The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-03-19

ity Orion was thinking Of Felicie Rochon-
scarcely thinking either but simply and
sweetly conscious Of her and of the pre-
cious tenderness she had engendered In
his life. Down sank the burning brands
into Goals and embers, the work of but a
few minutes indeed, so rapidly had the
dry ~resinous pine of the house melted In
the heat, and up sailed the white moon.
freeing itself from the shifting wisps of
fog and pouring down upon the landscape
a strange, silvery brilliance that simmer
ed on water and marsh and flashed on the
waving foliage of the dusky magnolias
beyond the slough.
Rochon swung his cutlasS feebly and
made a logged slash at Orion who parted
1t with splrltless weakness. Their blades
were high and the two men stumbled to-
gether, struggled clumsily and fell orion
below, Rochon above. The mere weight
of the old man held his foe down, but In
the fall their weapons had dropped from
their nervelesss hands. Struggling was
over with both men, neither had strength
to do more than lie there and pant chok-
inglY. Considerable blood had been lost
by each and the red tide was still trickling
from a number of ugly but not necessarily
dangerous wounds. Probably Rochon
was less hurt than Orion and it is quite
possible that, despite his years, he was
even less affected by the tremendous
strain Of the encounter. Moreover, the
old man had been used to dangerous and
even deadly combat and so was more apt
to keep we'll in mind his purpose to kill
and the will power to bear it out. He
fumbled numbly for the sheath-knife IN
his belt and had barely strength to draw
and lift it, but he tried in vain to send its
point into Orton's throat. The weapon
sank into the soft sand beside his neck.
II am at your mercy" gasped the
young man; kill me if you like, but
but" He had to gather breath before
he could go on. %send word to INV
father, General Horace Orion, at New
York"
What did you say?" growled Rochon,
trying to recover the knife for another
blow, "What do you want, eh p
"Let my father, General Horace Orion.
know of my DEATH" Orion repeated with
great effort.
Rochon had worked his left hand down
upon the young mans throat and was try
ing to choke him; but when he heard the
name of General Horace Orion, he slack
OhCO Ao gasp, gasp IL LLISuC U0 CdIuOOS
just as his foe tainted from exhaustion
and loss of blood. Rochon thought him
dead and slipping from his body sat there
grimly looking at the pale, motionless
face upturned in the moonlight.
AS in dreams we live through a long
series of dramatic experiences in a second
of time, so old Rochon, during the mo-
ment that he glared into the young mans
oo,-4oroooo it'll ~ ~Lnooo, HTa-o-J
Horace Orion" ringing in his ears, lived
over again a strange adventure of his
youth in which one Horace Orion of New
York, had been a chief actor. He had
not seen the man since then; but here was
his exact likeness in the still form before
before him-the same stalwart frame, the
same swart face, the same long curling
yellow hair. He owed his life and more
to Horace Orion, and here lay Horace
Orton's son stark and lifeless by his actt
Not much conscience had grizzled old
Gaspard Rochon, no wells Of sentiment
dubbed in his iron breast, but soon re-
mote sense Of that honor, which is said
sometimes to actuate thieves, stirred his
callous heart. He roughly wiped the
foam and blood from the young mans
face and then staggering to his feet called
huskily but loudly for help. His lion
strength was returning rapidly and with
it his will power and executive energy.
He shook himself, much as a great wild
beast might have done after a victorious
struggle with a dangerous prey, and
looked about him, grimly surveying the
ruin he had made of Garcin's possessions.
The moon was now we'll up the eastern
sky and was shining with great power.
Five or six men with their weapons ready
came running up to where Rochon was
standing.
"Take this dead man to the schooner
he commanded gruf1y, and see that you
treat him d~ecently."
They promptly took hold of Orion and
lifted him in their arms. He was very
heavy.
"Be careful there" growled the old
man with a rolling oath, "carry gently
every one of you, and be careful, do you
hear?'
The last strugglers came in from pursu-
ing Garcin and his men, the dead aud
wounded were cared for, the boats were
manned, all was ready, and the triumphant
little fotilla slowly made its way down
the bayou.
Orion lay, all unconscious, on a bed of
sailcloth in the open air on the deck Of
the schooner, and old Rochon, with his
hands locked behind him, stood by, gaz-
ing at the young mans face. Some
wounded men were grooming and cursing,
others smoked their pipes stolidly while
their hurts were being rudely dressed,
and yet others were singing ribald songs
and making CHASTITY jokes apropos of the
victory just won. Indeed it would be
hard to imagine a more striking and saV-
age scene that the slow-moving feet pre-
sented as it wound its way down to the
open water of the Bay.
Once in generous sea room, the little
schooner flung out her white wings in the
moonlight, and, gathering in the light
breeze, drew away from the row-boats
on1 u1oc coon Of anchor off MaouO1ia