The Irish standard., 1908-12-26
HE Revolver 5arked.

crosswise over the seat and the blood
spurted across Lewis wrist; he said 1t
was like hot jet Of water"
The homely and bizarre horror Of
the picture had evidently struck home
to Archie; he half shivered.
''Too much Imagination" grumbled
the colonel to himself. "A Winter
ought to take to fighting like 4 duck
to water!" He betook himself to Miss
Smith; and he was uneasily con-
scious that he was going to her for
consoling. But he felt better after, q
little talk about Archie with her.
Plainly she thought Archie had plenty
Of spirit; although, of course, he hadn't
told her about the bandits. The negro
was Kidding" the passengers; and
women shouldn't be disturbed by such
nonsense. The colonel had old-fash-
toned views Of guarding his woman
kind from the harsh ways of the
world. Curious, he reflected, what
sense Miss Smith seemed to have;
and how she understood things. He
felt better acquainted with her than a
years garrison intercourse would
have made him with any other woman
he knew.
That afternoon. they two sat watch
Ing the fantastic cliffs which took
grotesque semblance Of ruined castles
crowning their barren hillsideS; or of
deserted amphitheaters left by some
vanished race to crumble. They had
talked of many things. She had told
him Of the sleepy old South Carolinian
town where she was born. and the
plantation and the distant cousin who
was like her mother, and the hospital
there she had been taught. and the
1larried sister who had died. Such q
harrow, laborious. innocent existence
10 she described! How cheerfully,
too, she had shouldered her burdens!
They talked Of the south and of the
Philippines: little they talked Of
Archie and his sorrow and Of the
eternal problems that have troubled
the soul Of man since first death en-
tered the world. Az they talked, the
colonel's suspicious faded into gro
tesque shadows. "Millicent is ridic-
ulous," quoth he. Then he fell to won
dering whether there had been q ro-
| nance in Miss Smiths past life. "such
q handsome woman would look high,"
he sighed. Only "a hours ago he had
called Miss Smith "nice-looking," with
careless criticism. He was quite un-
conscious Of his change Of view. That
night he felt lonely. Of q sudden; the
old wound in his heart ached; his fu-
ture looked as bleak as the mountain
walled plains through which he was
speeding. After long time the train
stopped with a jar and rattle, ending
IN sudden shock. He raised the cur
tain to catch the lash Of the electric
lights at Glenwood. Out Of the deep
defile they glittered like diamonds in q
pool Of water. Why should he think
| Of Miss Smiths eyes? With IN impa-
tient sigh, he pulled down the curtain
and turned over to sleep.
His thoughts dtifted. doated, were
submerged in a wavering procession
Of pictures; he was back in the Philip.
pines; they had surprised the fort;
how could that be when he was on
guard? But they we're there He sat
up IN his berth. Instinctively he
slipped the revolver out of his bag and
held 1t in one hand, 40 he peeped
through the crevice Of the curtains.
There was no motion, no sound Of
moving; but heads were emerging be.
tween the curtains in every direction;
and Archie was standing, his hands
shaking above his tumbled brown
head and pale face. A man IN q. soft
hat held two revolvers while another
man was pounding ON the drawing
room door, gruny commanding those
inside to come out. "No, We shall not
come out" responded Aunt Rebecca's
composed, well-bred accents, her neat
enunciation not disturbed by culver.
III you want to kill IN old woman,
you will have to break down the door. "
Let them aloae. Shay. It takes TO-
-.