Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-12-10

answer was a terrific peal Of thunder
reverberating overhead and rolling
through the lonesome, gloomy forest
like the crack Of doom. My horse gave
a snort of terror, laid back his ears
and was off like rocket. / could not
control him; he was mad with fear.
never experienced so terrible mo-
ment in all my life. I expected to be
dashed to death against the tree-boles,
or dragged at the stirrup, or some
thing equally frightf"' And then, In
the midst Of my ter as pat as a
hero in a novel, horseman spurred
out Of a by-path, dashed straight
across my way, and caught my bride
firmly-not Bradford, nor any one OF
our party, but the man that Fred and
I had met a little while before in the
wood. Merciful heaven, Bee! shall
never forget how he looked at this
second meeting, to my frightened dis
torted vision. The rain was pouring
in torrents, and sheets Of blue light
ming, darting through the forest, lit up
his whole face and figure with horr1-
BILE, ghastly internal glare. From head
to foot he was encircled in flame, and
out Of it he gazed upon me-a fearful
fancy, was it not?-like a pale demon
from his native element. AS he snatch
ed me from the saddle, felt a strange
creeping Of the flesh.
"Courage!" I heard him say IN
French, you are safe, mademoiselle'
And then what do you think l did?
1 am ashamed to write it-1 tainted
for the first time in my life.
When 1 opened my eyes shortly ar
ter. found our whole scared and drip
ping party surrounding me, and in the
midst Of it stood the man who had
stopped my horse. looking very much
concerned, but no longer demoniacal.
Mrs. Bradford was holding a silver
flask of brandy to my lips.
You have given us a precious
fright, Ethel" she cried, Grossly;
your mamma will never trust you
with me again. But for this gentle
man, 1 dare say you would have been
killed outright. How do you feel, my
dear? Have you strength to ride back
to Baden-Baden?"
Yes, indeed, I had. AS arose to my
feet, our English acquaintance, Mr..
Hallam, came manfully forward with
my rescuer.
Miss Sardis," said he, Il beg leave
TO present my friend, Count Stahl, Of
Saxony. 1 am sure we are all greatly
obliged to him for the service he has
done you."
The count made me the deepest,
most .deferential of bows, and said
some very polite things, to which l
responded as well as my confused
wits would permit. A count-a gen.
uine, live count, Bee! Now know
that you are in every fibre Of your be-
ing, a sturdy republican-that you
have none Of mammals passion for IT,
ties, yet perhaps you would like to
hear how this high-born gentleman
looks-this hero who burst upon me in
the gloomy depths of the Schwartz
wald, all in a blaze of blue light, like a
stage apparition. He is tall and blonde,
and triie past thirty, perhaps. His
eyes are blue, and sleepy in express
sion. His blonde hair is somewhat
thin upon the temples, his mustache Is
carefully curled. He is a cosmopoli-
tan; speaks English with scarcely an
accent, dresses faultlessly, has fine
manners, and ancestral estates some
where in Saxony. Mr.. Hallam who
seemed to know him well, presented
him duly to all the party, and the f1ut-
ter he made among the Bradford and
Redfern girls will leave you to imag-
inc, my shrewd little Bee. OF course,
he returned with us to the Hotel de
TEurope On the way said to him:
Your appearance in my moment Of
need was as mysterious as 1t was op-
perfume. When we first met you in the
wood, your face was set in an altogeth-
er different direction"
True" he answered. will you
promise not to be angry if l tell you
the TRUTH"
Surely"
II was riding in this forest an hour
ago, when something flashed out upon
me from its darkness-a woman's face,
bright, dazzling as the sun-fiashed,
and was gone again. like some tabled
enchantress of the spot. What could
l do but turn about and follow it at a
distance? 1 felt as if some spell of the
Schwartzwald had been cast upon
me: l was without power or volition
of my own, and so it was that / chanc-
ed to be near you at time when you
needed help; for which 1 must ever be
devoutly thankful"
When re reached the hotel, the
count was presented to mamma, and
stormed the citadel Of her favor at
once. She believes that he saved my
life, and she is very, very grateful. /
frankly told her what Fred Bradford
had said to me in the forest about
Hallam and the game Of ecarte, and
she was highly indignant.
"All gentlemen on the continent play
more or less" she said, severely; 1T
was disgraceful in Fred to mention
such a matter to you"
Bee. all this happened a week ago,
and now we are at Lucerne, and the
count is here also. Mamma is happy,
and I-well am quite overwhelmed
with his attentions. Alice Bradford
and the Redfern girls are mad with
envy. I would that you sould see my
dresses Bee-Worth's own work, and
mamma bought me some exquisite
jewels in Paris-a set of pearls, and
another of sapphires and diamonds.
BY the way. must not forget to tell
you that Lawrence Harding is guest
at our hotel; surely you remember
Lawrence? We met him at an inn on
the Righi, whittier we had gone to see
a sunrise and he returned with us to
this lovely lake of Four Cantons He
is as handsome and debonair as ever,