The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-07

| the lanterns ken and whirled away
again. A shepherds deserted hut was
vaguely Indicated on Dangerfield's
right, and a loosened shingle on its
roof was beating tattoos in the wind.
Good Lordt How are we to cross
| that?" Dangerfield said.
| Jones, to whom he addressed him
| self, did not answer TAT the time. He
1 was busy with his own calculations.
| He left the two riders for a few min
! utes, the three horses budding to-
! gether for comfort in the bitter rain,
! and he went down to the lip of the
| creek, and flashed the lantern upon 1t.
| An uprooted tree numbered by, into
! the light and out again. Jones whist
/ led and waded in, submerging ankle,
knee and thigh, till he had felt his
way to the middle stream.
Miss Allin bent over her horses
withers and called to him.
| Jones! You mustn't do that! You
will be swept away. The water is much
too high for a man to stand up in it
alone. Call him. Mr.. Dangerfield! He is
| doing a dreadfully reckless thing, for
| he must know what flood means in a
| creek like ours. Madness
| The groom could hardly have heard
either her voice or her companions
above the tumult of the elements; but
| he battled again to them, fighting his
way by half-facing upstream and con-
! quering the current that swirled about
| his legs. He sat down on the stone,
which marked the ford when he was
free again, and he fetched his breath
in some elaboration.
Are you hurt ?" Lucille said anx-
iously. How could you do such
wild thing? You might have been
drowned"
Jones came up and stood between
her and Dangerfield, hand upon each
bride. He was still little breath
less, and the lantern dangled at his
wrist.
II had to see if it were fordable," he
said coolly. 1T is-if l lead the horses.
and we go slow You can't ride over
without a guide; and may be caught
by the flood if you stay on the banks
all night, and I suppose I'm the only
one of us who knows the crossing by
it's feel to the foot. / am ging to get
you home, Miss Allin."
mot at a risk to yourself. 1 forbid
it," the girl said.
you don't think I would let you stay
here?" Jones said. Danger to met
Not bit of it, Miss Allin; you will
be snug at home in an hour, laugh
ing at this. But, before we cross,
have word to say to Mr.. Danger
field"
He lifted his hand, and let the Ian
tern hang before his upturned face,
which was close to Dangerfield's sad
die bow. Every feature showed vivid
~, and the other man, meeting the
challenge of his eyes, paled and shrank
back with an oath.
What about the reprobate of the
Melbourne riverside, Cousin Charles
Dangerfield?' said Jones, the groom.
What about the scamp whose de-
praVity was to make him deliberately
forego his patrimony? What of the
son whose hardened heart was to kill
the father who forgave him?"
He stopped; and Dangerfield's
breathing was audible even in the stir,
of the storm.
1.-THE yarn was a good one," Mallow
said. 1T might be amusing, but that,
If 1t has foundation in fact, you have
come within an ace of severing my
father and me forever. Is it true that
he has sent me his forgiveness"
Dangerfield made no reply. He was
too stricken to speak.
Il have counted myself an outcast
for five years." Mallow went on II
have kept away, deliberately, from an
equality with people of my own stand
ing, because 1 forfeited my position
when went against my fathers will,
and l had no wish to return if it could
not be as son. l was a young fool
but God knows. If / have been head
strong and disobedient, have paid for
my Jolly. And hcw, you say, my fatlier
forgives me? I am his son againp"
Still no answer. Lucille, trembling,
laid hand on her guests arm
Have you nothing to say?'' she said.
and she seemed to the two men to
hold the scales of justice between them
1.-THE man is an impostor." Danger
field muttered thickly at the last
Very Well" Mallow said, stepping
| forward with Miss Allin's mare. "I
cable home tomorrow and settle my
| question. l have waited long time,
l can wait for another day to learn
my fate. And if you have nothing
more than that to say, Cousin Charles,
you can sit upon this bank till morn
| ing and consider how my reappear-
ance affects you. If the food rises, you
must take your chance at sink-or-
swim. For I'll be hanged if l take
| you across, while you call me a fraud
| That l can disprove without difficulty
| by referring you to one or two friends
of mine in this colony; and, mean
while, you had better stay here till
we come out to pick UP the pieces in
| daylight"
He moved into the stream. and the
water rushed over his boots. A fiercer
blast than before swept through the
sheoaks, uprooted the trunk of one of
them, and sent it crashing into the
roof of the shepherds hut. The lesser
| wreckage, boughs and branches. scat
| tered itself along the bank; twig
struck Dangerfields hat from his head
and tore q cash from his forehead to
his cheek. The racing stream surged
at the bank. His horse gave a soueal
of terror, and Mahow looked back.
You'd better get under cover, such
as 1t is, he said. "Or will you cross
with me and be shot of the danger
Come! Am 1 Herries Mallow or am
notp
You brute! Dangerfield said. He
was unnerVed by the shock of the en-
counter, and dizzy with the pain of his
] wound, and his voice had the tlesDair
of terror in it. You can't leave he
here! Miss Allin, tell him 1 must
cross"
rs he YOUR cousin?" said Lucille;
and her tone, too, was relentless.
Dangerfield broke down utterly.
"He Isl" he sobbed He island
curse him for it,"
Mallow reached hack and caught
the mans bride He advanced into
the creek without another word. and
Lucille busted herself for the first 20
feet of the passage, in steadying her
frightened mare. and handling tile
loose horse that pushed beside her. But
in rnidstream hand slipped for On in
slant to the guides shoulder. touched
it gently, and fled again.
''Oh, how glad-how glad-how glad
L am for you!' a soft voice SAID out
! of the darkness.
Aymto be forgiven, and to sse him
! 10 IN I'm