Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-25


! tefsapasss-feabt. Jennings, bitterly, =
thought of that, but the old man said il
was more diplomatic just now 10 prevent ar
attempt than even to successfully re
sist it."
But when they were alone again in their
| little cottage, and Zephas' honest eyes,
with no trace of evil knowledge of suspi-
cion in their homely, neutral lightness,
were looking into hers with his usual sim.
pie trustfulness, Mrs. Bunker trembled,
| whimpered, and-I grieve to say-basely
| funked her boosted confession. But here
| the Deity which protects feminine weakness
interviewed with the usual miracle. As he
| gazed at his wife's troubled face, an apollo
! getic cloud came over his rugged but open
brow, and smile of awkward, deprecating
embarrassment Suffused his eyes. Il de-
clare to goodness, Nollie, but I must tell
| you suthin', although l guess didn't kali
kilate to say word about it. But, darn it
| all, kant keep it in. mol Loolin' inter
| that innercent face of yourn"-pressing he
| flushing cheeks between his cool, brow
| handS-''and gazing inter them two truth
full eyes''-they blinked at this moment
| with divine modeSty-''and thinkin' OF
what you've just did for your kentry-like
| them revolutionary women o. '76-I feel
| like a darned swab of a traitor myself
| Well what I want ter tell you is this Ye
know, or ye've heard me tell o. that Mrs
Fairfax as left her husband for that fire.
eatin' Marion, and stuck to him through
thick and thin, and stood watch and watch
with him in this howlin' Southern rumpus
they're kickin' up all along the coast, as if
she was a man herself. We'll, jes as
hauled up at the wharf at Frisco, she comes
aboard.''
YOU'RE Cap Bunker? she says.
"'That's me, ma'am,' says.
"sYou're a NOrthern man and you go with
md .scotr hn r.
man, and thar's no cur blood in you But
you amt listenin', Mollie, you're dead tired
lass" with 4 commiserating look at her
now whitening face, land I'll haul in line
and wait. Well, TO cut it short, she wanted
me to take her down the coast a bit to
where she could join Marion. She said
she'd been shook by his friends, followed
by spies-and blame my skin, Mollie, eff that
proud woman didn't break down and cry
like baby. Now, Mollie, what got me in all
this was that them Chivalry folks-ez was
always jawin' about their Southern DANES
aud their 1adye fairs, and always runnin
that kind of bilge water outer their SOUP
pers whenever they careened over on a fair
wlnd-was Jess the kind to throw off on
woman when they didn't want her, and
kinder thought I'd like her to see the diff
ference betwixt the latitude o. Charleston
and Cape Cod. So 1 told herI didn't want
the jewelry and dlmons she offered me, but
If she would come down to the wharf after
dark I'd smuggle her aboard, and I'd allow
TO the men that she was your auntie es l
was g1vin' free passage tol Lord dearl
think o. me takin' the name o. Mollie
Bunker's aunt in vain for that
sort o. woman! Think o. me' continued
Capt. Bunker with a tentative chuckle,
sort o. pretenin' to hand yo'r
Auntie to Kernel Marion for-for his lady
Lowell Idon't wonder you're half frightened
md hal 1-fi - ha oll al r.
uttered a hysterical cry; sit was awful
But 1t worked, and got her off, and wots
more got her shipped to Mazatlan, wher
she II join Marion, and the two are goin'
back to Virginy, where 1 guess they won't
trouble California again. Ye know now,
dearie," he went on, speaking with diff
Guilty, through Mrs. Bunkers clinging
arms and fast-dripping tears, ''why didn't
heave to to say 'good-by.' But it's all over
now-l've made clean breast of it, MoIlie
and don't you cryr'
But it was not all over, for a moment
later Copt. Bunker began to tumble in his
waistcoat pocket with the one hand that
was not clasping his wife's waist zone
thing more, Mollie; when left her and re-
fused to take any of her dimons she put a
queer sort o. ring into my hand, and told
me, with kind o. mischievous, bedevilin
smile. that l must keep it to remember her
by. Here it is-why, Mollie-lass are you
crazy"
She had snatched it from his fingers and |
was running swiftly from the cottage out |
into the tempestuous night. He followed |
closely, until she reached the edge of the |
rocks. And only then in the struggling, |
fast flying moonlight she raised Q passion I
ate hand and threw it far into the sea.
As he led her back to the cottage she |
said she was jealous, and honest Capt. |
Bunker, with his arm around her, felt him !
self the happiest man in the world
From that day the flag few regularly |
over the rocky shelf, and. in time, bugles |
and morning drum beats were waited from |
q to the decks of passing ships. For the |
Federal government had adjudged the land |
for its own use, paid Capt. Bunker hand
some sum for its possession, and had dis
,reetly hidden the little cottage of Mrs.
Bunker and its history forever behind bas-
ion and casemate.
TIE END.