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

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the story of how sho saved him in q
time Of great danger and stood herself
ON the brink Of another and greater
peril.
Evey Lancaster was ono Of those wo-
men who marry men they avcragoly
love and are faithful wives ana devoted
mothers so long as passion, going down
the country lane Of their peaceful lives,
passes them by on the other side. She,
perhaps, loved her husband more than
these women usually do, but then she
was made Of sterner stuff, and where
there Is more to conquer there is moro
TO suffer. Small blame to her, since
heaven had made her charming. Small
blame to Edward Vereker, her hus-
bands friend, since he found her SO, and
he himself as goodly q mnu as you
would meet ON any summers day. Her
husband, David Lancaster, was q good
ly man, too, and worthy Of her and Of
Edward Vcreker, his friend.
But there were three Of them, and
three is an evil number concerning men
and women.
1t was during the summer of 1898
that Edward Vereker and Evey, his
friends wife, began to be moro than
friends. He was staying with the Ian
casters down in Surrey in their pretty
little red house on the edge Of the pref
~ little blue river, and David was 60
ing up and down TO London every day,
because it was yet early, and the vari-
Gus vacations and holidays had not be-
gun. So he and she were left n good
deal ON one another's hands. Satan
found mischief, not for those idle
hands, but idle eyes, for that summer
one's hands remained in ones lap and
it was too hot sven to talk, but it is as
easy TO look at ono'sn eighbor as to stare
blankly into space, and eyes can do u
great deal by themselves, take it alto
gether.
So these two sat in the shady garden
under the big cedars and looked at one
another for want of something better to
do and found tho occupation suffice for
all their needs.
Evey Lancaster was a good woman
by nature, not by art. 1 mean sho was
naturally good and had not become SO
by trying very hard. She had been well
brought up; she read decent books, aud,
therefore, only q few, and she meant
every word Of her share in the mar
ringe service.
But, alas and alas, she was q woman,
and a pretty one, and Edward Verekel
was good looking and u man, though
somewhat unusually moral and possess
ed Of a sense Of honor. Moreover, they
both loved David. But David was away
oil day, and-I mistrust June and the
devil in a green gardenl
1 don't know that anything would
have come of it if tragedy had not step
ped in; Adelphi tragedy, battle, murder
and sudden death in one Of it's most up
palling forms in the shape Of hydropho
bia.
Evey and Edward had boen unneces
sarily energetic that day. Perhaps they
both uncomfortably realized that sit
ting under the trees saying nothing wa
becoming a little exciting. At any
rate Evey went to the gunroom anC
brought out a Smith 81 Wesson Of hel
husbands, and they set up a mark IL
the meadow outside the garden, and
having prudently removed the cows
practiced shooting in the cool Of thu
day. They shot very badly, but they
had to look at the target, and that wa
comparative safety. They got tired Of 1
at last, and she sat down under one O
the great oak trees thanking the garden
with the revolver in her lap, while h
sauntered across the grass to rearrang
the somewhat shaky target.
She was neal the gate leading to tn
road, and 1t was open, for the COWS ha,
gone that way to the farmyard, and i
June, 1898, gates that it was not a
imperative necessity to shut RENAME
open for coolness' sake.
And here the Adelphi melodram
came in, and through the open gate
too, heralded by "shouts outside'E
strange heart sickening clamor comm
up from the hush of evening distance
hoarse, scared yells. and the tramp {
running feet and confused directions az
parently issued In many voices. An
through the open gate a horror rushed
a creature with dripping jaws and stal
ing eyes, a big, black retriever, bearin
IN lts strange, hlIereu hthte Dut llttl
resemblance to the friendly, kindly dc
Of a few days back, and at its heels
concourse Of nen armed with sticks an
farm implements and any weapon th;
could be hastily matched up, but nom
alas. with a gun.
Evey Lancaster, revolver in hant
with shells still remaining in a coup
Of chambers, saw the mad dog enter II
meadow and make straight across it OF
over the sunburned grass TO where tx
ward Vereker was walking toward ii
target. She was under tho shadows
tine hedge, broadside on, as it were, an
the dog never noticed her.
Edward Vereker turned ON his heel
the sound OF the noise at the gate, anC
like Evey, took in the situation at
glance. But he was absolutely unarn
ed-he had not even a stick. and
was alone in the midst Of a wide fel
with death in its foulest form not
yards from him.
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