Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-04-27
lcoNrINuED.I

did not care to argue with her, such
is the strength of prejudice founded on
teaching and training. especially Brit
ish prejudice and most especially the
prejudice of British women.
"Why did you take Off his bridle?"
she asked as she turned away from the
window
had hung up old Puts bride on
nail in the wall.
''In order that / may have it when /
want to put it on him again, which
won't be long, hope, ] replied
"Why, the horse is gonel" she said.
laughed, laughed in her face, which
turned red, and then, seeing that it was
red, deliberately laughed again. Here
was a woman who prided herself on her
intelligence and quickness of mind, and
with good cause, too, so had begun to
believe, and yet after passing day and
part of a night in Old Puts presence
she knew so little about himl
why do you laugh?" she asked red
ly and angrily.
Il laugh at your ignorance, / said,
"the fact that you know SO little of our
comrade, in many respects the shrewd-
est and ablest of us three, as he is GER
tainly the swiftest and the strongest.
That horse has not left us. l merely
took his bride off in order that he
might not be troubled with it, that he
might eat better, for no doubt he will
find somewhere around here, even in
winter, bit of grazing on some shelter
ed and sunny southern slope. He will
take care of himself and come back to
us when we need him.
'But suppose the guerrillas take
him.
II wish / was as sure that they
would not take us, / said
Then / led the way to the table.
drew up the stool for the lady and an
old pine box that / found in corner
for myself A little water was left in
the canteen. She drank part of it and
said:
Here's to the health of King
Georgel'
YES" | said as i drank the re-
mainder of the water, this is TO the
health of King George-George Wash
version has begun,
She frowned at me, but we had an
amicable dinner over the scraps never
theless. | stopped at intervals to watch
the progress of the partisans outside
They had not yet made any movement
against us, and all sat or lay around
the fire / counted them-six-and l
knew that all were there, as choice
lot of scoundrels as one could find on
the soil of the 10 colonies.
| turned my eyes away from the crew
ice to look at the girl. The rest and the
bite of food had made wonderful inn
provement She was a true English
rose, | could see that--a rose of Devon
or Warwick or Kent, or whatever is fair,
est among their roses, a girl with yell
low hair that shone like fresh gold in
the sun, tinted with red in the freight,
and brow of white and cheeks of the
warm pink that is the heart of the pink
rose. Oh, we'll, as | said twice before,
every body knows that the mort beauti-
full women are the most dangerous, and
/ wondered if these Saxon maidens of
old England were ever an exception.
For moment felt feeling of warmth
and kinship to old England, but then
this England. which is so kind to herself
and so appreciative of her own merits,
has never been anything but an enemy
TO us.
"What are you thinking of, Mr.
March, she said suddenly as she looked
up "Why are you so serious?"
4 Il. L 4
dress me as Mr. Marcel and not as
rebel, with rope around his neck a"
She patted the floor meditatively
with her foot and looked away from me
and at the fire
1T was mistake due to forgetful-
ness, f" she said, with an air Of resent
ment 81 will not do it again 3"
Il would not forget epthets when
you speak Of US, said You viii get
out of practice, and then you will be
unlike the remainder of your country
men and countrywomen.
''Do you want another quarrel?" she
asked pointedly. II should think that
we had enough to do to carry ON our
quarrel with those men outside. "
She went TO the window and took
long look.
''They are still by the fire." she
said, land see your horse too. He is
dining like the rest of us -
"Where?" cried, for / was some
what surprised at the early reappear-
ance of Old Put
"There's another crack here. Use it"
she said. Don't you see him grazing
over there to the left in that field, sur
rounded by a tumble down fence, or
rather the rails Of what used TO DO
fence?''
In truth, it was Old Put, about so
yards to the left of the cavalrymen and
grazing with supreme horse content, as