Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-16
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER Al.
It was known to Indian Spring, the
next day, amid great excitement, thai
a serious fraeas had been prevented OF
the Inflated boundary by the dramatic
| appearance of Uncle Ben Dabney, not
only as peacemaker, but as Mr.
Daubigny the bona fide purchaser and
owner of the land. 1t was known and
accepted with great hilarity that "old
marin Mckinstry'' had defended the
barn alone and maided, with-as vari-
ously stated-a pitchfork, an old stable
| broom and pail of dirty water, against
| Harrison, his party, the entire able posse
| of the sheriff of Tuolumne county, with
no further damage than a scalp wound
| which the head of Seth Davis received
| while falling from the loft of the barn
| from which he had been dis
lodged by Mrs. McKinstry and
the broom aforesaid. 1t was
known with unanimous appreciation
that the acquisition of the land title by a
hitherto humble citizen of Indian Spring
was a triumph of the settlement over
foreign interference. But it was not
known that the schoOlmaster was a par
ticipant in the fight, or even present on
the spot. At Mrs. McKinstry's sugges-
ton he had remained concealed in the
loft until after the withdrawal of both
parties and the still unconscious Seth &.
When Ford had demonstrated, with
the remark that Seth would be
sure TO declare the truth when he
recovered his senses, Mrs. McKinstry
smiled grimly: 81 reckon when he
comes to know | was with We all the time
he d rather hev it allowed that l licked
him than You. l don t say he'll let it
70, 4
try to get even with We, but he won't go
round tellin' why. However, -
she added, still more grimIy, "if
you think you re ekul to tellin'
the hull story-how ye KEN to be
yer, and that Seth wasn't lynn
arter all when he biurted it out afore 'em
why, l shan't hinder ye.' The mas
ter said no more. And, indeed, for a
day or two nothing TRANSFERRED to show
that Seth was not equally reticent.
Nevertheless, Mr.. Ford was far from
being satisfied with the issue Of his ad-
venture. His relations with Greasy were
known to the mother, and, although she
had not again alluded to them, she would
probably inform her husband. Yet
he could not help noticing, with a
mngling of unreasOning relief and
equally unreasoning distrust that she ex-
hibited a scornfUl unconcern in the mat
ter, apart from the singular use TO which
she had put it. He could hardly count
upon McKinstry, with his heavy blind de-
votion to CreSsy, being as Indifferent.
On the contrary, he had acquired the
impression, without caring to examine it
closely, that her father would not be dis
pleased at his marrying Cressy, for it
would really amount to that. But
here again he was forced to
contemplate what he had always
avoided, the possible meaning
and result of their intimacy. IL the
reckless, thoughtless, ravagant-yet
thus far innOcent-indulgenc of their
mutual passion, he had never spoken of
marriage, nOr-and it struck him now
with the same incOngruOus mingling of
relief and uneasiness-had shel Perhaps
this might have arisen from some super
StitiOuS or sensitive recollection on her
part of her previous engagement to Seth,
but he remembered now that they
had not even exchanged the usual
VOWS of eternal constancy. 1t may
seem strange that in the half dozen stolen
and rapturous interviews which had
taken place between these young lovers
there had been no suggestion of the
future, nor any of those glowing projects
for Il united destiny peculiar to their
years and inexperience. They had lived
entirely in IL blisSful present, with no
plans beyond their next rendezvous. In
that mysterious and sudden absorption of
each other, not only the past, but the
future seemed to have been forgotten.
These thoughts We're passing through
his mind the next afternoon to the preiu-
dice of that calm and studious repose
which the deserted school house usually
superinduced and which had been so
f0ndly noted by Mr.. Mckinstry and I'm
Gle Ben. The latter had not arrived for
his usual lesson; it was possible that I'M
due attention had been attracted TO his
movements now that his good fortune
was known; and the master was
alone save Tor the occasional
swoaping incursion of q depredatory jay
in search of crumbs from the children s
lunrheCns; who added apparently queru-
louS insult to the iarcenious act. He re-
GREETED Uncle Ben 5 absence, as he
wanted to know more about his cOnnec-
ton with the Harrison attack AND his
eventual intentions. Ever since the
master emerged from the barn and re-
gained his hotel under cover of the dark
ness, he had heard only the vaguest ru-
morS, and ne purposely avoided direct in
quiry.
He had been quite prepared for
Cressy's absence from school that morn
ing-indeed in his present vacillating
mood he had felt that her presence would
have been irksome and embarrassing
but it struck him suddenly and I'M
pleasantly that her easy desertion of him
at that critical moment in the barn had
not since been followed by the least sign
of anxiety TO know the result
of her mothers Interference What
did she imaginehad transpired between
Mrs. McKinstry and himself: Had she
confidently expected her mother 5 prompt
acceptance of the situation and a recon
citation? Was thai the reason why she
had treated that interruption as lightly
as if she were already his recognized be-
trothed? Had she even calculated upon
it? had she-he stopped, his cheek glow
ing from irritation Under the suspicion,
and shame at the disloyaity of entertain
ing it.
Opening his desk, he began TO, Orange
his papers mechanically, when he dis
covered with a slight feeling of annoy
ance, that ne had placed Cressy's
bouqut-now dried and withered-in
the same pigeon hole with the mysterious