The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-06


OF how she saved him In q time OF great
danger and stood herself on the brink Of
another and greater peril.
Evey Lancaster was one of those women
who marry men they averagely love anu
are faithful wives ana devoted mothers SO
long as passion, going down the country
lane Of their peaceful lives, passes them
her husband more than these women
usually 40 but then she was made OF
sterner stuff, and where there Is more to
conquer there Is more TO suffer. Small
blame TO her. since heaven had made her
charming. Small blame to Edward We're
ker. her husbands friend, since he
found her so, and he himself rs goodly
mer's day. Her husband, David Lancaster,
xas a Roodly looking man. too, and
worthy OF her and Of Edward Vereker.
his friend.
But there were three of them, and three
Is an evil number concerning men and
womep.
Itwas during the summer of 1893 that
Edward Vereker and Evey. his friend 3
wife, began TO bs more than friends. He
was STAYING with the Lancasters down in
Surrey in their pretty little red house on
the edge OF the pretty little blue river,
and David was going mp and down To
London every day. because 10 was yet
early, md the various vacations and holi-
days had not begun. So he ami she were
left good deal on one another's hands
Satan found mischief. not for those idle
ones hands remained In ones lap and IL
was too bot even to talk, but it Is as easy
To look at ones neiRhbor asto stare blankly
into space, and eyes can DO great deal bJ
themselves, take IL altogether.
So these two sat In the shady garden
under tho big cedars and looked at one
another for want of som msthing better 10
do and found the occupation suffice for
all their needs.
Evey Lancaster was a good woman-Dy
nature, not bv art. / mean she was
naturally good and hal not become so by
trying very hard. She had been we'll
brought up, she read decent books and,
therefore, only "a few and she meant
every word of her share in the marriage
service.
But, alas and alas she was a woman,
and d pretty one. and Edward Vereker
Yves good looking and man, though
somewhat unusually moral and possessed
of a sense of honor. Moreover. they both
loved David. But David was away all
day, and-I mistrust juno and the devil
in green garden!
l don't know that anything would
have come of it IL tragedy had not stepped
In; Adelphi tragedy, battle, murder and
sudden death in Ole OF it's most appalling
forms in the shape of hydrophobia.
Evey and Edward bad been unnecessa-
rily energetic that dav. Perhaps they
both uncomfortably realized that sitting
under the trees saying nothing was becom-
ing little exciting. At any rate Evey
Smith az Wesson or her husbands and
they set up mark In the meadow out
side the garden, and, having prudeutly
removed the COWS, practiced shooting In
the cool OF the day. They shot very badly.
but they had to look at the target, and
that was comparative safety. They got
tired of 10 at last, and she sat down under
one OF the great oGk trees nanking the
garden with the revolver in her lap, while
he sauntsred across the grass to rearrange
the somewhat shaky target.
she was near the gate leading 20 the
road, and II was open, for the cows had
gone that way to the fsrmyard, and in
June, 1898. gates that 1t wns not an i'm
perative necessity TO shut remained oIen
for coolness' sake.
And here the Adelphia melodrama came
In, and through the open gate, too, her.
heart-sickening clamor coming up from
the hush OF evening distance-boarse,
scared yells and the tramp If running
feet and confused directions apparently
issued in many voices. And through the
open gate a horror rushed, creature
with dripping jaws ana staring eyes, Il
big black retriever bearing in It's strange
altered state but little resemblance to the
friendly dog of q few uays back, and at
Its heels concourse of men armed with
sticks and farm implements and any
weapon that could be hastily snatched
up. but none, alas. with gun.
Evey Lancaster, revolver in hand, with
shells still remaining in couple of
cham bers saw the mad dog enter the
meadow and make straight across 1t out
over the sunburDed grass to where Ed
ward Nereker was walking toward the
target. She was under the shadows of
the hedge, broauside on. as it were. and
the dog never noticed her.
Edward Vereker turned on his heel at
the sound OF the noise OF the gate, and.
like Evey took in the situation at
glance. But he was absolutely unaru ed
--he had not even stick, and he was
alone In tho midst of wide Held with
death in its foulest form not 30 yards
from him
Then Eyey Lancaster from where she
knelt on the grass unuer the hedge, took
aiIx and fired. she was his friend and
knsw that his life was at stake, and that
quickened the presence OF mind and the
courage within her. She was made OF
British stuff. and that stesdied the sbak-
ing hand and kent the revolver straight
and though the first bullet went wild tn o
second carried true and the mad dog with
hideous yell, dropped disabled with "a
shattered shoulder not 10 PAGES from him.
Then the crowd closed In and put an end
10 everything.
Five minutes later Edward Vereker
and the woman who bar saved him, leav-
ing the excited villagers still clustered
round the horror on the grass, went back
into the garden.
Ii WAS az much rs she could do TO walk
now that the strain was past, being only
woman after all. and the green garden
was going round aud round In dim
mist that smelled of gunpowder and grew
blscker at every STEP
lie saw her falter and stop and was
only in time to catch her in his arms to
prevent her collapsing on the lawn at his
feet. The earth and sky might wheel
and melt into u slaokeni ino mist MT will.
but pair Of sIrnng arms we're round
her and her cheek on protecting