen ghost Will Marshall
was widely staring.
"When-when did you say. Bethl"
at was Wednesday morning" staring in turn,
surprised at his tone.
THE very day!" cried WILL amazed. 20 my
daring my ANGEL" holding her close to his heart.
Thank God that you went TO me, even if it
were only dream"