Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1894-03-09
QUIXARVYN'S RIVAL.

The battle of Sedgemoor had been
fought and lost. Night had come again,
and in the old gray church of Weston
Loyland 500 of the beaten rebels lay i'm
prisoned.
The scene inside the church was awful
in its weird impressiveness. 1t might
have been gorge of the lost souls in the
Inferno The lurid glare of a few
torches which were stuck at intervals
against the pillars revealed the forms Of
men sitting and lying on the seats. and
floor in every attitude of detection and
despair. Up and down the aisles the
iron shod heels of the sentries rang upon
the pavement
The greater part of the prisoners were
silent, or only moaning with the pain
OF recent wounds; some were praying;
one was raving, mad with terror. And,
in truth. he and his companions had
good cause for fear, for their conqueror
was Feversham, the general of the
Royalists, whose only mode of dealing
with rebel was to hang or shoot him
without more ado, and who was only
waiting for the daybreak to begin the
work of slaughter. A few only kept
their resolution-among them two who
were sitting together in the shadow of
the pulpit steps. Both these men had
been conspicuous in the fight, and both
knew well that they must die at day
break.
The elder of the two was a man of
about thirty-five, with a powerful,
thickset frame and strong and rugged
features; bad man to have against one,
one might say. He was by trade horse
breaker, and great part of his business
was to break in the wild colts of the
marsh. His companion was some six or
eight years younger. His figure was
tall and slight, but finely made, and his
face was singularly handsome. He was
the swiftest runner in the west of Eng
land, perhaps in the whole kingdom
His name was David Dare; that of the
elder man was John Quixarvyn Both
were natives of the town of Axbridge,
but until the day before they had been
strangers to each other. Chance had
made them comrades in the contest,
where they had fought side by side and
where the same troop of Royalists had
seized them both.
The two were silent. Quixarvyn had
pulled out a short black pipe, had filled
and lighted it, and was now smoking
TRANQUILITY. His companion had also
pulled out something from his breast
but it was not pipe; it was the portrait
of beautiful young girl He took a
long look at the lovely face-a look
which said farewell.
Quixarvyn watched him. In the dim
light in which they sat he could not see
the features of the portrait, but he
guessed how the case stood
Poor fellowr he said with more
tenderness than would have been ex-
pected from his looks Then, after a
minutes silence, he went on, as much to
himself as to the other: "And yet my
case is harder was in love-l am in
love, God help mel--and also have her
portrait in my breast. What would |
give if could look on it as you can look
on yoursw
Dare looked at him with interest.
"Whatr he said; "have you also the
same trouble-a poor girl who will go
distracted when she hears of what has
happened to you?"
mo-" said the other bitterly, "she
, will not go distracted; she has had
enough of me. And shall have the
pain Of dying unrevenged upon the
knave who robbed me of herr
1t was strange to see how in mo-
ment his eyes had grown ablaze with
passion. The young man looked at him
in establishment.
"Who was it?" he inquired.
who was itY' echoed the other Do
you think, if knew that, that should
now have cause to writhe at dying with
out crying quits with him? No, do
not know him--l only know she loved
me-that she cooled toward me-that,
when asked her plainly whether she
had found a younger and better looking
man, she confessed that it was true, and
threw herself upon my generosity to set
her free from our engagement | did so
lin frenzy OF mad passion. But when
asked her for his name, she would not
tell me, fearing, daresay, that | might
twist his neck. | should soon have
found him; but then this war broke
out, and in my rage could not keep
myself from rushing to the fight to cool
my blood with blows. And so here
am-going to be shot at daybreak. But
| swear to heaven. if only had that fell
low in my power for one brief minute, i
could die contented."
"You are right" said the other; ii
should feel the same"
Quixarvyn drew portrait from his
breast, and held it out to his companion
Look" he said. lis this face to jilt
a nian?-though it is one to drive him
crazy. Let me look at yours-it is not
more innocent than this one, | dare
swear"
The young man took the portrait. and
at the same time handed him his own.
Each looked in silence at the portrait iu
his hand-in silence of amazement, of
stupefaction. The two portraits repre-
scented the same person!
Quixarvyn was the first to break the
silence.
"Whatr he said, drawing deep
breath and bursting into low laugh,
which was both fierce and glad, "you,
was it, To think that that have found
you after ALI Fate is kinder to me than
fancied."