The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-07-02

stalwart, shaggy father, and put an
arm over his immense shoulder. The
blood had left her face, SO that it was
~ lie as a lily petal.
]t dlu nJt giTo Fairfax any pleasure
to tell the story. Perhaps, being a
very young man, he was aware that
his part in the affair had been neither
heroic nor picturesque, and that lie
-l"c: - best appear 70 have been an
easy victim to o bold assault. This
was an exhilarating consciousness.
Mr.. Vcrnou's brow grew dark as he
listened, aud he combed his beard
with his fingers.
81 will ride down and see Vasseur,"
he said. cit may be that I can be Of
| service to him. Go in, Mr.. Fairfax;
the ladies' will ask you O thousand
questions; I will return Immediately"
"But it is dreadful! 1t is danger
Gus! You will be killed!' cried
! Pauline, clinging to him, nervously.
Don't go, father! Please, don't"
He kissed her, laughing meantime
to pooh-pooh her fears, then went
down the steps and vaulted with q
superb show OF muscular energy into
the saddle. Before he rode away, ho
sat for a time stroking the glossy neck
OF his horse, while the groom fetched
a pair of heavy holster pistols and
hung them at the pommel of the sad
die; then his gun was also handed to
him.
Ms. Vernon made her appearance
Mt this point. She sow forthwith that
something unusual had happened, and
began to ask questions, growing ex-
cited as she proceeded. The groom
stood listening with open mouth and
rolling eyes.
"Mr. Fairfax will tell you every
thing" said Mr.. Vernon; ''it's moth
| ing so terrible, after all. The danger
is past, if there ever was any, andI'm
only going down to console poor little
Vasseur."
"And, say, DEAR" he turned and
added to his wife, after he had ridden
to some distance, task Mr.. Fairfax to
have some breakfast; I dor t think he
has taken any this morning. I may
return in time to have coffee with you;
but don't wait"
Mrs. Vernon made q gesture of de-
spair and began to cry Historically.
81 will not stay in this terrible
place any longer!" she exclaimed with
vehemence. eve must go back to
the city at once. Oh, but this is un-
bearable! Robbers down there-oply
a mile Or SO away! What if-if-what
if they had come here"
This was addressed to Mr.. Vernon,
but he did not hear; his horse was al
ready ~galloping briskly away. The
three, Mrs. Vernon, Pauline and Fair
fax, stood looking after him until he
had passed out of sight amid the
fringe of trees along the bluff Of the
bay shore. What to them was a real
ity, quite in keeping with the time
aud the place, must appear to us, a.
this distance and with our surround
ings, like on illustration torn from
some old novel. Even in that day.
however, when every inhabitant Of
the gulf coast was more or less famil-
lar with lawlessness and violence in
taeir most picturesque forms, there
was something startling IN each new
phase of the reckless life that
throbbed along the old creole borders-
1t is impossible for mem and wclne
to live in the midst of romance and
not realize it in some degree.
"He ought to havelived in the days
/; of Richard the Lionheart." said Fair
J fax, turning his gaze from where Mr..
Vernon had disappeared in the wood
to the pate face of Pauline. "Ho
would have been a knight OF iron with
that frame of his" He spoke lightly,
more to break up the situation and
call the ladies back to themselves
than to give expression to the fancy
of tho moment, suggested by the
superb Craftsmanship just witnessed.
"But the robbers! They will kill
him." insisted Mrs. Vernon. she is
going right to them!"
"Never fear, madam" said Fairfax
with an assuring smile; "there isn't
the slightest danger. Those gallant
knights of the road are many miles
from here at present. Itappearsthe
knew too much about Vasseur's treas
are, end so planned q successful laid
On it. Thele Is no more Danger from
them; they are gone"
"Eut we have jewels, too" said
Mrs. Vernon with a QUICK look az
Pauline. They might want our dia-
monds!!"
Fairfax laughed outright, end the
ladies' joined him tiGidly, as ii under
protes:.
.'If [ may speak Of H." he said,
"you are forgetting TO make further
mention of breakfast. I an prepos-
terous'y hungry after my nights
adventures"
"a thousand pardons!" exclaimed
Mrs. Vernon. "We will 20 in at
once"