The Irish standard., 1901-11-23

lege days in the stuffy dormitory.
"You are taking good deal more
for granted-about Miss Sanborn-
than the facts warrant" he protest.
ed. "Of course, she is interested on
the side of peace, in a general way;
but"
'But you would have me believe
that she has no personal interest in
the matter. I haven't the pleasure of
her acquaintance, but if that be the
case, I'll venture to say that she is
not a very discerning young woman"
Now when you would sweat out the
secrets, sentimental or otherwise, of
any son of Adam, there is no SUI
dorific like little abuse we'll rubbed
in. Macphersons reply told me what
wanted to know, and more.
"Say; you mustn't talk that way
about her, old man. I can't listen to
it, you know. She is all that's good
and pure and sweet; and 1'm-that is
to say, L"
1t would have been needlessly
cruel to let him go on stumbling
about in the limited vocabulary Of
the lover at bay. So 1 said:
Don't stultify yourself, my dear
boy; bring her to me that 1 may
bless you both before 1 go hence and
be no more.'
"Confound it all! you will go on
taking too much for granted" he
broke in, missing the predetermined
pathos in the last phrase. Cant
you understand? She is Miss San
born to me yet, and I'm 'Mr. Mac
pherson' to her. That's the plain
truth of it,"
GAIL in good time, Angus, my boy.
I can understand that there are mile
stones, even in Lovers Lane. And
I can also understand that if Miss
Sanborn is on the side of submission
I can't incite you to rebellion. Is
that the fact?"
"If you will put it that way.
shan't fight, at any rate"
There the matter came to the
ground of it's own weight, and I took
up the ficldglass to train it upon an
other miniature whirlwind Of dust
homing across the valley.
"That's Dan Connolly" said Mac
pherson, when the dust-cloud parted
in the midst.
"How can you tell, ut this dis
tance?"
"By the way he rides. He was a
trooper in her maiesty's Heavy
Dragons before he migrated and be-
came cow-puncher, and he jockeys
in his stirrups to this good day. Hell
lo!-what's that?"
1t sounded like the fall of plank
upon plank, but I was enough of a
sportsman to recognize the crack of
heavy rife. Thereupon ensued a
quickmoving and stirring tablcau.
The horse of the approaching range
rider made a dcmivolt in air, COM
ing down broadside in it's tracks. 1
looked to see the ex-troopcr flung
headlong, but the glass showed him
to me fiat on the ground behind the
living breastwork withcrs of the
bronco. A thousand yards away, at
the black cash in the Gringo, small
cavalcade was defiling into the park,
and out Of it a horseman rode, wav-
ing his gun in the air as he came.
Macpherson stepped back into the
house, coming out again quickly with
his Winchester.
"By God" he said, between his
teeth, eff they're going to begin by
taking pot-shots at us Now what
the devil is that fellow trying to do?
Hasn't he got sense enough to know
that Connolly's only waiting till he
gets in ranger"
The oncoming horseman had slung
his rifle, and was waving something
white. The man in the breastwork
let him come up until he was within
easy killing distance, and then judg-
ing by the way in which the truce
bearer dragged his horse to it's
launches, the bronco's garrison had
called halt. There was a brief COL
loquy of some sort--not peaceful, if
the ticld-glass were to be trusted,
and gestures mean anything--and at
the end of it the man with the white
handkerchief galloped back to his
company and led it by wide detour
around the intrenched one. Five min
utes later, Connolly ambled up and
dropped from his horse at the corral
bars.
pherson called.
"Nothin' worth the name of ut,
sorr. 1t was on'y Misther Engineer
Wylsamp, av the Glenlivat Land
Coomp'ny-bad cess to 'm-poppin'
his gun over the head av me to ask
about the thrail. He was swcatin'
heejus, an for wan clint I'd we put
him out av his misty. l was that
near to dom ut anyhow"
Macphcrsons smile was the grim
NEST. cts Gods mercy Connolly
didn't kill him." he said. "Tve known
him to do worse thing on slighter
provocation than that"
The little episode was to me like
the sight of his first battle is
like to be to the soldier, and
my bones became as water. More
over, the spirit of prophecy came up
on me and 1 was fain to give it
speech as one who had advised q
thought too rashly.
IF that's the beginning of it.
Angus, the middle part and the end
ing will be of violence. I don't know
but the school-ma'am is right, after
oil. What I had in mind was legal
fight"
"You mean that I'd better be pros
pecting for the new range?"
"After you've driven the money
bargain, yes. There'll be bloodshed