The herald., 1896-05-17

hands, We're by this time much closer to the
porch than those who had to bear the bur
den OF the tree. Again the Counts rifle
was heard, and the mon broke for the wood
without waiting for more The leaves clos
ed over them and there was great and in
slant Stiffness
AS Count st. Polten-Vassima stood at his
wicket he could hear Gertrud Richter in the
room above. loading her artillery and laying
each gun as 1t was ready on her little dress
ing table, He himself FASTENED to do like
wise. Then all suddenly a new turn was
given to the situation, for Alt Karl strobe
out of the wood and across the wide green
towards the front door. His daughter saw
him first, for that was her chosen side of
the house.
Run" she cried. run for the door, faith
or! l will open it," But Ait Karl was an
Under Officer of the Kaiser, and it was not
his habit to run till he saw cause. So he
faced about and looked calmly all about him.
A gun went off to the right and watt o.
white smoke arose. Alt Karl took the
fOwling piece from his shoulder and laid it
to his ear ready for action. Then steadily
as If he had given himself the order to
charge, he went at the double straight for
the place from whence the bullet had come
But before he had gone a dozen yards n
second shot was fired from the left Alt
Karl wavered, stumbled. and went over on
his face with swirl, his gun exploding as
he fell.
By this time Truda had the front door
open and was on the point of rushing forth
to succor her father. But Count St. Polten
took her by the shoulder roughly and thrust
her behind him.
Stay where you are" he commanded;
che is too heavy for you to carry
And he laid down his gun on the spared
rustic seat in the porch and rushed across
the lawn bareheaded. Bullets whistled
about him as he ran. But in moment he
reached the side Of the fallen man. He
stopped and raised Alt Karl in his arms. A
crowd of men broke from the coverts on
right and left, and with fierce howls of rage
rushed towards the Count who stumbled
under his heavy burden.
Nevertheless he carried his Jagdmeister
swiftly enough in his arms towards the
open door. AS he came he saw Gertrud
kneeling upon one knee behind the trellis
OF the porch. Swiftly she fired one gun and
then another till she had exhausted her
store. Then she stood up with her fathers
revolver in her hand, and as he approached
the door with his unconscious burden on
his shoulder he could hear the sharp crack
OF the report, and simultaneously the spit
and whistle of the bullets as they passed
on either side Of him, first over one should
err and Zen over the other. So accurate
was the young girls aim that the charge
of the convicts was stayed, though not
wholly prevented. AS Gertrud changed the
door arr shot the bolts two men flung
themselves against it and one fired his gun
into the keyhole. But the solid oak and
the good iron bolts stood the stress.
ITO ypur wicket" cried Truda; IT shall
go back to my window"
She only reached her station in time to
see the disappointed assaiants running
back to cover. But the lawn was fairly
sprinkled with the wounded, some limping,
some crawling, and still more lying deadly
Still. All was safe for little, so having
again loaded her rifles Gertrud ran swiftly
to look after her father
Alt Karl lay with his head supported on
the Counts shoulder. His daughter cut
away his coat deity. The bullet had gone
clean through the shoulder, between the
joint OF the right arm and the spring of the
neck, but very near the surface-too near
to have touched any vital part. 1t was the
shock more than the wound which had fell
Ell AIT harl. Presently he looked up.