The Red Cloud chief., 1898-07-08
A Brave Coward.
BY Robert Louis Stevenson.
BY Robert Louis Stevenson.

abutting or the floor, some on the
roof, and others. In fine. against the
opposite wall of the apartment.
Northmour produced some cold meat,
to which | eagerly set myself, and a
bottle OF good Burgundy, by which.
wet as I was, I did not scruple to profit.
/ have always been an extreme tenn
perance man or principle; but 1t Is
useless to push principle to excess.
and on this occasion | believe that
finished three-quarters of the bottle.
As ate. I still continued to admire
the preparations for defense.
I'VE could stand a siege" I said at
length.
"Ye-es," drawled Northmour; "a
very little one. perhaps. 1t is not
so much the strength of the pavilion
| misdoubt; 1t Is the double danger
that kills me. If w get to shooting,
wild as the country Is, some n Is
sure to hear It. and then-why. then,
it's the same thing, only different, as
they say. Gagged by law, or killed by
Carbonari. There's the choice, 1t is
n devillsh bad thing to have the law
against you In this world. and so tell
the old gentleman up stairs. He Is
quite Of my way of thinking"
Speaking of that" said I, what
kind of person Is he?"
"Oh. hep" cried the other; "he's q
rancid fellow as far as he goes. l
should like to have his neck wrung to-
morrow by all the devils in Italy. l
am not in this affair for him. You
take me? made a bargain for Missy's
hand and I mean to have 1t, too"
THAT, by the way" said I, II un-
derstand. But how will Mr.. Huddle-
stone take my intrusion?"
Leave that to Clara" returned
Northmour.
could have struck him in the face
for this coarse familiarity; but l re-
spected the truce. as, | am bound to
say, did Northmour. and so long as
the danger continued not a cloud arose
in our relation. l bear him this testi-
mony with the most unfeigned salts
faction; nor am l without pride when
l look back upon my own behavior.
For surely no W men were ever left
in a position so invidious and irritat-
ing.
AS soon as I had done eating we
proceeded to inspect the lower floor
Window by window We tried the diff
ferent supports. now and then making
an inconsiderable change; and the
strokes of the hammer sounded with
startling loudness through the house.
I proposed, | remember. to make loop
holes; but he told me they were al
ready made in the windows Of the up
per story.
II was an anxious business. this in
spection, and left me d~own-hearted.
There were two doors and five win
dows to protect and counting Clara,
only -four Of III to defend them against
an unknown number Of foes. l COM
municated my doubts to Northmour.
who assured me with unmoved COM
posure that he entirely shared them.
Before morning" said he, I'VE shall
all be butchered and buried in Graden
Floe. For me that Is written
/ could not help ~skIddering at the
TltHIlOH vi IL qulth oai'h, put "a
ed Northmour that our enemies had
spared me in the wood.
DO not flatter yourself said he.
'"Then you were not in the same boat
with the old gentleman; now you are.
It's the foe for all OF us. mark my
words"
/ trembled for Clara, and just then
g. IL mae han, "a nn1ltnn ma
to come upstairs. Northmour showed
me the way, and, when he had reached
the landing, knocked at the door OF
what Used to be called my Uncle's
Bedroom" as the founder Of the pa
vilion had designed it especially for
himself.
Come in, Northmour; come In, dear
Mr.. Cassilis." said a voice from with
in.
Pushing open the door, Northmour
admitted me before him into the apart
ment. As | came in l could see the
daughter slipping out by the side door
into the study, which had been pre-
pared as her bedroom. In the bed,
which was drawn back against the
wall, instead of standing, as l had
last seen it. boldly across the window,
sat Bernard Huddlestone, the default
ing banker. Little as l had seen OF
him by the shifting light Of the lantern
on the links, I had no difficulty in rec
ognizing him for the same.
He had a long and sallow counte-
nance. surrounded by a long beard and
side whiskers. His broken nose and
high cheek-bones gave him somewhat
the air of a Kalmuck. and his light
eyes shone with the excitement OF a
high fever. He wore a skull-cap of
black silk; a huge Bible lay open be-
fore him on the bed, with a pair OF
gold spectacles in the place. and a pile
OF other books lay OF the stand by his
side. The green curtains lent a ca
daverous shade to his cheek, and, as
he sat propped on pillows. his great
stature was painfully hunched. and his
head protruded till it overhung his