Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-04

l
Tall white daisies, the very last oftheir
kind for this year, nod their heads at her,
and from below, down there behind tn,
northern wall, the tremulous, sorrowfu
music of the stream running idly, vaguely,
somewhere (who cares to know WHEREBY
reaches her ear.
There is something idle and vague in hel
own movements as she strolls between th,
tall rows of holIyhocks toward the littl,
green gate that leads from the orchard t.
the yard. This gate is open, and an she
draws near to it, strange sounds. ever in.
creasing in volume, reach her.
She stands irresolute; what sounds are
these? She takes another step forward, bu,
now the sounds grow nearer, clearer; shouts
yells and cries of terror. There is noise,
too, as of the crashing of wooden sticks one
upon another, and hurrying to and fro,
the shuf1ing Of many feet, and through all
and above all, those wild, angry, frightened
| cries
She shrinks back. dreading she hardly
knows what-clinging to the side of the
little gate in.her uncertainty; and as she
there stands she is conscious of q fresh
sound-a swift patter patter of flying feet
an odd painting, and
Great heaven! what is this2 This huge
| brute with head down, foaming at the Jaw g
and silent-horribly silenti She knows
what it is now-Heecules, the big bull dog,
the terror of the yard, but creature who
has loved her, whom she has learned to
| love
! But not this Hercules! This horrible
thing with bloodshot eyes ard steaming
mouth, and senseless, maddened air
Nearer, nearer he comes!
For q moment her senses deserted her.
To escape! She knows she ought to make
some effort, but every limb seems para
Jyzed, and-where does safety lie He is
almost here now, another bound or two and
he will be through the gate, he will have
caught her, he will tear easily through her
thin autumn gown and petticoat, and after
that there will be death! And such q
death!
Oh! no. Not that deathI Any death but
thatl With strained eyes she watches the
coming of the unhappy brute. Her fore
head wet with fear, yet unable to stir; q
limb, she stands staring, every nerve tense,
yet the Will power to move dead within
her.
With hanging tongue and threatening
mien, yet without sound, the dog springs
through the gate. He is on her nowI He
has caught her gown and is worrying it. A
low, strange, horrible mangling sound, th at
is yet hardly a growl, accompanies his at
tack upon her. In another second
A wild, wild cry rises from her lips; to
heaven it goes! Before it dies upon the air
she finds herself flung violently TO one side;
there is harsh sound, the sound indeed of
a heavy boot brought forcibly against a
dogs jaw, and once again the maddened
creature, kicked by Drayton from his hold
on Rhoda's gown, sets forth upon his furious
run, pursued by halt dozen farm servants,
armed with pixies and forks and shovels
Past her as in a dream they all 60 A fly
ing phantasmagoria! Whoever had saved
her had flung her near a picket hedge,
where she had caught hold and stood half
fainting, watching what should come
1t comes soon enough. The dog, dis
tracted By the shouts and cries, has doubled
on his pursuers and makes again tor the
gate. Again he approaches her, the farm
men hold back, but Drayton with a cold
courage that, almost amounts to ferocity,
steps forward, and, catching the dog by the
throat, sways him to and fro. 1t is short
struggle, but decisive. With 9 power al
most superhuman-for the dog is an enor-
nous specimen of his kind and mad-Dray-
ton chokes the life out OF him and filings
him dying into a strawberry bed to her
right
Seeing the dog PROSTATE. the laborers
/
Rhoda until now had remained silent,
stricken by fear, but, as she sees them at
tack the dying thing an agony of regret
and horror rouses her to instant life
"Oh! don't-don't hurt him. Oh! don'tw
she cries Her voice almost rises tc q |
scream. 'Oh! it is horribler' She leans |
back covering her eyes with her hands to :.
shut out the horrid sight, and after a min |
ute or two bursts into passion of tears
And now the miserable dog is dispatched,
and his carcass is trailed away to the yard |
for burial by the triumphant servants, and |
Rhoda, having time given her for such lux |
ury, and feeling both heaven and earth re-
ceding from her, totters to garden-seat
near her, and goes off into as dead q iaint as
any young girl might be guilty of.
The Weakening is very strangei-to rouse
like this with sense Of past yet near ter
ror full upon her, and yet to be certain of
safety. She hardly knows she Is clinginr
to Drayton, until his voice sounds in her
ears, and until-the mists of insensibilIty
having cleared away-she can see his agon-
lied face gazing into hers And what Is it
he is saying?
"My darIing-speakl Speak, Rhodai He
did not touch you--did, he? Speakr His
tone is quick with horrible fea.
She raises herself Why does he speak
TO her like this? Why does he look like
this? What has happened7.
'.Rhoda, darling, do you hear me7 Do you
That brutel Did he touch
you?"
''Ohi no, nor Her lovely eyes are still
vide and wild with horror. She is still
singing to him. She looks round her. ssBut
,hey-they hurt him, the poor, poor crea-
;urei Ohr' She hides her face against the
Ileeve of his coat and sobs violently.
''Never mind him" SAYS Drayton,
hortly, passionately. "He had to be
zilled, poor devil, but you-you-" l.
Something in his voice, something in the
Iuick pressure of his arm round her, wakes
Ter to full consciousness. She draws
'ack from him; with one hand she presses
Iim from her.
81 am better now" she SAYS She makes
n ATTEMPT to get up. TT was mere
hook. No. 1 have not been touched" |
his time she rises successfully to her feet,
nd takes step forward She sways Q
title, and he, following her, puts ont
and as if to help her, but she shrinks from 4
i'm.
MOP she says in low tone, bat almost
assionstely. ''Do not come with me2 Ii