Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1893-09-29


fathers side and laid her hand plead
ingly on his shoulder. She did not fear
the angry men, for willingly not one of
them would have harmed q hair Of hsr
dainty head. / saw that she would have
pleaded with her father to be gentle with
them.
Eyes, our rightsr' yelled a voice in the
crowd, with an awful oath. He was
drunk or blind with rage-surely he did
not SEQ tho girl at her fathers side. A
stono whizzed through the air. II might
have been Jere Harman's deathblow;
instead, it struck her. Il cut q great.
cruel cash just above the temple.
They sprang toward her-her friends.
her lovor-but s.ellie Hartman put her
two hands out to me with a SHARP gasp
ing cry.
Jack. Jackr' she said. and ! caugh,
her In my arms.
have lived over the agony, the Joy, Of
that moment all through the long. lone
ly hours of this night.
It was Big John himself who brought
the doctor and cried like a child when
they told him she was dying. His little
crippled child she had loved and cared
for, and it had died in her arms. AYE.
and that harm should have come to her,
who was more good and innocent Of
wrong than the angelsr' muttered Big
John brokenly as he went away softened
and sorrowful.
Jere Hartman sent me out to tell the
men that he had yielded, and in the ST.
lence Of death they went away.
The strike Is over.
As 1 sit here in the gray dawn, wait
ing, fearing, dreading the coming Of the
morning and the news It may bring, 1
hear the chatter Of a horses hoofs. 1t is
a servant from the hall riding to the viii
lage on some errand.
What newsg' l call out hoarsely, Rnd
learn that the worst is over and that she
viii live.
Nellie Hartman lowered between life
and death for long weeks, and ! worked
IS / had never worked before. Jere
Hartman left much Of the management
of the mill in my hands, ard I put heart
and brain in the work, or l should have
gone mad in those weeks with the long
ing to see her face. WheT she was well
again, / spent many evenings at the Hall
talking business with her father, who
came seldom to the Office in those days.
He had broken in health with the recent
troubles and had lost energy, but he
was gentler and kinder than of old.
Harry Desmond was always there. |
was but a dull guest. l could not endure
his light heartedness, the triumph in his
eyes, the happiness in his laugh. l could
not endure that he should call her by
name or smile on her.
was q mad fooll
1 told Jere Hartman that 1 must 20
away, that l must have rest, change-a
vacation. Gordon, the young foreman.
could take my place, / urged, and no
consented, though grudgingly.
The last evening l promised him to
spend at the hall and go over the &C
counts with him.
Never had Nellie been brighter or
gayer. l felt a vague pang that my go
ing was so little to her.
1t was early when Desmond left, and l
Immediately rose to go. Jere Hartman
grasped my hand cordially in farewell,
and Nellie said simply 'Goodby," and /
went down the path slowly and sadly.
Suddenly 1 heard a light, flying step
behind me as I reached the shadow Of
the trees.
1t was Nellie.
1 stepped back in the darkness. She
stopped as if listening aid then came to-
ward me.
81 thought 1 should overtake you, " she
Whispered, slipping her arm through
mine. "Did you think 1 could let you
go away tonight without a last wordI"
There was something In her voice, q ten
derness, that explained all. She had
come out to meet her lover, Desmond,
and mistaken me for him In the dark
ness. But to have her 30 near was very
sweet. She seemed not to care for
speech. She was very still-just clasp
ing my arm and leaning over so gently
against my shoulder. The temptation
was great was going away-just to
take away with me the memory of q
moments heaveni
kissed her.
"Forgive me-" 1 pleaded desperately
you thought me your lover, Desmond,
Nellie, forgive me-"
But 1 kissed you, Jack" she whis-
pered. "And you won't go-oh, Jack,
you won't go when l love you sog"
Jack Spencer, gray haired AMI 40, com
monplace and poor-she loved hint
That is my romance.-M. A. Wors-
wick in Frank Leslie's Weekly. 4