Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-28
pregnant silence of the forester:

pregnant silence of the forest-feis
upon him.
For the first mile Dulcine's face did
not lose its hard lines, then suddenly
her cheeks were wet with tears, and
she sped on sobbing like hurt child.
Another mile, and the forest thinned
and faded backward and the level cul-
tivated district Of Laurens stretched
dimly before her. The great yellow
morning star shone full in her face,
and low down on the horizon was a
long, thin line OF gray.
'Tarleton is coming" she cried to
man who came sleepily from a wayside
house. And she struck the unit win
dow of another cabin with her whip,
rousing the inmates with the same
call, "Tarleton is coming"
Men at the cattle pens, watchers be-
side sick beds, mothers with restless
babes in their arms, children starting
from their sleep. heard the weird cry in
the dawn and saw gray horse and
slender rider hy, phantomlike, upon
their way.
|"Haft..'
To tie wearied girl the single word
had in it the swelling music Of an an
them. for 1t was Marion's picket post,
and she knew she had cone In time.
The long. hard ride, the darkness Of
the swamp. the slow agony OF the night,
were all forgotten as she cried out her
warning to the patriot band:
up and away, for Tarleton rides a
foray with the dawn
They heard, and, like the fleeing
shadows Of the young eyed day, they
passed into.the fastness Of the near by
jungle. which for safety was to them
as walled and moated castle. Fifteen
minutes later, when Tarleton burst up
on the settlement, the camp was broken
up, the cattle pens and rice bins were
empty. and only women and old, men
the questions Of the tricked and furious
raiders. The foray that was to have
trapped the Swamp Fox" and annihi-
lated patriotism in that section had
ended in dismal failure. And while
the discounted British marched sullen-
~ away the cause Of their undoing lay
in darkened room under the dropping
caves Of farmhouse and cried to her
self with her face-in the coverlet.
The war storm died away at last, and
peace sang her siren song to freepeo-
pie. Then it was that little Peter La
Brun, with eyes love hungry as
starved dogs. came to claim Dulciness
promise. Robert Crenshaw- bad gone
away to some distant settlement lest
the jealousy within him prompt him to
some evil deed, for Dulcine had said,
with her hands on her breast:
Though 1t shouldakill me, yet will
keep my promise to Peter La Brun.
Had he not trusted me you and your
comrades would have paid the forfeit
with your lives. I will not be less true
than he''
And SO when the appointed day came
she laced her white bodice upon her
and with face as colorless went forth
to her bridal. The village. church was
full Of people, and OF the chancel steps
stood two men. One was the small,
bent figure Of Peter. the other-Dul
cine dared'not look again. All, God. the
bitter cruelty.of putting her to such
test! And>she went up the aisle beside
her father as one in sw0on. At the
steps some one took her hand, and the
next moment she was kneeiing by the
altar, but II was not La Brun who knelt
beside her. Out in the church the PEG
pie gaped and stared and wondered.
The girl knelt as in q dream, speeches..
motionless.
"Who giyetn this woman to be mar
ried to this ihan:. the minister asked.
Then. before her father could answer.
n voice they all knew pierced the 81
lence like tie cry OF a lost hope:
II. pe.e- La Brun. holding her prom
Use. yet knowing that she loves me not,
do give her to Robert Crenshaw to b
his wife"
All. not il vain. not In vains had ma
ture PIT t.sose tender lines about little
Peters croc..ed raeath!
A Frightened Horse,
Running like mad down the street.
dumping the occupants. or hundred
other accidents. are everyday occur.
rences. It behooves everybody to have
a reliable salve handy and there's none
as good as Bucklen's Arnica Salve.
Burns, cuts, sores. eczema and piles
disappear quickly under Its soothing
effect. Twenty-Five cents at George =.
Powers drug store.
The Lone Star State.
Down in Texas at Yoakum Is a big
iry goods firm. OF which Mr.. J. n.
Halter Is the head. Mr.. Halter on one