The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-03


 month. Now, take it easy, and I'll send a stretcher for you"
 CHAPTER XXIII. CAPITULATION. rATHEN Sheldon emerged from vAl among the trees he found " Joan waiting at the con- pound gate, and he could not fail to see that she was visibly giaddened at the sight of him. "I can't tell you how glad I am to see you, was her greeting. Whats become of Tudor? That last flutter of the automatic wasn't nice to listen to. Was it you or TudorY
 "So you know all about it," he an. swered coolly. "Well, it was Tudor, but he was doing it left handed. He's down with hole in his shoulder" He looked at her keenly. Disappointing. isn't it." he drawled.
 How do you mean?"
 "Why, that didn't kill him."
 'But I didn't want him killed jus! because he kissed me-" she cried.
 "Oh, he did kiss you" Sheldon re- torted in evident surprise. q thought you said he hurt your arm."
 "One could call 1t kiss, though it was only on the end of the nose" She laughed at the recollection. But ] paid him back for that myself. l boxed his face for him. And he did hurt my arm. It's black and blue. Look at it.'
 She pulled up the loose sleeve of her blouse, and he saw the bruised inn prints of two fingers.
 Just then a gang of blacks came out from among the trees, carrying the wounded man on rough stretcher.
 Romantic, isn't it?" Sheldon sneered, following Joan's startled gaze. "And now I'll have to play surgeon and doc tor him up. Funny, this twentieth century dueling. First you drill a hole plugging the hole up"
 They had stepped aside to let the stretcher pass, and Tudor, who had heard the remark, lifted himself up on the elbow of his sound arm and said with defiant grin:
 eff you'd got one of mine you'd have had to plug with a dinner. plate."
 ''Oh, you wretchw Joan cried. "You've been cutting your bullets"
 ''It was according to agreement" !" Tudor answered "Everything went We could have used dynamite If we wanted to-"
 Hes right" Sheldon assured her as they swung in behind. "Any weap- on was permissible. lay in the grass where he couldn't see me and bush- whacked him in truly noble fashion. That's what comes of having women on the plantation. And now it's antisep- tics and drainage tubes, suppose. It's a nasty mess, and I'll have to read up on it before tackle the job." 'T don't see that it's my fault" she began. T couldn't help it because he kissed me. I never dreamed he would attempt It."
 we didn't fight for that reason. But there isn't time to explain. If you'll get dressings and bandages ready I'll look up gunshot wounds and see what's to be done"
 'Ts he bleeding seriously ?" she asked. ''No; the bullet seems to have missed the important arteries. But that would have been a pickle" "Then there's no need to bother | about reading up," Joan said. And I'm just dying to hear what it was all about. The Apostle is lying be- calmed inside the point, and her boats are out towing. She'll be- at anchor in, Rv-or mir "o1Chrr1 ie, sure to be on board. So all we've got to. do is to make Tudor comfortable We'd better put him in your room un- der the mosquito netting and send a boat of to tell Dr. Welshmere to bring his instruments"
 An hour afterward Dr. Welshmere left the patient comfortable and at tended to and went down to the beach to go on board, promising to come back to dinner. Joan and Sheldon, stand ing on the veranda, watched him de part.
 "I'll never have it in for the mission aries again since seeing them here in the SOlOmons," she said, seating her self in a steamer chair. She looked at Sheldon and began to laugh.
 That's right" he said "It's the way feel, playing the fool and trying to murder guest"
 "But you haven't told me what it was all about"
 You" he answered shortly. Me? But you just said it wasn't" "Oh, it wasn't the kiss" He walked over to the railing and leaned against 1t, facing her. "But it was about you all the same, and I may as we'll tell you. You remember, I warned you long ago what would happen when you wanted to become a partner in Be rande. We'll. all the beach is gossip ing about it. and Tudor persisted in repeating the gossip to me. So you see it won't do for you to stay on here