Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-03-26


enough to assume for an instant that
ycuT answer would be different The
governor wished me TO propose to you
and the dear old chaps been 20 good %
me all my life that should be an IN
grateful cad il refused to obey him :"
You needn't apologize, she retorted
with seorn- Believe me. labored un-
der no delusion respecting your rea-
son II must be a great relief to you
TO have it safely over, as ii is to me.
Perhaps it was because she was 50
relieved that she wept stormily in her
room as she dressed for one of her
customary cross-country tramps
Women are complex creatures
Dandy's behavior too. was some
what inecmprehensible He sighed IS
the door closed behind her. and stroIlc1
about the room whistling The Coster's
Serenade" out OF tune
The serenade came 70 an end in q
dismal minor as the general and his
host entered, eager TO hear the result
OF the tete-a-tete. Dandy was as
stony as flint, and vonch-safed no
information He rang the bell
Would you mind telling Roberts
when he comes up that want Faust
saddled, SIR ?" he said to Colonel Give
III go and dress
General Verrinder looked al Colonel
Give, Colonel Give looked at General
yerriader They sighed simultan-
eousiy.
Rejected grcaned the general
She wouldn't have my boy,
Il did my best, old chum," said the
colonel. with tears in his eyes.
"Dandy's a trump and told her 50.
but when a mettlesome filly gets the
bit between her teeth
The general took up the parable
there's nothing TO be done.
Dandy, generally the sweetest tenn
pered OF men. was in bad humor. He
slashed Faust in manner which as
tonished that high-spirited animal, and
sent him along in fine style, which
would have raised him several inches
in the estimation of Miss Mary Give
had she been there to see.
lie galToped Some miles and then
turned 10 the coast and Travelled home
ward at a slower pace along the cliffs
Presently ne came 10 a cleft in the
cliffs, which ran inward from the sea
ard barred his further progress in that
direction.
The jump was TOO ugly for a man in
his senses to attempt He forthwith
proceeded to skirt it.
On sudden he pulled Faust up with
an abruptness which sent him on to
his hind legs, for a woman's shrek
had pierced the air
Across the gap a few hundred yards
away in hollow previously hidden
from his view. he saw Mary menacing
a rough-looking man in sailors dress
with the walking stick which always
accompanied her upon her solitary
rambles.
But she was only girl, and before
Dandy had time TO fully grasp the sit
uation the sticn was flying from her
hand and she was completely at the
mercy Of her prosecutor.
The blood flew to Dandy's face.
Don't be frightened, Mary" he
shouted; I'm coming to YOU
1t was a teri BILE jump, and in case
of failure a horrible death awaited both
horse and rider on the rocks over a
hundred feet below.
She looked up and saw him for the
first time. At the same instant she
recognized the danger of what he was
about to do, and her face went whittier,
If possible than before.
For Gods sake, stay where you
are she shrieked; you'll kin your
self"
And then-she shut her eyes and
prayed as she had never prayed in her
life, for the man she had called eff
Terminate had dug his spurs into the
horses sides and Faust had sprung
like all arrow from bow al the yawn-
ing gulf between them.
The agony Of a month seemed con-
centrated in the moment of suspense
that followed A heavy thud on the
turf told her he was safe and for once
in her life she must have tainted, for
when she opened her eyes again her
late assailant was hobbling lamely
away in the distance and Dandy was
on his knees beside her with the
splintered fragment of a riding whip
in his hand and his lips so close to hers
that she almost fancied it was their
touch which had awakened her
Thank Godr' he said in a voice
that trembled with emotion 'Iyou
frightened me awfullyw
Not so much as you frightened me,
she murmured You risked your life
for my sake. Oh, II was terrible, ter
rible, II made me ill.,"
Did you faint because you feared
for my safety"
The blue eyes gazed into the brown
ones, the brown ones dropped,
Mary, | believe We have both been
playing fast and loose with our hap
piness through idiotic pride. know
| have taken pains to appear more of
an ass than nature intended. | was q