Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-16
e regiment Knew that Gerald loved

She was gone in minute Ashley
turned back to the matter in hand.
walked pace or two nearer the range.
Lennock was Just lifting his rife to his
shoulder; the sergeant maior. with whom
he was no favorite, was Just assuring
him that he could shoot if he liked. but
that generally he did not like, when he
saw his enemy only little aside from
the line of fire.
He had seen Toinette, he had seen
Gerald look at her; he remembered Mil.
lie; he loved her still; he-he-he could
at least avenge her. He TUNED took
deliberate aim, fred point blank at
Gerald Ashley.
Stephen watched his captain, saw him
turn himself about, saw him put up his
hand and take off his helmet. Astley
brought it down level with his chest. He
glanced inside it-there were two little
round holes right through it.
When the sergeant major saw and un-
derstood, that worthy's face went purple
with passion. With rasp in his rough
voice, ne Numbered a command Two
men, obeying it with alacrity-for Ger
aid was as popular as Stephen was un-
popular-sprang at Lennock.
The trooper made no resistance. His
rifle was wrenched from him; he let it
go. He felt the heavy hands on his
shoulders; he did not move a muscle to
push them off.
He began to say to himself that he
had tried to kill Gerald Ashley. There
would be a court martial; the charge
against him would be attempted murder
of superior officer. He would at least
save his judges trouble. He would say
at once that he was guilty. =
And the sentence penal seryi.
ture The years seemed to
stretch out before him such
years
All this whirl of thought came fash
ing and eddying into his mind before
he heard Gerald Astley's voice, and Ger
aid calling cut 10 know what the deuce
they were doing down there
The sergeant major looked at the cap
tain in amazement. When a man has
tried to murder another, the victim does
not generally -oar out wrathfully be-
cause the assailant is secured. The
.non-com." was about to intimate this
respectfully when Gerald stepped right
up before the target.
panse OF hot, sun-dried plain, then at
the blazing vault of blue above him, and,
lastly, he let his eyes wander all down
the ranks of his own company.
Every man there was looking at him,
was awaiting his next word, was aware
that, as they themselves would have ex-
pressed it, E was up to something"
When Gerald seemed to have contem-
plated each man separately, he spoke.
"A near shave that for me- he be-
gan, very slowly, very distinctly, ring
of appeal, of anxiety in the full, long
carrying voice. II can't think how l
came to be such fool. Anyway, it will
teach me not to get into the line of fire
again in hurry"
And then, when at length it was i'm
perative that Stephen should look at
him, that he should look at Stephen,
there came moments interruption. A
string of carriages were sweeping over
the plain toward the clubhouse. Ger
aid watched them go; someone called
gaily to him that it was kind of him
to stop the firing party on their ac-
count; mans gruff voice opined that
target practice was overt ought to
have been; another woman asked Capt
Ashley to dinner, and then shrill voice
called out, Don't you know me, Capt
Ashley? Are you going to forget old
friends p
The lady leaned over the side of the
carriage She announced that she was
Milhe Parkinson blossomed into Mrs
Ellie Aaron, that the man who sat be-
side her was her husband.
Matthew Act y0. 7 ov,,oaI- !, ,,oSl
to cast look on the man whom Mile
had married. They knew of him. Mr..
Aaron had a reputation to himself
through the whole district
Ashley, thinking of this, perhaps,
asked the girl in a more gentle voice if
she found India pleasant
The question seemed to set open
floodgate. Mile, bride still, found
the whole place detestable, and this
particular station, in which she had
been only week, the worst of ALL She
would go home; she was sick already of
plain, washed-out women who were so
jealous of anyone younger and better
looking than themselves that they would
not call on her. of men who had so little
go in them that they were always oc-
cupied when she asked them to her house.
stephen listened to the very last word
of this vulgar, underlined speech, and
while he stood there, with every nerve
on edge, the scales fell from his eyes,
and seeing at last, he realized all Ger
aid Astley's magnanimity. He looked
up at the sky, he looked across at the
sun-dried plain with the heat simmer.
ing and rising ON the horizon. Suddenly
India in the hot season became superla-
lively good to him-because he was
out at large in it,
He wheeled about, bent his back as If
under burden. If his captain had
been one whit less generously If his
own aim had been but fraction truers
The bitter thought was but Just taking
form in his mind, the shrill voice that
had hidden Mr.. Aaron's carriage move
on was hardly out of his ears, when
Stephen stepped out the few yards that
him from Gerald
"Sirl" he began.
Ashley looked at the face before him.
He thrust out his hand.
THAT is all right" he cried out. as