Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-11-05

blamed Lyle for it all.
"It's only another case Of your con-
founded enthusiasm spelling things.
Here / was nearly through with my
to.be celebrated thesis on Ancient
and Modern Greek, and you knew the
girl was my main dependence for the
work, and yet, like % fool, you must
go and fall in love with her, and put
her to flight. Why can't you study
anything from purely scientific
standpoint?"
But Lyle's detection at Hellene's
avoidance of him at last became so
utter that even Scott was moved to
pity. The disconsolate lover tried all
in vain to have word with the girl.
She deity thwarted his clumsy mas
culine plans until he became well nigh
desperate.
One evening when this condition of
things had gone on for several weeks,
the two men were smoking in the little
front room Of the inn. The village
had been quiet for some time when
they heard q light footstep and caught
q glimpse of Helene "a she slipped
quickly out from side door into the
moonlit street. Lyle rose with q look
of grim determination on his face and
followed her. In moment he was Mt
her side. "Hellene," he said, cant
1 walk with you-I have wanted to
speak with you about something for
long time"
She made him no answer, and they
walked on in silence together.
The road led past the last scattering
houses of the village, along the bank
Of the stream. 1t was bordered by
gnarled old olive trees through whose
branches a mosaic of light and shade
filtered from the moon TO the ground.
A sleepy gurgle came now and then
from the stream near by.
Lyle stopped, took Hellene's hand
in his own, and said:
"Hellene, you must know what 1
want to tell you. You know that 1
love you better than life. Don't you
see you've been killing me by inches
of late? Why do you shun and avoid
me?"
The girls eyes were downcast for
moment, and he saw her bosom heave
in quick sobs. Then she raised her
face to his, and there were tears Of
great JOY in her glorious eyes. The
lovers did not see the crouching fig
IRE of the man, which glided away
from the wall near by off into the
placid night.
The next day Scott was hard at
work all day on his notes. In the
early afternoon Lyle went alone to
visit distant part Of the ruins, where
he was to obtain certain measurements
which had been forgotten. Helene
saw him pass from the inn, and an ex-
preston of surprised anxiety dis
placed the radiance in her eyes.
Lyle proceed to lonely spot some
two miles from the village, and was
bending over TO examine broken
fragment Of rock, when he was sud-
denly seized from behind by power
full hand, and hurled backward on the
ground with such force as to render
him for a moment unconscious. When
he opened his eyes his feet were tied,
and his hands securely pinioned be-
hind his back. Stephano was seated
on rock nearby. The two men looked
ut each other for moment in silence.
Stephano was calmly rolling cigar
cite in his tawny fingers, and mock
ing smile played about his mouth.
Lyle could not long control his wrath.
"You sneaking coward!" he cried.
cts this the way soldier fghts?"
Stephano regarded him moment,
then replied, and his voice was low
and melodious:
"You Americans have q saying, l
believe, that all is fair in love and
war You came and stole the heart
of my HELENE, the fairest girl in
Greece. Did you think you could
carry her off so easily? All Greece,
you know, once fought ten years for
one woman. You should have been
wiser. Now I'm going to cut the
artery III your arm WIN my uaBBer
point here, and then / shall sit still
and see you slowly bleed to death!'
Lyle's anger burned within him as
he realized his own helplessness.
"What, you internal villain, do you
mean to murder me without chance
to strike blow? If you have a grain
OF manhood in you, set me free and 1
will fight you in any way you choose"
Control yourself, stranger" an
swered Stephano, with maddening de-
Liberation. "There is no need ofsuch
excitement. You have brought this
on yourself-you risked it and lost.
Now take the consequences like @
man"
With careful precision Stephano
felt for the artery in the barred arm OF
his victim. A quick stroke, and Lyle
felt the warm blood trickling down