Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-02-04
Was He a Brute?
ny opIE READ.

crowded streets. III was SIX o CLOCK NJ
evening. At a corner where human
tide swept like torrent from broken
dam q woman stood under a lamp
post. She was tall and dark, and 80
motionless that she might have been a
statue. Her arms were folded under
her cloak. A policeman edging his
way through the crowd, touched his
cap for she was neatly dressedl, and
asked her a question. She shook her
head slowly, and did not look at him.
The policeman passed on, and the next
moment there were two quick pistol
shots, q scream and a stampede The
officer ran back, fighting his way
through the swirling crowd. He
found the woman, pistol in hand, bend
ing over man lying upon the pave
ment The officer seized her wrist,
and looking at him with strange
smile, as she relaxed her hold on the
pistol, she said:
II am woman, and | demand to be
treated as such"
When she had been taken to the
station aud asked to make state
ment, she said "My name is Laura
Hoytt. The name Of the man | shot
is Douglass Brown. | shot him be.
cause he ought to be killed. He was
engaged to marry my sister. He did
not keep faith with her, and she died
OF broken heart. He is brute, and
ought to be dead"
Brown was taken to the hospital.
His wounds were pronounced danger
ous. An effort was made to interview
him. But all he would say was, ~
guess she thought she had right to
shoot me-" He asked il they had put
her in Jail, and appeared to be pleased
when told that influential friends had
given bonds for her release.
Three weeks later the wounded man
was sitting propped up in bed, when
card bearing the name of Laura
Hoytt was handed to him. He looked
hard at it, rubbed his eyes, held it
further away, then closer, and then
remarked, ~ don't understand why
she should want to see me. Let her
come in.
With a timid, awe-struck air the
woman approached the bed. She
coughed in embarrassment IA she
seated herself on a chair which the
nurse placed for her. She put back
her hair, made aimless motions in her
confusion, and then, looking straight
at Brown, said:
I'm awfully sorry / shot you"
Brown smiled. "And are you sure
Won haven't come to shoot me again?"
lie asked.
She frowned in reproof. "You know
! haven't. If you had thought that,
you would have told them to keep me
out"
"No, l wouldn't You have come
so far out here that l couldn't have
found the heart to disappoint you.
"A plaster of sarcasm won't draw
out a soreness, Mr.. Brown. / have
suffered so with remorse that / have
come to see if / could not find some
sort of consolation. You don't know
how l have suffered. And must go
through a hateful trial, too, with
everybody looking at me. Oh, do
wish hadn't shot you"
YES" he drawled, 81 rather wish
so myself. So, you see, we have
something in common. But you
needn't be worried over the trial.
/ shall not appear against you"
The nurse had withdrawn. They
were alone. She put back her hair
again, and he followed the movement
OF her graceful hand-the hand that
had shot him. ''No, / will not APP
pear" he went on. 1T is something
OF a distinction to be shot by the hand
soonest woman in Chicago" He hest
tated as he saw the tears gathering in
her eyes. II take il all back, he
said. She wiped her eyes, and sat
looking far away through a window.
The mystery that lies in the cloud
land was reflected in her eyes, and he
gazed at her. She turned her eyes
upon him, and the mystery few from
them.
Eyes, I am sorry / shot you," she
said; "but hate you, and can never
forgive YOU"
"Ah! and / am therefore consoled
BY the thought that you never can
forget me-"
"Brute!" she said. 81 almost wish
had killed you."
When woman almost wishes q
thing, she wishes it doubly," he
replied.
II don't know but there is some
truth in that" she assented. "But
what beast you were to treat Helen
so. How could your"
because was beast, / suppose. !"