The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-10

sion had small fear of interruption.
They were in 1.-THE squire's" bedroom,
making free with some whisky which
he had kept in cupboard Gold was
there also, as knew. By their shouts,
fancied they had come upon it. But
/ let them be. Where was Miss Helen?
found her in the silting-room, tied
in her chair, her lips bleeding over her
white teeth; the cursed hounds had
struck her. There are three of them, "
she whispered; ''those two who came,
and another man. They watched for
my father and murdered him-they told
me so. Harl! they are coming. Ned,
they have pistols, and will shoot you
where you stand. Go away this instant
-only-lkill ne frst;" and she lifted her
white pillar of a throat
"Now. my beauty" roared drunken
voice through the thin partition, we're
bringin' you cup O. whisky to drink
our 'ealths in Amt you long;n' for Us
to make love to you? Wen stow away
the rhino first, and then you shall have
your turn"
BE quiet" whispered back to her.
Z,
and in a few seconds I had her out Of
the chair, and we dashed out of the
house together Selling her hand to
prevent her from falling, I guided her
ss fast as possible from the crew who
were now following after US with
curses and bowls Fortunately the de-
mons were too drunk to run very fast
! A couple of bullets whizzed by us,
striking the tree-stems instead of our
heads. In our desperate haste, we
stumbled and fell more than once over
the spreading roots, but were up again
| in moment.
On and on until the last tree was at
our backs. Then we made for a lane
which led to Johnson's tavern, leaving
the yells faint in the distance; there we
| stopped, and there she told her tale.
News spread quickly at the diggin's.
and Judge Lynch is for imnediate ac-
ton. Before noon the stolen gold-in-
Guiding the two big nuggets been
recovered and a couple Of figures dan
gled from an oak by the wayside:
whilst the third villain, not guilty of
| bloodshed, shed plenty of his own be-
meath avenging blows. We had habit
of settling matters speedily at Green
Valley creek.
AS soon as it was possible Miss Helen
started for Melbourne, whence she set
sail for England, where she would join
her mothers relatives very heavy
swells indeed, / believe. And l fol-
lowed her in secret every inch of the
II, L. r
stood by her on the deck of the steam
er, after / had helped to stow her boxes
safely in the hold Then 1 blurted out
that hoped she would not be offend
ed at my coming, but-"and then 1
shut up.
Ned" she cried, "brave Ned! Dear,
kind, good Ned. There are debts which
can never be repaid, and l am your
debtor always always, Ned." and
holding out her hands to me, she
bowed her lovely head upon my big
brown fists and sobbed.
Don't you be COMPOUNDED noodle
at the last, Straightways," said to my
self; you've pulled the reins in fairly
well up to the present; pull tight, my
man, pull tight and did.
You are very welcome, Miss Helen"
Il spoke with quiet voice Il wish
I wish-I could have been a gentleman
for just little while, SO that might
have served you better"
"a gentleman!" she cried, lifting her
face, and looking full at me, and then
she raised those hard fists of mine to her
soft lips and kissed them. Yes. she |
kissed them-and I-how was to help |
it?-the touch of those soft lips broke |
me down smash. Away went all my |
self-control, as if the winds had blown |
it, and up from my heart, like 4 pent |
stream bursting it's bounds, rushed the
strong surge of love ard alteration,
wouldn't be driven back. i can't re-
member clearly what I said, though I've
tried often; the whirl and tempest
within were too much. l didn't plead
with her: no, mol knew better than
that, even then in the midst of my
madness. didn't dare even to touch
her with one of my rough fingers, but
/ think / made her understand some
how that my heart and my life had
stopped, sudden, my chest heaving, my
voice choking. my sight blinded by a
mist that didn't come from the sea. l
stopped because Of the great start of
that shook her from head to
heel, and because of the red color
flooding up to the roots of her hair.
Yet she was not angry nor offended.
She put out her little hands to me
again. knew it-both to silence and
to comfort me- She did not speak
for what could she have said?-besides.
the steamers engines were putting, and
time was up. She laid her head down on
my arm moment. and then left with q
rain of pitying tears.
When the vessel had passed CON-,
pletely out of sight, and its long smoke
line had died out from the sky. hur-
r;ed back to Green Valley creek, and
took up my work again-hard work is
the best friend life has for US, some
times.
But I have never forgotten Miss
Helen-I never shall forget her; and
I've trudged to the old spot often and
stood before the empty house. And
when the sun famed down behind the
pines and the shadows crept longer and
longer across the grass, I've had fam
cy that still could see her 1T the open
door-watching for her father.
That's my story. old chappie: we've
each other our own, Of one sort or
other. Fill up your glass and let's have
q pipe.-Vivian Brooke, in Cham bers'
Journal.