Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1888-02-11

neighbor, as surely as the sun sets, shoulc
lay intolerable tribute on his profits so that
be mnst stay forever poorl Is a days work
worth nothinga Then why does it bring in
some capitalist thousands of dollars for q
stroke of his penln
Bertha understood but little of what he
was saying, but she could look intently at
him with wide open blue eyes, which had a
pretty trick of changing expression as If in
closest sympathy with a speaker. Curran
felt no one had half listened to him before,
that at last every word told, and he was
strangely excited by the sweet mystery of
their common inspiration.
"Great wealth is made up of 1000 trick
ling streams, drained from the paltry earn
ings of as many defrauded workmen. Mere
cunning schening ought not enable a man to
turn aside the great river of plenty, which
flows for all men. Why these shrewd bust
ness men, whom so many praise, have SO in
geniously placed their chains on the laborer,
that the harder he struggles to escape from
poverty, he only turns the faster the wheel
that grinds out fortunes for his masters, and
draws him In at last to be crushed"
He hesitated for her to ask him some ques-
tirns, and perhaps it was already as plain to
her as to him. At any rate, she only looked
Off to the west where the glow of sunset was
fast fading, and then back into his face re-
gretfully.
81 suppose we ought to go down" she said
"Why, yes, had forgotten whether 1t was
night or day.
He took her hand gently as If he touched a
holy thing, and his face softened like q
child's He would not have let her fall for
the world. She had taught him, how he did
not stop to think, that there was rare and
exquisite strain of JOY in life. She had
sIfrftualized womanhood to him; he sud-
denly saw in it an essence so pure and fine it
might redeem the world An hour ago, he
had been so wretched, and now 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 in his arms to save her.
Philip had been idly swapping his whip
and looking up the road He thought he
saw in the distance a number of men with
guns hurrying in his direction and before
them-yes, it must be a dog; an odd hour of
the day for hunting. He might as well have
his horses turned about; he could see Curran
SO it happened that at the moment Bertha
came so near falling-in fact, did fall, into
Currans arms-Philip was sitting with his
back toward them, faced toward home.
But by this time the hunters with guns
were nearer; the blacksmith had rushed out
of his shop TO look at the dog who bounded
along with his mouth to the ground drop
!. ming foam as he ran.
The dog was mad. Bertha saw the great
white creature, and grew pale as death, and
pressed back against the rocky wall in de-
spair.- CuTan 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
OK iron and caught his shaggy throat as in
wise
The creature rose upon It's hind legs and
mapped ravenously at his captor, great drops
of foam, specked with blood, dropping from
his jaws. With one rapid glance Curran saw
the men with guns, running at full speed,
and almost at hand. If he could hold him
Int one moment more he might yet be saved,
if those glistening teeth, distilling poison and
more. His arms and wrists were corded like
a giants; his head thrown back to escape the
venornous fangs while he listened with fast
tckening 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 a dog, since it was for her.
But now his arms trembled with the terri
bic strain upon them and the dog struggled
more fiercely, so that the man felt his hot,
fetid breath on his cheek, and in an instant
more the deadly jaws seemed closing over his
arm. Suddenly there came loud report and
d cloud of smoke, and the mangled creature
u ell 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
lis hand.
But the man made no response, nor even
ooked around for one sign of gratitude from
he woman he had risked his life for. He
ad no answers OF smiles for the admir-
bg crowd that had seemed to gather so
quickly when the danger was over, but his
pee grew quite pale as he walked up the
IEtu. Al llS SIOp u lDDuHut
emed to strike him. He hesitated q mo-
ent and then went in.
When the crowd came up and followed
m in, they found him before the glowing.
rye His sleeve was rolled up, revealing
arm almost like the smiths, but how
sely he was studying it. just below the
,ow were the marks of dogs fangs, out of
lich slowly oozed two great drops of blood.
one dared to speak; all looked ON him as
ia devoted and half expected TO see al
ldy the signs of madness on his calm, pale
@ The men with the guns had come in
I'd the rest, and stood under the rows of
jse shoes that lined the blackened walls,
b Mortified eyes riveted ON the print of
poisoned fangs. The blacksmith stood
his anvil, hammer in hand, as if frozen,
even Philip Breton was stunned and
He'd at the sudden revelation of the fate