The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-04-09
As he stepped out on the vsranda, q

As he stepped out on the veranda, 0
waiter handed him message.
IAN answer from Ligget," he muir.
INJURED. lightinga cigar and leaning
against the window casing. He was
about opening the envelope, when the
rustic Of dress caught his ear, and
looking up he behold Fannie Elwood,
standing silently before him her face as
pale as death. and her fingers locking
and unlocking themselves nervously.
Good evening" he said, bowling
politely, Twill you permit me?"
She inclined her head mechanically,
and he tore open the envelope. The
message said:
Sorry for you. Don't hurry. Stay
until arm is we'll.
EDWARD LlGGErr."
"Liggctt's BRICK" he thought.
"But l wont stay here. I'll 60 to Min
nesota."
Hello. Castle, how is your arm?''
and Evcrton. glazing savagely at Fan.
ME. and then greeting Fred with a
bland smile approached them. Castle
had alway hated him, before and after
their paths met Mt the one shrine of his
life. He had never concealed his dis.
like, and was now certain that he was
to blame for the shot in his arm.
My dear sir, If you persist in nd.
dressing me will knock you down; and
if you annoy me with your presence
two minutes longer will call my dog
and hand you over to his tender mer.
cics."
And showing the telegram into his
pocket. he moved leisurcly away, rlac-
idly smoking and admiring the beauti-
full night; while Everton, trembling
with anger glared at him in silence for
q moment, and then with o muttered
curse re-cntered the parlor.
GLOW intensely you hate your enc
mics and the object Of your deep dis
like" said Fannie. coming up behind
him. He turned and facing her, said
with shade of sarcasm:
Indeed! You have grown observ-
ant. Now you should cultivate your
Workmanship"
Why" she asked abstracte,lly, gaz-
ing down upon the silver sheeted lake.
You wing your game-and leave it in
misery-a good marksman kills."
Surely you do not-you cannot be-
lieve that I shot You purposely! 1t was
an accident. Evcrton called my atten-
ton to a squirrel ON low branch, and
drawing revolver, dared me to shoot,
but l saw you just as l pulled the trig-
ger. and"
Gave ME a wound that places me
on the retired list for month to come. :"
He finished the sentence for her, with q
smile, and blew cloud of smoke through
the trailing honcysucklc that formed !,
screen for that portion of the veranda.
Great heavens, do not realize it.!
The cnormity of my crime-how mar
rowly escaped killing you-that per-
haps l MANNED you for life! You
whom"
There, there, don't make scene.
I hate them. especially scenes of this
character. Take the matter quietly-I
am not complaining. l accept the shot
as an accident on your part, as some
thing deliberate on Everton's. Shall
escort you to your parents?"
You are so changed" she MUIR
INJURED, not offering to stir.
"You compliment me-" he said, with
satiracle smile.
''You are so cool, so careless, so in
different to everything. And yet you
are not wholly indiffcrcnt-it is mask
you assume. 1 heard you sing tonight
and you laid bare your soul in the
melody"
Thanks. You would picture me as
a wounded lark, instead of mutilated
jackdaw," he replied, bowling low. II
heard someone singing, or rather muir
dering the song just before you-winged
me, and merely showed them how it
should be sung. If there was any soul
fulness, it was affected"
"Impossible! You cannot mean it,
You cannot be so shallow and indiffer-
ent. You of all Others"
''And why not?" he said sharply, his
eyes losing their habitual severity of ex-
preston in IN angry light. Was it not
your wish and the wish of your mother,
whose existence Dickens must have for
seen when he drew his pen portraits of
Cleopatra and Mrs. Markleham? 1
was earnest then, heaven knows. was
ardcnt--forgetting everything in my
love for you. That love was the oasis
Of my desert life. Twas a jealous, inn
petuous fool, and could not bear to have
my kingdom divided among a lot of
fools and scoundrels of Everton's ilk.
You sent through me the edged tool of
Indifference, and 1 accepted it like a
man. unmindful Of its keenness, and
used it as you desired. l felt the edge
in deeper and far more painful wounds
than the one in my arm; but no one
saw them, you least of all. l was as
indifferent as the most exacting person
could dcsirc--hcaring nothing and see
ing nothing. but the struggle brought
all my will power into play. And now
you, who worked the change, and made
me what lam, question my indifference.
You are inconsistent"
"Oh. in mercy's name cease if you
have not forgotten my love!'
love-" he echoed with curl of his
lip, ''What was my love to you? II
was everything to me; but to you it was
too ardent, SO unswervingly true as tc
be tiresome. You thought it mill.
stone. and imagined that it filtered
We drifted apart. With one hasty word
you destroyed evcrything-love, happi.
ness and ambition for me. Are YOU
satisfied"
'Oh, how rclentlcssly cruel you are. -