The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-12-25

was facing the muzzle Of pistol,
while behind it he still met those
lifeless blue eyes fixed on his face,
with no light Of hatred in them.
The sight of the little black oridce,
with it's rim of blue steel, drove the
smile from the young Englishman S
lips; but still he slowly approached
her with the dogged GOODNESS of his
race-not blindly, but calculating
his chances as If he were gifted
with a dozen lives.
eff" she exclaimed, in her pretty,
Russianized English, you come one
step nearer to me, kill you'll"
No reply came from his lips. The
stream laughed on. Overhead the
pine trees sighed, and far away in
the blue ether a solitary curlew gave
forth his weird cry of warning.
Facing the mouth of the grim lit
tie pistol, and with the same sure
footedness he continued his way.
Then suddenly the girl dropped
her arm.
For Gods sake, stop!" she hissed,
stamping her foot on the soft turf.
Still he came on toward her, with
steadfast grey eyes fixed on her face.
Then she slowly raised her arm
again, and turned the pistol toward
him. While facing it, he was calcu-
lating the chances with deliberation
that was surprising even to himself;
and there fitted through his mind
the recollection of his own failure to
shoot a disabled horse, because its
eyes met his without flinching.
The bed of the stream was now
rising at gentle incline beneath
his feet; a few more steps, and he
would be in shallow water; yet an
other few, and that small white hand
would be within his reach.
Suddenly streak of white flame
almost blinded him, and a ringing
report well-nigh burst his brain.
The little puff of gray smoke rose
slowly on the breeze, and Marie Ba-
kovitch saw Mistley standing in the
shallow water.
The sulphurous smoke had half
choked him, and some grains of un-
burned powder had flown into his
face, causing a momentary sting;
otherwise he was unhurt. The pis-
tol threw high, having been made to
sell, and not to shoot with.
He gave her no time to attempt a
t., l.
on the bank. having sent his rod
quivering on to the turf beside him.
He grasped her wrist, but not too
fiercely, for even then he remem-
bered his manners, and the wrist was
very small and shapely.
She made no attempt to resist, and
relinquished her hold on the weapon
as he firmly took it. Suddenly he
felt the life go from her hand, and
was in time to catch her as she fell,
unconscious and helpless, forward
into his arms. It took him a moment
to realize what had happened; then
he laid her gently on the bank, and
turned to get some water, which ele-
ment he supposed to be necessary
under the circumstances.
Carefully holding his cap by the
rim, he suddenly tipped it over, and
cast upon the girls lifeless face a
cold shock of water, which imme
diately trickled down her graceful
neck in a most uncomfortable man
ler. But what man, under the cir
cumstances, could have been expect
ed to think Of that? This vigorous
treatment met with its due reward,
for Marie Bakovitch promptly opened
her eyes just in time to save herself
the inf1iction of second capful.
Where am II" she inquired in
French-that being the tongue in
which she prayed ard thought, hav-
ing spoken it before any other.
VINEYARD was nev er averse to sat
isfying harmless curiosity; but to
answer this question was a matter
of some length, so he ignored it, and
said in the same languages: Now
you are all right again, is it not SO?
Come, let us sit on that great stone.
There you will get the breeze"
He slid his arm under the light
form of his would-be murderess, and
gently supported her toward the
rock Indicated She allowed herself
to be placed thereon in dazed silence,
and then slowly raised one hand to
the bosom of her dress.
81 am afraid you are rather
damp" said Vineyard, apologetically,
but with a cheerfulness of manner
which seemed to indicate that all
had occurred for the best. Then,
being a gentleman, and perhaps a
little soft-heartad, he turned away.
This gave the girl time to rearrange
the soft masses of hair which had
become a little loosened, and to give
one or two cunning little touches to
her apparel, which woman with
only half her senses will still do.
Here" he said, holding forth the
cup of his flask, take a little drink
of that
Obediently she took the metal cup
and drank. If only Ivan Meyer could
have seen how VINEYARD commanded
an, Marie obeyed, he might have
learn ! therefrom an invaluable les
son, IL, the girl was of those who
need to be domineered OYER, and are
happiest in obedience. What Ivan
Meyer, the thoughtful, failed to per-
ceive in length and fullness Of years,
Winyard Mistiey, the superficial, saw
in exactly two minutes, and knew
how to profit by it. The water APP
peared to revive her; a reawakening
Of life dawned in her eyes, and a
faint pink, like the sunny side OF a
peach, rose to her checks.
"Dfd | faint?" she asked, without
looking up; indeed her eyes were on
the cup she still held.
Yes; but YOU are all right again
now," was the cheerful and inspiriI-
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