Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-02-17

heavily. At one moment she would
ilciuIr Marx face pale. hIg.ard, de-
spalrils. as he would be dragged from
his hiding place. The next she was
! CONSCIENCE stricken at the part she WAS
playing III shielding an enemy of her
cause.-the cause Of her brother and her
lover. She heard the dogs as Mark had
heard them on the river bank, and lay
shivering till the baying died away i'll
the distance. Then in the morning she
saw the cavalry 90 by; the officer come
NJ and talk with her mother, whom he
asked the negroes to call from her bed
that he might question her about the
presence Of the spy. Laura gR up her.
self and stood at the landing. listening
hreathless while they talked. When the
man rode away she muttered q fervent
Thank God"
As the morning frightened and it was
time to rise, her fears were less intense,
and she began to think OF how she
should keep her prisoner concealed from
the rest of the household. How should
she feed him? When her maid came
Up she told her that she would take her
breakfast in her room, but surprised the
girl by the large quantity of food she
wanted brought to her. When the
breakfast came, Laura was up and
dressed. She directed the girl to Set it
on a table and then sent her to the stable
with q message to Daniel about her rid
ing pony. Her maid having gone, Laura
took up the breakfast and carried it to
the trap.
In another moment she was standing
on the ladder with the tray in her hand,
half her body below and half in the at
tic. regarding q handsome fellow look
ing very much like gentleman in her
brothers clothes. He in turn was re-
garding what he considered very pretty
picture in the half exposed figure Of .
young girl holding tray in her hands
on which he knew full well was break
fast he was hungry for. Then he took
the tray and laid it ON the lounge.
1t was the first time that Laura had
seen Mark dressed becomingly. This
was the man she had been instrumental
II
the man she must exercise her wits to
give an opportunity to get away to
land Of safety from the halter. 1t was
pleasant to see that he was good to look
upon. What fine brow, what a reso-
lutte mouth! Those locks are golden and
fitted for 3 woman's head. The eyes
are heavenly blue. And all this beauty
holds soul capable of plunging into
the most frightful of dangers.
And this being, SO dazzling to young
girl scarcely twenty, was in her power.
Could she not at a word give him over to
an ignominious death? And could she
not by care almost certainly insure his
freedom? He was her slave. bound to
to her far more securely than Alice, her
maid. who had been given her by her
father. She could order him to crawl
on the floor before her, and he would
have to do so. She had once seen q
woman enter cage of lion with only
a slender whip in her hand, and the
huge beast had obeyed her slightest mo-
ton. Mark was her lion, and she felt
inclined to give him just one touch of
the whip to see what he would do. She
stepped into the room and let down the
trap.
Miss Fain," Mark said. "you cannot
have any conception Of the fervor Of my
gratitude. You stand between me and
death-not the death OF q soldier, but
of felon. And here" pointing to the
breakfast. 'you are ministcring to my
wants with your own hands,"
"And yet told You not to come here"
II did not understand you So"
Mark was hurt. His heart was full Of
gratitude. He could not understand
how. after doing and risking so much
for him, she could blame him for throw
ing himself on her generosity.
II am sorry that you regret your kind
ness" he added, with almost a tremble
in his voice.
II did not say that regretted it."
But you remind me that it is not
agreeable to you"
"How can it be? You are Yankee
Q spy-and on q mission to discover the
movements of our troops"
"Why, then, do you not give me up?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Can
turn executioner"
II see. am indebted for my present
safety to the fact that you do not care
to do an unwomanly act"
"You must draw your own infer
enee."
"But I should like to be grateful.
How can I when you tell me that You
do all this for me that your white hands
may not have stain upon them?"
1T is not necessary that you should
feel grateful"
Mark studied her face for moment
earnestly. Then his manner changed.
"Miss Fain," he said, pointing, "take
away tho breakfast"
"Why soy she asked, startled.
II will not be under any further obi
cation to one who acts from pride rather
than sweet charity. You have saved me
from the hounds and from the gallows.
Were 1t not for you should now be
either about to mount the scaffold or
have passed by this time into that land
where the only human attribute I can
imagine as fitted to be there is charity.
Whether the danger is now passed from
this neighborhood I don't know, but
am going to risk it. am going down
stairs and out from under this roof"
"You will do no such thingv'
II will" And had she not placed her-
self between him and the trap he would
have carried out his intention.
"Stay where you are" she said In .
voice in which there was something
commanding.
"By what authority do you assume to
direct mey'
"Your life belongs to me-"
"True." He bowed his head.
"You understand me-" She spoke with
even more authority than before. II
own you. l own your life. You are
my slave in a stronger sense than my
colored girl"
ut is that ownership of human beings,
Miss Fain, coming down to you from
past generations, that has given you the
spirit to tyrannize over me now"
Il tyrannize:"
There was o surprise that was not
feigned. She did not realize what she
was doing.
Eyes. never have I been so trOdden
upon as by YOU"
There was submission in the young
soldiers tone that satisfied the imperious
girl. She was ready to heal the cuts she
had given, but she waited for him to
speak again.
What do you wish me to do?" he
asked.