The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-11-15
like her to have it again if things don't

come right"
Bet I would; she has got the ring the
dad left me; family heirloom and all that.
The mater will want my young brother
to have it if get out"
With great difficulty he gets at chain
to which is attached a medley of articles,
and among them a magnificent ring of
opals and diamonds. Curzon stretches
out his hand to take it, giving hearty
the heavy gold circlet. An instant later
his eyes light on the ring, a curious sound
comes from between his teeth, which are
closed over the pipe stem.
Not hit, Curzon::' almost screams
Mortlake.
NO; keep quiet, you fool; you will
hurt yourself The tone is stern, and
Mortlake wriggles back in his old posi-
ton.
There is long silence; then, "AIorty
lad, you never gave me the address, and
l shall have to get your ring for your
MOTHER
"Oh, the address is inside the letter.
As for my ring, l trust you to get me
out of this final scrape, as you have
done so many others in days gone by
Curzon1 suddenly asks: II wonder if
l know her?'
''Oh,, yes; of course you do. old chap.
quite near her fathers, and that you
had known her as child. Cecil We're
ker: you must remember her,
For a moment there is dead silence.
Curzon grips his rifle until the veins of
his hand stand out like whipcord. and
as child! The unsophisticated little tile
country flower. Good God, and this is
how the ring [ gave her comes back to
me- Wonder if the ring l left for her
is, guarding the heirloom of the Mort
lake, family, and if other mems trinkets
are hanging on my Wateh;shain? Heay; az;
him? Better not; if he must 60, let him
go believing her to be what he thinks
her. If he lives-well. if he lives. as
there is a God in heaven she will have
to tell him. Bah!-and to Think
"Curzon. do you think the end is near?
my back. What is the chance of our
getting out of this internal hole aliveY'
Our chance depends upon how the
mounted troops draw them off to the
right. Take my coat, Morty,. don't
tee e.l coid. can wiggle out Of it."
all that; Carzon- Feel my head s.'s' bit BIT
light; this place is becoming well.
Can't o., see clearly. Is this-how it
| comes?''
Nonsense, man, pull yourself togeth-
er: You'll pull through all right" His
ever; The whisky has gone to your
head. You want meal. that's what
you want, and warm blankets. I've
seen men live to a hale old age with
"ad OF lead in their insides.'
IL don't believe there is any left in
and expect that internal hcm-'
smut up, Morty: Keep up your old
time grit. Think I hear horse GALLON
lng' and no man would be such an ass If
they are not retreating." Looks careful
" out, then ducks.
coS 1ov Ht.i it is mounted officer and there
come stretcher-bearers. Hold up, old man,
Wennx you all right" Shouts for stretch
er-bearers, waving his hat on his rif1e
Two minutes later five men are bending
over Mortla Ike; one surgeon. makes
away away nnform @nr1 of wound egttng
Trend. who writhes with pain, his lips
pressed between his teeth, as the hypoder-
mic syringe is quickly called into service.
Bullets begin to plough up the earth
close to the little group. Course the cow
ards, they always aim at the bearers ~
gr0Wls one man.
cape for the lad, clean fresh wound. Cant
g spare much t blood though, looks as if he
THANK God" from Curzon.
From Mortlake, family: "Afraid
mage sneaad DIT ct , an ass of myself, old chap"
| SURGEON Move on, men. getting too
not; try and get him out Of harms way"
, Inc bearer sinks to the ground with a
bullet in his ankle Curzon rises and
| takes his place hurriedly; lays Mortlake
| gently on the stretcher and they move
of, the ring still in Curzon's hand, press
ing into the palm as the weight Of the
| stretcher begins to tell
stop second" he calls to the front
bearer: must shift weight a bit, am
fearfully stiff; then he draws a long
| breath. squaring his broad shoulders and
stretching his limbs with delight. '4This
is better than that sodden hole; bullets
or no bullets, one is man again.
"Curzon, for Gods sake, hurry" comes
| in feeble tones from the stretcher.
At that moment Curzon pitches head
long in the mud. The ring from his open
hand rolls to one side, the surgeon steps
up to take his place, and his foot presses
| the shining jewels deep into the African
| mud: mixed now in red paste. Gives
| one look at the face as he turns Curzon
over.
''Devils-clean through the heart, a
brave man gone; can you stand a trot,
| man? Our only chance" The surgeon
does not wait for an answer, but takes
the handles of the stretcner and heads for
the nearest dressing station.
CurzOn sleeps undisturbed on the dark
| ening yeldt, with his outstretched hand
pointing towards the buried ring.-Lally
Bernard in New York Evening Post.
THE foot Of a horse is one Of the
most ingenious and unexampled pieces OF
mechanism in the whole range OF animal