The San Francisco call., 1906-11-04

pursuer threw an arm about her neck,
before she could twist away, ana heia
her.
There was a sharp struggle, as short
as it was fierce. Neither of these ex-
traordinary wrestle-s spoke. They
fought Victory hung in the balance
for perhaps four seconds; then the
girl was thrown heavily upon her
back. in such turmoil OF snow that
she seemed to be the ~mere nucleus OF
q white comet. She struggled TO get
UP. plying knee and elbow with a very
anguish Of determinations but her OPP
ponent held her, pinioned both her
wrists with one hand and with the
other rubbed great handfuls OF snow
snto her face. sparing neither mouth
nor eyes.
~Yon willr' he cried. You will tear
up my pictures. A dirty trick, and
you get washed for IL"
Half suEocated. choking. gasping,
she still fought on. squirnling and
kicking with such spirit that the pair
of them appeared to the behoider like
figures of mist writhing in fountain
of snow.
More violence was to mar the peace
OF morning Unexpectedly attacked
from the rear, the conqueror was
seized by the nape of the neck and one
wrist and jerked to his feet. stimuli
taneously receiving a succession OF
kicks from his assai,ant Prompted by
an entirely natural curiosity. he es-
sayed TO turn his head 10 see who this
might be. but twist OF his forearm
and the pressure of strong fingers un-
Ger his ear constrained him to remain
al he was; therefore. abandoning re-
sistance. and. oddly enough. accepting
without comment tho indication that
his captor desired TO remain for the
fs.A .-sale 1
to explanations.
she tore UP a picture of NINE" he
said. receiving the punishment without
apparent emotion She seemed to
think because she'd drawn IL herself
she had 2 right to-"
There was a slight whimsical droop
al the corner OF his mouth as he spoke.
which might have been thought char
acteristic of him. He was an odd
looking boy. not ill-made. though very
thin and not tall. His psllor was clear
and even. as though constitutional. the
features were very delicate. almost
chil6lil6e. but they were very slightly
distorted. through nervous habit.
70 expression at once wist-
full and humorous: one eyebrow
was shade higher than the
other one side OF the mouth slightly
drawn down; the eyelids twitched a
little. habitually; the fine, blue eyes
themselves were almost comically re-
proachful-the look of a puppy who
thinks you would not have beaten aim
ii you had known what was in his
heart. All of this was in the quality
OF his voice, too. as he said to his in
visible captor, with air of detach
ment from any personal feeling:
What peculiar shoes you wear.
don't think l ever felt any so pointed
before.
The rescuing knight took no thought
of offering to help the prosecuted
damsel TO arise: instead. he frightened
his grip upon the prisoners neck until,
perforce. water-not tears-started
from the latter's eyes.
You miserable little muff." said the
conqueror. what the devil do you
mean. making this scene on our front
lawn?"
why. it's Eugene" exclaimed the
helpless one. They didn's expect you
till tonight. When did you get in?'
Just in time to give you a lesson.
my buck" replied Bantry, grimly. In
good time for that, my playful step
brother"
He began to twist the others wrist
"a treatment of bone and ligament in
the application of which schoolboys and
even freshmen are often adept. Eugene
psrently enjoying the work. when sud-
denly-without any manner of warning
he received an astounding blow upon
the left ear. which half stunned him
for the moment and sent his hat flying
and himself reeiing, so great was the
surprise and shock of 1t. II was not
a slap. not an open-handed push. moth
ing like IL, but a fierce. well-delivered
blow from a clinched fist with the
shoulder behind IL, and it was the girl
who had given il.
Don't you dare touch Joer she cried,
passionately. Don't you lay finger
on him"
Furious and red. he staggered to look
at her.
You wretched little wildcat. what
do you mean by that?" he broke out.
Don't you touch Joei' she painted.
Don't you" Her breath caught and
there was Il break in her voice as she
faced him. She could not finish the
repetition of that cry, Don't you touch
Joer
But there was no break in the spirit.
that passion OF protection which had
dealt the blow. Both boys looked at
her. something aghast-
She stood before them. trembling
with rage and shivering with cold in
the sudden wind which had come UP.
Her hair had fallen and blew across
her streaming face in brown witch
wisps: one OF the ili-darned stockings
had come down and hung about her
shoe in folds full of snow; the arm
which had lost it's sleeve was bare and
wet, thin as the arm of a growing boy.
It shook convulsivcly and was red from
shoulder to clinched fist. She was COW
cred with snow. Mists of white drift
blew across her, mercifully half veil
ing her.
Eugene recovered himself. He swung
round upon his heel, restored his hat
TO his head with precision. picked up
his stick and touched his banjo-casc
with it.
Garry that into the house" he said,
indinerently, to his stepbrother.
Don't you do it," said the girl, hotly,
between her cbattering teeth
Eugene turned toward her, wearing
the sharp edge OF smile. Not re-
moving his eyes from her face, he pro-
duced with deliberation a fiat silver
box from pocket. took therefrom a
replaced the box, extracted
n cu7al lfor silver hoy from anofbar