The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1902-10-25
Bv II. S. CANFlELD

I and looked into his flushed face
steadily.
II say" he repeated loudly, ut was a
straight shot at two hundred yards.
The man must have eyes like cats. -
| He dropped her wrist and turned
upon his side with his face to the
wall. Where his fingers had pressed
were long white marks. She had grown
| pale and her arm was numb, but she
adjusted the cloth wet in ice water,
then rising, went from the room.
eyes like a CATS" she murmured as
she went toward the front of the
house, |eyes like a cat's!" Where have
I heard something like that before? It
wakes some memory. What is it?''
Like a flash came to her remem-
brance of her night stroll with Maude,
the enlargement of his black pupils
and his statement of his inherited
ability to see we'll in dim light. 49,"
she murmured, "the shot was fired by
him. I suppose he had the right, but
it seems cruel"
Sitting outside, on an understood,
dust covered bay pony, was Allyn. He
had polo club in his hand and a
scratch on his cheek from fall. He
was in high good humor, and had rid
den up after the game to dress for din
ner. He threw the reins to Mexican
as his feet touched the ground, and
called out with laugh:
BEAT 'em badly this time, Miss LOIS
Secretary Bill here" pointing to the
draggled pony, "is a wonder-a child
phenom.''
"Yes?" was the reply. 'eYou know
always like you to win, Allyn. I want
to ask you question"
ASK a dozen if you like" he re-
sponded, seating himself on the step
and whacking his dusty boot with his
club. I'm your encyclopedia, you
know"
How was the man inside hurt, and
who hurt him."
Allyn's pleasant face became grave.
cts not good to talk about" he said.
"Why do you want to know?"
He is delirious and has been say
ing queer things about it,
WELL" said Allyn, settling himself
resignedly, you know that you al
ways get whatever you want from me.
1 s'pose it's because I'm your brother,
though my sisters back in England
didn't have any such fortune. You see,
it was this way: We chased the beg
gars to the river and they splashed
over ahead of us. Of course, we
couldn't follow because of the law, so
we stopped on this bank. The fellow
in the room yonder-he's a we'll
plucked one + must say-was in the
rear Of the smugglers, and checked
his horse near to the other side, in
tending to fight us if we came over.
We could just see the black blur of
him against the opposite bank. A man
in our front slipped to the ground and
fired. I saw only the flash of the pow
der. The smuggler fellow fell into the
river, and two of the niggers jumped
in, chased him down stream and
hauled him out to keep him from
drowning. The man who fired the shot
was Maude. It seemed rather cow
ardly and cruel thing to do, don't you
know, seeing that the poor fellow was
in the line of his duty, as he saw it,
and was defenseless Harding didn't
like it, and told Maude so; didn't like
it and told him So"
The hazel eyes of the girl had grown
luminous and tender. Unconsciously
her hand wandered in sisterly fashion
to the close-cropped hair of the young
Englishman. It seemed to her that she
was ages older than he, as, indeed-in
all save years-she was.
you're a good boy, Mr. Allyn" she
said, "and I love you more and more
every day.
He looked up quickly and then
dropped his eyes.
eyes, know" he answered, little
thickly. "but only as sister, Miss
Lois--Lois as a sister,"
There was even a ring of hope in his
voice and he half attempted to retain
her hand, which she had withdrawn
quickly at his change of tone.
"Only as sister, she, responded
steadily.
"Why, of course he replied with
short laugh, rising and shaking him
self. IT know that-in fact, wouldn't
have it any other way if 1 could.
What am I but an irresponsible, pow
erty-strickcn cow-puncher? I woul dn't
marry you, Lois, if you. got down on
your knees to me. I couldn't afford it,
you know. I'd rather have you as you
are, to sing to me at night, to play bill
lizards with me, to give me your conf
dence. feel, in kind of way, as if
were pledged, or it were my duty, to
see you through almost anything all
right, you know, toto protect you, if
you need it, though you don't seem
likely to need it. That's the way 7
feel, pom honor-most times. But
don't put your hand on my hair any
i