The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-06-08
came back TO her. "Weakw
''Ecs." lie said; every weak and child

breath came back TO her. "Weakw
YES" lie said; every weak and child
ish."
Then she could have cheerfully put
him TO n slow and cruel death. When
she had recovered u little she cried
vehcmently;
I'm not weak. I'm strong! I'm
stronger than you are! Pm strong as
ASA man.
do not suppose she meant the in
situation. At any rate the Pilot ig-
nored it and went OH.
You're not strong enough to keep
your temper down" And then, as she
had no reply ready, he went on: "And
really, Gwen, it is not right. You must
not go OH in this way"
Again his words were unfortunate.
"NIust mott" she cried, adding an inch
to her height. "NVho says so?"
God" was the simple, short answer.
She was greatly taken back, and
gave n quick glance over her shoulder
as IL to see him who would dare to
say must not to her; but, recovering,
she answered sullcnly:
II don't care"
Don't care for God?" The Pilots
voice was quiet and solemn, but some
thing in his manner angercd her, and
she blazed forth again:
81 don't care for any one, and l
shall do as l like"
The Pilot looked at her sadly for q
moment, and then said slowly:
"Some day, Gwen, you will not be
able to do rs you like"
1 remember well the settled defiance
In her tone and manner as she took q
step nearer him and answered in a
voice trembling with passion:
"Listcn! l have always done as I
like, and L shall do rs I like till I dlei"
And she rushed forth from the house
and down toward the canyon, her
refuge from all disturbing things ana
chiefly from herself.
/ 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
phi~losophically correct, but 1t rings IN.
commonly like a challenge to the Al
mighty; throws down the gauntlet, SO
to speak"
But the Pilot only said: "Don'tl
How can youI"
Within a week her challenge was ae-
copied, and how fiercely and how gal
lantly did she struggle to make 1t goodl
Il was the Duke that brought me the
news, and as HE told me the story bis
gay, careless self command for once
was gone. For in the gloom Of the can
yon where he overlook me l could see
his face cleaning out ghastly white,
and even his iron nerve could not keep
the tremor from his voice.
give just sent up the DOCTOR" was
his answer to my greeting. "r looked
for you last night, couldn't find you and
so rode off to tho Fort"
whats up?" l 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 vas i%ndulging in a
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 h"rding the cattle. The day was
hot, and n storm was In the air. They
found Joe riding up and down. singing
to keep the cattle quiet, but having Il
hard time to hold the bunch from
breaking. While the Duke was riding
around the far side Of the bunch a cry
from Gwen arrested his attention. Joe
wa In trouble. His horse, Il half bro
ken cayusc, had stumbled into n 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, Il man OH foot, and to follow
cautiously on his track. Joe kept his
head and walked slowly out till all at
once n young cow began to bawl and to
paw the ground. In another minute
n 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 n laundering gnllop with heads
and tails aloft and horns rafting like
the loading of n regiment Of rifles.
1.-TWO more minutes" said the Duke,
would have done for Joe. for I 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! I
have some myself, but I 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 COO bravery
nothing touches that"
"How did 1t end? Did they run them
down?" l asked, with terror at such a
result.
mo; they crowded her toward the
cut bank, and she was edging them off
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. 1 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 racer I