The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-09-04

for their food and their drink and their
dwelling? Do you think I would check
for moment at dealing You death,
you beautiful, useless. honeyed. pol
soned painted exotic. who has every
wind tempered to you and think the
world only made to bear the fall of
your foot p
The fury of the words was poured
out without pause, and she darted with
one swift bound to the side of the rival
she loathed. with the pistol half out of
her belt. She expected to see the one
she threatened recoiI. quail, hear the
threat in terror. She mlstook the ma.
ture with which she dealt. Venetia,
Corona never moved. never gave a sign.
OF the amazement that awoke in her,
bur she put her hand out and clasped
the barrel of the weapon, while her.
eyes looked down into the flashing,
looming, ferocious ones that menaceda
ner with calm, contemptuous rehuke1
in which something of infinite pity was
mingled.
Child, are you mad?" she said grave
~. Brave natures do not stoop to as
sassination. which you seem to deity.
If you have any reason to feel evil
against me, tell me what it is. / al
ways repay wrong if | can But as,
for those threats, they are most absurd
if you do not mean them; they are most
wicked if you do
The tranquil, unmoved, serious words.
stilled the vehement passion she res
buked with a strange and irresistible
power Under her gaze the savage lust
in Cigarettes eyes died out. and theiI>
lids dropped over them. The dusky
scarlet color faded from her cheeks,
For the first time in her life she felt,
Inundated, vanquished, awed. If this,
'aristocrat' had shown one sign of
fear, one trace of apprehension, all her
violent and reckless hatred would have
reigned on and, it might have been.
have rushed from threat to execution.
She let the pistol pass into Venetias
grasp and stood irresolute and asham-
ed. her fluent tongue stricken dumb,
her intent to wound and sting and out
rage with every vile coarse jest she,
knew rendered impossible to execute.
The purity and dignity Of her oppo-
nent's presence had their irresistible.
influence, an influence too strong for
even her debonair and dangerous inso-.
lence. She hated herself in that mo-
ment more than she hated her rival
Venetia laid the loaded pistol down.
away from both, and seated herself in
the cushions from which she had risen
Then she looked once more long and
quietly at her unknown antagonist.
well" she said at length. why
do you venture to come here2 And
why do you feel this malignlty toward
a stranger who never saw you until
this morning?"
Under the challenge the fiery spirits
Of Cigarette rallied. though rare and
CALLING sense of, intense inferiority, OF
intense modification, was upon her,
though she would almost have given
the cross which was on her breast that
she had never come into this Woman's.
sight e.5s III TX s-,, :ss-7
"Oh-hep' she answered reckIessly,
with the red blood flushing her face
again at the only evasion Of truth of
which the little desperado. with all her
sins, had ever been guilty. 81 hate
you, miladi, because OF your ORDER, be-
cause Of your fine, dainty ways, be-.
cause of your aristocrat's insoience, be-
cause you treat my soldiers like pau
pers. because you are one of those who,
do no more to have the right to live
than the purple butterfly that flies in
the sun and who GUST the people out o.
their dues as the cuckoo kicks the poor
birds that have reared it out of the
nest of down to which it never has
carried a twig or a moss!''
Her listener heard with slight
smile of amusement and of surprise
that bitterly discounted the speaker, i
II do not wish to discuss democracy
with YOU" she answered, with tone
that sounded strangely tranquil to Gig
arctic after the scathing acrimony Of
her own. II should probably cona4ace
you as little as you would convince me,
and never waste words. But heartg
you today claim a certain viftue-jus-
tice. How do you reconcile with that
your very hasty condemnation of /,
stranger Of whose motives. actions and
modes of life it is impossible you can,
have any accurate knowledge? am,
sure that the heroine of Zaraila has
something nobler in her than mere ma.
lightly against a person who can never.
have injured her, and | would endure
her insolence for the sake OF awaken
ing her justice. A virtue that was so
great in her at noon cannot be utterly,
dead at nightfall' y
Cigarettes fearless eyes dropped un-
der the gaze of those bent so search.
ingly. yet SO gently. upon her. but only
for moment. She raised them afresh,
with their old. dauntless frankness.
All. you shall never say you wanted
Justice and truth from French sol~
der and failed to get themI l hate
~