The Delta independent., 1912-09-27
Copyright, isli, By Ii. < Fly 90.

tracks, and Marjorie keeled over on
him, as he gasped: Good Lord, DR..
Temple, you are "a Minister"
"Yes, my boy" the old man con-
fessed, glad that the robbers had re-
lieved him of his guilty secret along
with the rest of his private properties.
Mallory looked at the collapsing Mar
1orie and groaned: And he was in
the next berth all this time!"
The unmasking of the old fraud
made a second sensation. Mrs. Fos-
dick called from far down the aisle:
'Dr. Temple, you're not detective?"
Mrs. Temple shouted back furious
ly: How dare you?"
But Mrs. Fosdick was crying to her
luscious-eyed mate: "Oh, Arthur, he's
not detective. Embrace mel"
And they embraced, while the rob-
bers looked on aghast at the sudden
oblivion they had fallen into. They
focused the attention on themselves
again, however, with a ferocious:
Here, hands up!" But they did not
see Mr.. and Mrs. Fosdick steal kiss
behind their appraised arms, for the
robber to whose lot Mallory fell was
gloating over his well-filled wallet.
Mallory saw it go with fortitude, but
noting piece of legal paper, he said:
Say, old man, you don't want that
marriage license, do you?"
The robber handled it as If 1t were
hot-as if he had burned his fingers
on some such document once before,
and he stuffed it back in MaIIory's
pocket. II should say not Keep It
Turn round"
Meanwhile the other felon turned
up another beautiful pile OF bills in
DR.. Temples pocket. Not SO worse
for parson," he grinned. You must
be one of them Fifth avenue sky.
shaffures"
And now Mrs. Temples gentle eyes
and voice filled with tears again: "Oh,
don't take that. That's the money for
his vacation-after thirty long years.
Please don't take that"
Her appeals seemed always to find
the tender spot of this robbers heart,
for he hesitated, and called out:
Shall we overlook the parsons wad,
podner?"
Take it, and shut up, you molly.
coddle!" was the answer he got, and
gaws.
And now everybody had been
robbed but Marjorie. She happened to
be at the center OF the line, and both
men reached her at the same time:
Il seen her frst," the first one
shouted.
You did not" the other roared.
Il tell you l did,
Il tell you / did" They glared
threateningly at each other, and their
revolvers seemed to meet, like two
game cocks, beak to beak.
The porter voiced the general hope.
when he sighed: "Oh, Lawd, II they'd
only shoot each other"
This brought the rivals to their evil
senses, and they swept the line with
those terrifying muzzles and that
heart-stopping yelp: Hands upI"
Bill said: you take the east side OF
her, and I'll take the west"
-"All right"
And they began to snatch away her
side-combs, the little gold chain at
her throat, the jeweled pin that Nal
1ory had given her as the first token
OF his love.
The young soldier had foreseen this.
He had foreseen the wild rage that
would unseat his reason when he saw
the dirty hands OF thieves laid rudely
on the sacred body OF his beloved.
But his soldier-schooling had drilled
him to govern his impulses, to play
the coward when there was no hope
of successful battle, and to strike only
when the moment was ripe with per.
feet opportunity.
He had kept telling himself that
when the finger OF one OF these mer
touched 30 much as Marjorie's hem
he would be forced to fling himself
on the profane miscreant. And he
kept telling himself that the moment
he did this, the other man woulc
calmly blow hole through him, ant
drop him at Marjorie's feet, while the
other passengers shrank away in ter
ror.
He told himself that, while 1t nigh
be a fine impulse to leap to her de
Tense, 1t was fool impulse to leaI
OF a precipice and leave Marjorie
alone among strangers, with a deat
man and scandal, as the only re
wards for his impulse. He vowed tina
he would hold himself in check, ant
let the robbers take everything. Ieav
ing him only the name OF coward
provided they left him also the powel
to defend Marjorie better at anothe
time.
And now that he saw the clumsy
handed thugs rifiing his sweetheart
5ewelry. he felt all that he had fore
seen, and his head fought almost fl
vain against the white fire OF hi
heart. Between them he tremblet
like leaf, and the sweat globed OF
his forehead.