The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-08-08

pair of heavy holster pistols and
hung them at the pommel of the sad.
die; then his gun was also handed to
him.
Mrs. Vernon made her appeara 20
at this point. She saw forthwith that
something unusual had happened, and
began to ask questions: growing ex-
cited as she proceeded. The groom
stood listening with openl mouth and
rolling eyes.
thing" said Mr.. Vernon; sits moth:
ing so terrible, after all. The danger
is past, if there ever was any, and I'm
only going down to console poor little
Vasseur."
"And, say, DEAR" he turned and
added to his wife, after he had ridden
to some distance, "ask Mr.. Fairfax to
have some breakfast; don't think he
has taken any this morning. may
return in time to have coffee with you; |;
but don't wait"
Mrs. Vernon made gesture of de-
spair and began to cry hJsterically.
II will rot stay in this terrible
place any longer!" she exclaimed with
vehemence. "We must 60 back to
the city ct once. Oh, but this is un-
bearable! Robbers down there-only
p mile CT so away! What if-if-what
if they had come here!
This WIS addressed to Mr.. Vernon,
but he did not hear; his horse was al
ready galloping briskly away. The
three, Mrs. Vernon, Pauline end Fair
fax, stood looking after him until he
had passed out of sight amid the
fringe of trees along the bluff of the
bay shore. What to them was real
ity, quite in keeping with the time
and the place, must appear to us, at
this distance and with our surround
ings, like an illustration torn from
some old novel. Even in that day.
however, when every inhabitant of
the gulf coast was more or less famil-
lar with lawlessness and violence in
their most picturesque forms, there
was something startling in each new
phase of the reckless life that
throbbed along the old creole borders.
It is impossible for men and women
to live in the midst of romance and
not realize it in some degree.
"He ought to have lived in the days
of Richard the Lionheart." said Fair
fax, turning his gaze from where Mr..
Vernon had disappeared in the wood
to the pale face of Pauline. "He
would have been knight of iron with
that frame of his" He spoke lightly,
more to break up the situation and
call the ladies back to themselves
than to give expression to the fancy
of the moment, suggested by the
superb horsemanship just witnessed.
"But the robbers! They will kill
him!" insisted Mrs. Vernon. 'He is
going right to them!"
"Never feer, madam" said Fairfax
with m assuring smile; "there isn't
the slightest danger. Those gallant
knights of the road are many miles
from here at present. Itappears they
knew too much about Vasseur's treas.
ure, and so planned a successful raid
on it. There IS no moro danger from
them; they are gone"
"But We have jewels, too," said
Mrs. Vernon with quick look at
Pauline. ''Thsy might want our dia-
monds:'
Fairfax laughed outright, and the
ladies joined him ti1nidly, as if under
protest..
"If may speak of it," he said,
'you are forgetting to make further
mention of breakfast. I am prepos-
terously hungry after NY nights
adventures.
"A,thousand pardons!' exclaimed
Mrs. Vernon. "We will go in at
once"
The appeal to her hospitality was
with her, as it has always been with
.ho Southern hostess, sufficient to
drive almost anything else from her
mind. Pauline led the way to the
breakfast-room. where the table was
spread near rude a!cove in the soft
light of vine-colored windows.
Although he felt it necessary to
hide from the ladies every doubt no
might have as to their perfect securl-
ty, he found himself tingling with
pleasure, to know that his presence
gave them sense of safety. 1t now
seemed to him iuexplicable that MIR.
Vernon should have brought his wife
and daughter to this lonely and ez,
posed place. If the hay of Saint
Louis is o secluded, dreamy, fsr-with-
drawn spot even now, what was it at
the beginning of our century?
IT shall insist on going back to our
house in New Orleans ct oncc," said
Mrs. Vernon, as they took their places
at the table, and she signaled for
servant. "I am not willing to live
here my longer"
(TO BE CONTINUED