Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1888-07-14

nao Deen SO wreTcned, ana now q vague,
sweet hope he cared not to define was born
in him. As he stood upon the road bed and
reached up his hands to help Bertha down,
their eyes met for a moment, and then she
trusted herself to him in such gentle sur
render that mist foated before his sight.
She almost fell, and he must needs gather her
perfect form III his arms to save her.
Philip had been idly swapping his whip
and looking up the road lie thought he
saw in the distance o number of men with
guns hurrying in his direction and before
them-yes, it must be a dog; an old hour Of
the day for hunting. Ho might as well have
his horses turned about; he could see Curran
and Bertha clambering down from the rocks.
So it happened that at the moment Bertha
came SO near falling-in fact, did fall, into
| Curran's arms Philip was sitting with his
back toward them, faced toward home
But by this time the hunters with gu1ls
were nearer; the blacksmith had rushed out
of his shop to look at tho dog who bounded
along with his mouth to the ground drop
ping foam as he ran.
The dog was mad Bertha saw the great
....c creature, and grew pale as death, and
pressed back against the rocky wall in de-
spair. Curran saw him too, and had not
even to make up his mind to die to save this
woman 1t was a matter of course. He
stepped out directly in front Of her without
one word, and bending forward, waited. The
mad dog might pass by. But no, in an in
slant more the beast was upon him, and like
lightning Curran had reached out his hands
of iron and caught his shaggy throat as in q
wise.
The creature rose upon its hind legs and
snapped ravenously at his captor, great drops
of foam, spccked with blood, dropping from
his jaws. With QUE rapid glance Curran saw
the Inen with guns, running at full speed,
and almost at hand If he could hold him
but one moment more he might yet be saved,
if those glistening teeth, distilling poison and
madness, would spare his flesh one moment
more. His arms and wrists were corded like
giants; his head thrown back to escape the
venomous fangs, while he listened with fast
sickening heart to the sound of approaching
feet He heard, too, the quick breathing of
the woman behind him; thank God, he could
save her from such fate, and she might
think kindly of him sometimes, even If he
must die like dog, since it was for her.
But now his arms trembled with the terri
BILE strain upon them and the dog struggled
more fiercely, so that the man felt his hot,
more the deadly jaws seemed closing over his
arm. Suddenly there came loud report and
a cloud of smoke, and the mangled creature
fell upon the ground in his death agony.
The madness had gone out of his big, brown
eyes which looked up pitifully at the man he
would have slain.
'They were just in time with their guns"
exclaimed Philip, rushing up and wrinGing
his hand.
But the man made no response, nor even
looked around for one sign of gratitude from
the woman he had risked his life for. He
had no answers or smiles for the admir-
ing crowd that had seemed to gather SO
quickly when the danger was over, but his
face grew quite pale as he walked up the
road At the blacksmith's shop thought
seemed to strike him. He hesitated q mo-
ment and then went i'll.
TO BE CONTINUED.