The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-10

upon a pair of bruised knees as our
racing steeG took a small boulder at a
single leap.
"One more such trick and we are
lost" l muttered between my teeth,
and then we struck a smoother track,
and l climbed upon the seat, again, TO
meet, as 1 did SO. a glance from Miss
Brandon's dark eyes. shining and dilat-
ing in the moonlight until ] lost all
me.
Miss Brandon l whispered, and my
voice sounded far off to my own hear
ing, IF you were married, if you had a
husband to protect you, you need not
fear those men behind2''
She sighed impatiently. "Of course
not" she said, hurriedly. But there's
no use talking about it now, for they'll
catch us, on, they will surely catch u.s.
and she chung TO me as louder shout
reached us.
Listen to me- I whispered, taking
her cold hands in mine boldly now for
that 1 meant her well, God be my wit
ness. A week from now you will be
free you will need no ones aid but to-
night. but now, let me protect you. For
few short hours be my wife IN the
sight of the law, and I swear you shall
be to me a. young and reverenced sis
ter" and involuntarily l barred my head
before her.
All, if L could have spoken in my own
name and language then; but what a
figure / must have cut. She might have
laughed aloud as / crouched before her
disguised and disfigured as 1 was. but
she only shrank from me, Marry
your she gasped. Are you not mar
ried already, then2 Oh, I was sure that
you were married. What must you
think of me, what must you?
Il, 1 have been married" 1 SIAM
mered. plying her SO in her shame and
loneliness that L made nothing of my
continued perfidy. But my wife is
dead; you have no need to fear me-.
Remember how young you seem to
me. Look up and see that you can
trust me-
As pleaded with her. the sleigh
plunged on a the heels of that dread
full animal. Down and down the fright
full grade we went, but he made nothing
of il. Half the time we seemed perched
upon his very launches. Slowly the
girl lifted her bowed head, and tim
idly she looked at meat what she
could see of me-and how 1 blessed
Tien those hated bandages. Had she
seen that / was young, that every
pulse was tingling with a devotion be-
yond the power of reasoning age to
feel, who can tell what might have fol-
lowed. But, as it was, something in
the swollen eye she studied seemed to
bring comfort to her heart. She
smiled. aud although at that moment
we took stone the size of a dinner
table under our left runner, / never
even felt the dull shock.
Il would be awfully funny" she
faltered. Il hate 10 lose all my money
before I've ever had diamond neck
lace. or been abroad, and-and-after-.
wards?'
And afterwards" I cried, with my
head whirling rapidly, though my
voice sounded paternal and reassuring
still. afterwards the law which has
helped me to preserve for you your
property shall give you back your
liberty, and may heaven bless you for
your sweet trust in me-"
And now SO. old horse, goi Go. go.
and may you Yet with Cousin John"
upon your back. canter into the very
heart of Paradise. Half standing. half
sitting, cautiously did l ply the whip
With line and voice 1 sought to guide
his heaGlong charge: every nerve on
fire, every pulse thrcbbing. wild with
anxiety lest one false step waken me
from my dream of bliss.
And now lights from countless gam
bling deIls, lights from sick rooms, and
the lights Of. distant streets came
plainly to US. Go. go. And go he did
with great lungeS OF his awkward
legs, and now and then a threatening
snort which told of straining lungs
gasping forth d vigorous protest, or
Half a mile? Only quar-
ter now? And still those galloping feet
behindl
on, for a dark alley into which we
might plunge, SeeI There it yawns
before US. Now. one burst of speed. |
and we go crashing through a heap-of |
rubbish, and, GREATNESS and painting. /
the knees of the horse bending beneath |
him. we spring out into a dark and |
alley, and with God bless |
thee, old nag" and a pat on his reek- /
ing tanks. l flung a coin into the face
Of q man who started up from a door
step. and cried, ''Oats for that horse and /
a drink for yourself
And then what a chase begani a
chase Joined in by every homeless dog
and vagrant cat we started from their /
unclean lairs, while drunken jewellers |
hailed us with coarse jests as we
flashed across their paths. and twice
fancied that the cleaning muzzle of
a dcea:m threatened US from some
dark retreat. But so rapid was our
flight as ! half. led, half carried my
companion through the hor-
rid tangle, we must have seemed to
all we met as Elusive as the shifting
night shades, now and again trembling