The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-12-26
CHAPTER XIII.
The Lady's Pistol.

Wright explained dL Solus lehSIh 'n@N
as the stage manager had now ar
rived, he failed to see any obstacle IN
the way of VINEYARD and himself IN
dulging in another mornings hsnlng.
This proposal VINEYARD agreed to
with his usual readiness, and lmme-
diately after the morning meal they
sailed forth together.
According to arrangement, WIN
ward went down stream, while the
colonel fished up.
While he fshed, Vineyard Mistley
was actually bordering over the ao-
visibility of abandoning his new pro-
fession. What conclusion he might
have arrived at it were hard to say,
had he been allowed to think the
matter out; but suddenly the new
light shone upon it. A light all lurld
with the hate Of man, red with the
, CLEAN of aggressive treachery' yet
shining with the glory Of. steadfast
purpose.
Among the solitary grandeur OF
his native hills, by the side or peace
full Broomwater, an event was des-
tined to take place on this fair sum-
mer morning which lett its mark on
+, Winyard Mistley's life. 1t was here
that the long pursuit, so. steadtastly
carried. out by Marie Bakovitch, was
to come to an end. AS will be learned
hereafter, he was fully aware of the
girls purpose, and even knew her
name and description, but had al
ways treated the matter lightly, as
the passing freak of a highly strung
and ignorant. girl. Now he was
about to learn his mistake; he was
about to face a sudden and unexpect-
ed danger, alone and unaided,. as he
had faced most things in his short
life. And the result Of it all was to
be the appearance of a new ally
against the little god who had laid
his siege so skilfully. Dogged Brit
ish pride Joined ambition, determin-
alton and patriotism, and drove their
small enemy shrinking back.
Vineyard Mistley had made his I'M
eventful way up the stream for about
a mile, and was nov approaching "a
spot where the water ~broadened' out,
losing, after the manner Of earthly
things, profundity in so doing. Here
were. stepping stones and on each
side a natural unmade footpath.
Although he was fishing careless
1y, Vineyards eyes were fixed upon
the water, and he. therefore failed to
perceive the form Of a girl at the
edge of the stream, upon the oppo-
side, and a little higher up.
. This young lady had apparently
no intention of making her way
across the stepping stones, being
quite content to stay where, she was.
Every now and then she glanced
down stream, as If expecting some
one; and yet when Mistley appeared,
unconsciously and placidly angling,
she appeared surprised and some
what disturbed.
At first she made a movement as
If to draw back; and then, suddenly
stepping forward, she resolutely
planted herself at the waters edge,
with pale, agitated face and CULVER
ing lips, while her small, ungloved
hand went to the pocket of her dress.
Adonis was some distance behind
his master, engaged in botanical dis
scoEeries, and therefore oblivious to
all around him. With aaggravating
deliberatfon. the fisherman came
slowly on. The water below the
stepping stones vas >of no use to
him, so he raised his rod to gather
in the line and pass n AS he did
so, he lifted his eyes and found him
self face to face with the girl. Her
latitude, the paleness of her lovely
face, and the wild excitement gleam-
ing in her eyes, were instantly OBJ
served by VINEYARD, and in a fash of
thought he connected her presence
there with himself, and with the
tall artist whose face he remembered
having seen at Victoria Station :on
the morning of his arrival in Eng
land.
There was no ignoring the girls
evident excitement; he could not pre-
tend TO treat her as a villager, and
pass on with a local greeting. For
a moment the rudy color left his
face; but it was not due to coward
ice, for men grow pale in moments
of excitement who do not know what
fear is. Then he raised his cap, but
never smiled or inclined his head.
The girl ignored his s%alutatipn,
standing motionless and pale as a
marble staue.
Il am Marie Bakovitch," she said,
simply. the musical tone of her deep
voice rising above the brawl of the
water
II know" he replied. Even in
face of her pale, set features, and
under the gaze of her cold blue eyes,
he could not check the CULVER of his
lips. He was too chivalrous to let
her see his smile, so he said: "You
have caught me at last"
Then, rod in hand, he stepped into
the running water, while Adonis
stood upon the bank with his left ear
raised, watching these proceedings
uneasily. The brook sped past Win
yards legs, ripping and laughing,
while with its voice mingled the muir
muir Of the pine trees overhead, like
the sound Of the surf on a deserted
shore.