Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1898-02-25

knelt on the grass under the hedge,
took aim and fred. She was his friend
and knew that his life was at stake,
and that quicleDod the presence Of
mind and the courage within her. She
was made Of British stuff, and that
steadied tho shaking hand end kept the
revolver straight, and though the first
bullot went wide the second carried
true, and the mad dog, with a hideous
yell, dropped disabled with a shattered
shoulder not 10 PAGES from him. Then
the crowd closed in and put on end to
everything.
Five minutes later Edward Vereker
and the woman who had saved him,
leaving the excited villagers still clus-
tered round the horror on the grass,
went back into the garden.
It was as much as she could do to
walk now that the strain was past, be-
ing only a woman after all, and the
green garden was going round and
round In a dim mist that smelled of
%gunpowder and grew blacker at every
stop.
He saw her faltor and stop and was
only in time to catch her in his arms to
prevent her oollapsing on the lawn at
his feet. The earth and sky might
wheel and melt into n blackening mist
Mt will, but n pair of strong arms were
round her and her cheek ON a protecting
shoulder.
Strong emotions make us view the
world in q distorted light with our mon
tel as we'll as our bodily eyes, aud there
was no David in the green garden be-
hind the high hedge, only a brave wo-
man, weak and trembling, with her
bead on the breast Of the man she had
rescued from worse than death-the
man who called her "Evey, my dar-
ling" and ~passionately kissed her.
.
David Lancaster came home In the
cleaning half an hour later, with a
piece Of salmon in o bass bag and the
fifth Globe with all the latest cricket in
it.
Evey, up at her window, white and
trembling still, watching with half
avcrted eyes a figure pacing up and
down under the cedars, eaw her husband
coming in at the gate, saw him join the
restless figure and tramp up and down
in company and know tho story was be-
ing told him, for with a kiss had come
awakening and shame, as 1t came with
the knowledge Of good and evil into the
first garden.
Some time later the two men came
back to tho house, and Evey's prefer
naturally sharponed ears heard Edward
ascend to his own room and David turn
down the passage to come to hers. She
stood in tho middle of the floor in her
white gown, her hair slightly ruffled,
her face drawn with the stress of emo
ton which sho had undergone, her
hands-thoso little hands that had done
10 much-hanging lillply by her side.
And David opened the door and came in.
She coul3 not look at his face, but she
understood as he walked across the room
to where she stood and took her straight
and unhesitatingly into his arms tina
somehow, in spite Of all, no knew abour
the kiss and had forgiven her. And the
kiss was all she could remember of he:
past life.
When David Lancaster went up stair
to his wife and took hor to his hear
without asking for Il word of explana
ton on her part, he did the one thinl
that saved him and her and Edward
VerclIer from shipwreck.
read g story onco in which tho con
Guiding sentence ran thus, "And SO By
little thing was a saved from
the misfortune Of q great passion"
Edward Vereker, having done all tina
lay in his power to atone fer what haC
happened, left the house carly mex
morning without seeing Evey again
And her husband shook hands with hin
at parting.
They have not met since, except oasu
ally in society, and then they meet ant
greet rs friends. They had fallen a lit
tie way together and repented Of it, ant
with repentance comes revulsion Of feel
ing and with that the end Of all thing
that might have been, withered untime
ly in the budding Of passions popp
towers.
So she was heroic in that she save
him, and he was noble in that he con
fessed his kiss to her husband. Blu
somehow it seems to me that the great
est of these three was David Lancaster
who heard and understood and yet, hear
ing and understanding, forgave. -Blac
and White.
The Bacon Folly.