Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1904-04-28
CHAPTER XXI.

fortunately neither one nor the other
bats much Influence, and the result in
the long run Is that most novels are
shocklngly tame while the large body
OF history Is loaded down with pictur-
csluc Incidents which IL used in fiction
would bc thought absurdly romantic
ana improbable.
We're our simple story OF old Vim
crnncs a mere fiction We should hest
tate to bring in the explosion OF mag
ulinc at the fort with view Ia sud
don confusion and 10y that means dis
tracing attention from our heroine
while She bctukcs herself out OF "a sit
uuuon which. although delightful
enough for q blessed minute. has quick
o. become ana embarrassment quite un-
cndurahlc But We simply adhere TO
the established facts In history. Ow-
Inns o. SOME currlcssncss there was in
decd an explosion Of twcnty-siX o
pound cartridges. which made mighty
ruur and struck the newly installed
Garrison il'. heap. 80 90 say, scatter
us things terribly and wouudng six
uw. among them Captains Bowman
aud Wor'h'uston
After the thundcrous crash came
mowcnuri silence. which embraced
both the people within the fort and the
Wild crowd outside. Then the rush
and Noise were indoscribablo Even
'urk gave way to excitement losing
command OF himself and Of course OF
/. 81 e..
ward tlr main gate hy one wing Of the
'ropp- iu the hollow square They lit
priIE ran over beverley and Alice.
1.n..ng them apart and lostling them
h.iher and youdcr without mercy or
,our-" tlc turmoil quickly subsidized
Clark and beverley got hold OF them
SELVES and sang ont their percmptory
orders with excellent effect II was
lh' oli 900 wuius water The men
Uhrycd in % Struggling way. getting
hueh into ranks as best they could
"\outrolipu" sluoukcd Ouclc Jazon
"El / didn't think the ole world had
busted into million pieces"
He was jumping up and down not
three feet from Bcycrloy's toes, waving
DIS cap pNc.tcdly.
"liut wasn't skcort, VA. va va,
Nlyc lu bauuicrc d'Alicc Roussillon!
Niyc Ihor1h Nnsiuton"
Hearing Alicc's name caused Bcvcr-
lcy Go look around Where was shey
IN tho distance he saw Father Bcrct
hurnug To the spot where some ~ tho
men burned and wounded 10y the cX-
plo-iou were being stripped and cared
for Hamilton still stood like "a statue
llo appeared 20 bc the only cool person
boo the fort
where is Alice Mis-, Roussillon?
Whore did Miss Roussillon goG" Bcy-
erlcy exclaimed staring around like n
lost man Where h. shcT'
- know said Onclc Jazon, rcsum.
Ing MS habltual expression of droll dig
nifty. 'She shot apast me jcs' as thet
thing busted loose, an she went like er
hummIu' bird, shitch jos tibet way
an didn't spc 'or mo- more, cause
was sk,rrt mighty nigh inter seven hts,
~poct that '~plosiou bloWcd her clean
avuyt Ncutrcblcu' Never was 80
plum outon breath an dead crazy weak
o. hciu' ulcard"
Lieutenant beverley" roarcd Clark
iu hI- most commanding tone. go To-
the gate and settle things there, That
mob outside is trying 10 break inr
The order was instantly obcycd but
Beverley had rclnpsod. once more his
soul CROPPED IN darkness while the
whole OF his life seemed unreal, a wav-
crInp. misty. hollow dream And yet
his military duty was all real enough.
lie know just what 10 do when ne
reached the gate.
Back there al once" he commanG-
ed. not loudly, hut with intense force,
back there" This To the inward surg
ing wedge of excited outsiders. Then
90 the guard.
shoot the first man who crosses the
line.
Yin, me voici, Moi! Gaspard Rous
sillon. IaiSscz-moi passer, mcsseurs."
\ great body hurled itself frantically
past Beverley and the guard, going out
through the gateway against the wall
Of the crowd, bearing everything be-
fore 20 and shouting
Back, fools! You'll all be killed. The
powder Is ON fire, Ziff, Run"
wild as a March hare. he bristlcd
with terror and foamcd at the mouth.
lie stampcdcd the entire mass. There
was wild howl rush I'm the other
direction followed, ana soon enough
the csplanadc and all the space back TO
the barricadcs and beyond were quite
deserted
Alice was not aware that II serious
accident had happened. Naturally she
thought the great rattling, crashing
noise of the explosion mere part of
the spectacular show. When the rush
followed separating her and Beverley,
II was a great relief to her I'm some
way, for a sudden recognition of the
holiness Of her action i'm the little scene
lust ended came over her and bowl
dcrcd her. An impulse sent her run
ming away from the spot where, II
seemed 10 her, she had invited public |
dprisiou The terrible noises all around |