Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-07-02


! of the party to a lunch table sumptu'
Gus with old plate and crystal ant
Sevres porcelain and groaning with
foreign fruits, salads, jellies and colo
Igame.
Elinor wye, pale and impassive. pre-.
! sided at the board. She started nerv-
ously at every movement Of her lord
J and her plaintive, "Oh, 1 beg pardon!'
was more frequent than ever this day
IF there Is one person above another
whom l pity, 1t Is your Aunt Elinor,
whispered Nina Berkely to Mignon;
len passant, have you yet been tc
ILispenards tower across the river? II
abounds in wonderful things-priceless
faience. old st. Domingo mahogany
carved oak presses. Bokhara teapots
marvellous tapestries and Oriental
curios-the accumulation Of genera
tions of cultured and travelled people
The Lispenards, you know. are intense
ly old and aristocratic. One was gov
ernor of this Commonwealth, another
minister to Russia-your neighbor
drinks his tea from a magnificent SAM
ovar that was presented to his ances-
tor by some dead and buried czar."
Indeed" answered Mignon, absent
ly.
She was wondering at that moment
what Maud Lotus and Captain Shir-
law could be talking about on the OPP
posite side Of the table.
"They were ever a remarkable race,
went on Miss Berkely. undaunted; "but
to Abel Lispenard. the last Of his name
all the gifts Of the gods seem to have
fallen"
Mignon stared. The dwarf himself
chanced to be seated at the other end
Of the board, with Philip wye on one
hand and the high church rector on the
as the rector possessed a voice like a
frog horn, the mild hum Of Nina
Berkely's talk travelled no farther than
the ear for which 1t was intended.
"All the gifts Of the gods!" echoed
Mignon: surely you are jesting He
Is frightfully ugly-he is deformed."
How can you say that?" answered
Miss Berkely. Are you one Of the alb
surd multitude who can see no beauty
save in certain conventional lines and
tints? The man yonder is unique
magnificent! Both in body and soul
he is unlike all others. You do not
know him yet, and so you cannot ap-
preciate his grandeur. To me he Is
the impersonation Of sublime tragedy.
In all the world there Is but one Lis
penard."
Mignon's velvety eyes opened wider
yet.
"She is very far gone. indeed" she
thought: land, oh, horror! to lose ones
heart to that dwarf, that frog man!
it Is incredible!" Aloud she stammer-
ed: PRAY pardon me, Miss Berkely; /
did not dream that Mr.. Lispenard was
your-your"-
Lover? Is that what you would
say?" queried Nina Berkely, as she
took a cluster Of hot-house grapes
from a silver epergne. you err do
not think Abel Lispenard ever ap-
preached a woman in that character.
He does not. love our sex-he simply
tolerates us. No marble statue was
ever colder"
Mignon did not answer. She was
straining her ears to catch the conver-
sation on the opposite side Of the ta-
BILE.
You are positively the first soldier
that I have met in Yankeeland," she
heard Maud LOTUS say; land 1 dote
upon soldiers. Mamma used to take
me to Halifax sometimes. We always
have a garrison there, you know. And
so 1t Is your business to fight Indians
on the far frontier? Pray tell me, have
you ever been in Colorado?"
Yes, he had been in Colorado and
New Mexico and Arizona. He had
fought Apaches and Cheyennes and
Utes and other redskins.
| But there are worse creatures than
redskins in the west" said Miss Lof-
tus, vivaciously. 81 mean road agents.
Did you ever meet a road agent, Cap
tain Shirlaw?"
Yes" answered the handsome cap
tain.
Delightful Pray tell me about It,
What was his name? Not-no, OF
course it could not have been that
prince and leader of them all-Black
Dave?"
| Shirlaw looked greatly surprised.
Exactly! You have probably been
reading about his exploits. Often his
name gets into western newspapers
1t was down on the Southern Pacific
road. Black Dave, or Tiger Chief, as
the desperate is sometimes called
boarded a train upon which l happen
ed to be travelling. and attempted to
take possession of 1t, and clear out the
pockets of the passengers. He had
played that game before with remark
able success, but this time, l remem-
ber," with a faint smile, "he met with
signal failure"
Surely you did not dare to offer re-
sistance?" said Maud LOTUS, proudly
recalling another who had done the
same thing.
81 rather think we did" replied Shir-
law, lightly. Most Of the passengers
were unarmed; but We knew there
were rifles in the baggage car, and
none Of us cared to part with the small
amount of filthy lucre which we car
ried. So we had a smart scrimmage
and for once, at least, Black Dave de-
camped with no booty worth mention
ing"
Did you see the creature?" said
Maud, breathlessly; land what was he
like?"
Il saw him. 1t is said that he usu-
ally cOnceals his face with mask;
but it was uncovered on this occasion
and | observed him so closely that
feel assured / should know him any
where in any guise. He was strikingly
handsome, fair haired. blue-eyed. He
seemed to be a reckless dare-devi
and his ruffians obeyed his slightest