Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-03
By RALPH CONNOR

Author OF


moment. and then said slowly:
"Some day. Gwen, you will not be
able to do as you like"
remember well the settled defiance
in her tone and manner as she took
step nearer him and answered in a
voice trembling with passion:
Listen! | have always done as /
like, and l shall do as like till die"
And she rushed forth from the house
and down toward the canyon, her
refuge from all disturbing things and
chiefly from herself.
l could not shake off the impression
her words made upon me. Pretty d.
rect. that" said to the Pilot as we
rode away. "The declaration may be
philosophically correct, but it rings un-
commonly like a challenge to the Al
mighty; throws down the gauntlet, so
to speak"
But the Pilot only said: Don't!
How can you?"
Within a week her challenge was ac-
cepted. and how fercely and how gal
lantly did she struggle to make it good!
1t was the Duke that brought me the
news, and as he told me the story his
gay. careless self command for once
was gone. For in the gloom Of the can
yon where he overlook me could see
his face cleaning out CHASTITY white,
and even his iron nerve could not keep
the tremor from his voice.
I've just sent up the DOCTOR" was
his answer to my greeting. II looked
for you last night. couldn't find you and
so rode off to the Fort
whats up:' said. with fear in my
heart. for no light thing moved the
Duke.
Haven't you heard? It's Gwen" he
said, and the next minute or two he
gave to lingo, who was indulging In
series of unexpected plunges. When
lingo was brought down the Duke was
master of himself and told his tale with
careful self control.
Gwen. on her fathers buckskin bron-
co, had gone with the Duke to the big
plain above the cut bank where Joe
was herding the cattle. The day was
hot, and a storm was In the air. They
found Joe riding up and down, singing
to keep the cattle quiet, but having
hard time to hold the bunch from
breaking. While the Duke was riding
around the far side Of the bunch cry
from Gwen arrested his attention. Joe
was in trouble His horse, half bro
ken cayuse, had stumbled into badger
hole and had bolted. leaving Joe to the
mercy Of the cattle. At once they be-
gan to sniff suspiciously at this phe-
nomenon, q man on foot. and to follow
cautiously on his track. Joe kept his
head and walked slowly out till all at
once a young COW began to bawl and to
paw the ground. In another minute
one and then another of the cattle be-
gan to toss their heads and bunch and
below till the whole herd Of 200 were
after Joe. Then Joe lost his head and
ran. Immediately the whole herd broke
into laundering gallop with heads
anu lullS uuu iolliihS iin>
the loading of regiment of rifles.
"Two more minutes" said the Duke,
would have done for Joe, for l could
never have reached him. But in spite
of my most frantic warnings and sig
nalings, right into the face Of that
mad, believing. laundering mass OF
steers rode that little girl. Nerve! |
have some myself, but | couldn't have
done it. She swung her horse round
Joe and sailed out with him. with the
herd believing at the tail of her bron-
CO. I've seen some cavalry things In
my day. but for sheer cool bravery
nothing touches that"
"How did it end? Did they run them
down." ] asked. with terror at such
result
mo; they crowded her toward the
cut bank. and she was edging them or
and was almost past when they came
to a place where the bank bit in. and
her iron mouthed brute wouldn't
swerve. but went pounding on, broke
through. plunged. She couldn't spring
free because of Joe and pitched head
long over the bank, while the cattle
went laundering past. | flung myself
off lingo and slid down somehow into
the sand thirty feet below. Here was
Joe safe enough. but the bronco lay
with a broken leg and half under him
was Gwen. She hardly knew she was
hurt, but waved her hand to me and
cried out: Wasn't that q race? |
couldn't swing this hard headed brute.
Get me out But even as she spoke
the light faded from her eyes, she
stretched out her hands to me. saying
family. oh. Duker and lay back white
and still. We put a bullet into the
buckskin's head and carried her home
in our Jackets, and there she lies with
out sound from her poor. white
lips"
The Duke was badly cut up. | had
never seen him show any sign of grief
before, but as he finished the story he
stood ghastly and shaking. He read
my surprise in my face and said:
Look here. old chap. don't think
me quite Il fool You can't know what
that little girl has done for me these
years. Her trust in met Is eXtraor-
binary how utterly she trusts me
somehow held me up to my best and
back from pcrdition. 1t is the one
bright spot in my life in this blessed
country. Every one else thinks me Il
| nlooSopt or unule,S.0t kind Of fiend"