Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-22
The I Fighting
Chance. e easS + ::
Copyrights Curtis Publishing Company
Copyrgh Robert W. Chambers
the futile crack Of hfS. gun.
Copyright 1908, by the Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright, 1905, by Robert w. Chambers

BEG pardon, sir"
"Yes, Miles," with CLINT Of humor.
"Overshot, sir. eXcusin the liberty.
Mr.. Siward Both marked down forty
yard to the left IL you wish to start
em again"
miles," he said. my nerve is gone.
Such things happen. I'm all in. Come
over here, my friend, aud look Mt the
sun with me-"
The discounted keeper obeyed.
"Where ought that refulgent luml-
nary to scintillate when ! face Osprey
Ledger
"Sir?"
1.-THE sun. How do hold it?'
ION the pint Of your right shoulder.
sir You amt quittin', Mr.. Siward,
sir" nnxiously. THAT Shotover cup
is easy yours. sir" eagerly. "Wot's q
miss on old drummer Mr.. Slward
Wots twice overshootn' cock. sir,
when blind dropper can see you are
the cleanest, fastest. hard shootin' shot
in the hull county?"
But Siward shook his head. with an
absent glance at the dog. and mottoned
the nstonislled keeper forward.
Line the easiest trail for u.s." he
said. II think we are already trifle
tired. Twigs will do In short cover.
Use Ratchet in the big timber. And
30 slow till we join YOU
And when the unwilling and per
picked keeper had started. Siward. un-
locking his gun. drew out the smooth
yellow cartridges and pocketed them.
Sylvia looked up as the sharp metal
lie click Of the locked breech rang out
In the silence.
"Mr. Siwa-i!' in quick displeasure.
"YeSw
"What you do for your amusements
cannot concern me-"
Fright, rs usual" he said, so gayly
that a reluctant smile trembled on her
lips.
Then why have you done this? 1t is
unreasonable IL you don't feel as do
about killing things that are having a
good time in the world"
He stood silent, absently looking at
the fowling piece Graded in his left
arm. "Shall we sit here moment and
talk 1t over?" he suggested listlessly.
Her blue gaze swept him. His vague
smile was indIferently bland.
IF you are determined not to shoot
we might as we'll start for Osprey
LEDGE" she suggested. Otherwise,
what reason Is there for our being here
together. Mr. Siward?"
Awaiting his comment, perhaps ex-
pecting counter proposition, she lean
ed against the tree beside which he
stood, and after awhile as his absent
minded preoccupation continued:
"Do you think the leaves are dry
enough to sit on?"
He slipped Off his shooting coat and
placed 1t at the base Of the tree. She
seated herself. and. as he continued to
remain standing she stripped of her
shooting gloves and glanced up at him
inqulringly. well. Mr.. Siward, am
literally at your feet"
(Which redresses the balance a lit
tle," he said. finding place near her.
He sat there chin propped on his
linked fingers. elbows on knees and.
though there was always the hint Of a
smile in his pleasant eyes, always the
indefinable charm of breeding in voice
and attitude, something now was lack
ing. And after a moment she con-
cluded that it was his attention. Ger
tainly his wits were woolgathering
again. His eyes. edged with the shad-
ow of smile. saw far beyond her, far
beyond the sunlit shadows where they
sat.
In his preoccupation she had found
him negatively attractive. She glanced
at him now from time to time, bel
eyes returning always to the beauty OF
the subdued light where all about then
silver stemmed birches clustered like
slim shining pillars crowned with thei1
autumn canopy Of crumpled gold.
"Enchantmentw she said under bel
breath. surely an enchanted sleeper
lies here somewhere"
"You," he observed, "unawakened."
ASLEEP? IL" She looked around al
him. "You are the dreamer here. YOU
eyes are full of dreaming even now
What is your desire?"
He leaned on one arm, watching her
She had dropped her ungloved hand
searching among the newly fallen gold
of the birch leaves drlfted into heaps
On the third finger jewel glittered
He saw it, conscious Of its meaning
but his eyes followed the hand idly
heaping up autumn gold-a white slim
hand, smoothly fascinating. Then the
little restless hand swept near to his
almost touching it. and then instinc
lively he took it in his own curiously
lifting it little to consider its nearer
loneliness. Perhaps it was the unex
pectedness of it, perhaps it was sheer
amazement, that left her hand lyinG
idly relaxed like white petaled bios
som in his.
After little while the consciousness
of the contact disconnected her. She
withdrew her fingers, with an invol
untary shiver.
us there no chance for me, Miss
LandiSW
The very revulsion of self possession
returning chilled her; then anger came
quick and hot: then pride. She delib
Grated, choosing her words coolly
enough, What chance do you mean
Mr. Siward?'
"a fighting chance. Can you give II
to me?"