The Bottineau courant., 1912-09-13

pr. Temples pocket mot 80 worse
tor q parson. be grlnned. You must
be one Of them Firth avenue sky
shaffures. : q Il. 81 8
. Aud nov ms. Tsmples gentle eyes
! and voice nlled with tears again: 'On.
don't take that. That's tho money for
his vacation after thirty long years.
Please don't take that III !:
Her appeals seemed always to find
the tender spot OF this, rpbber,s 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
the vacation funds Joined the old gew.
tgaws. Il, zff6 q, 4 4. It'll .l.E
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:
II seen her first" the nrst one
shouted.
You did not. ." the other roared.
Il tell you did" si,s
tell you I did," They glared
threateninglyS 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 iine with
those terrifying muszles ahd that
heart-stopping yelp: Hands }up!"
Bill said: "Yout take the east side Of
her. and I'll take the west. x
""All, right" or, g..5
And they began to snatch away Fer
side-combs. the little gold chain at
her throat, the jeweled pin that Mall
lory had given her a. the nrst token
of his love, q
The young soldier had foreseen this.
He had foreseen the wild rage that
would tunseat his reason when he saw
the dirty hands OF thieves laid rudely
on the sacred body Of his beloved.
But his soldierschooling 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 men
touched 80 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 would
calmly blow hole through him. and
drop him at Marjorie's feet, while the
other passengers shrank away inBter-
ror. .&,Et@
He told himself that, while It might
be hne impulse to leap to her de-
tense. it was fool impulse to leap
of, . precipice and leave Marjorie
alone among strangers, with q dead
man and a scandal, as the only re-
wards for his impulse. He vowed that
he would hold himself In check, and
let the robbers take everything, leav.
ing him only the name OF coward.
provided they left him also the power
!. to defend Marjorie better at another
time. - s Iff
And now that he saw the clumsy.
handed thugs riffing his sweetheart's
jewelry, he felt all that he had fore
seen. and his head fought almost In
vain against the white IRE Of his
heart. Between them he trembled
like leaf, and the sweat globed on
his forehead. :
The worst of 1t was the shfvering
terror Of Marjorie. and the pitiful eyes
she turned on him. But he olenched
Z his; teeth and waited. thinking fierce
", watching, like lowering eagle. q
chance to swoop. se.3s. s.
But che robbers kept glancing this
way and that, and one motion would
mean death. They Themselves were
30 overwrought with their own ordeal
and It's immediate conclusion. that
they would have killed anybody. Nal.
.lory shifted his foot cautiously, and
Instantly . gun was jabbed into his
stomach, with, . snarl: HDon't You
smoyea" s!s!ri va 5ti.5 ~!
who's moving!' Mallory answered,
with poor imitation OF . careless
laugh. n, ,, u
And now. the man called Bill had
reached SMar1orie's right hand. He
chortled: "Golly. look at the sinners :
& But Jake, who had chosen Mar;
1orie's left hand, roared:
f1say, you cheated. All get is this
meaaly plain gold band II
"Oh, don't take that" Marjorie
gasped, clenching her hand. ss,sl
Mallory's heart ached 1t the thought
Of this .nnal sacrilege. He had the
license, and the minister at last and
now the fiends were going to carry OF
the wedding ring. He controlled HIM
self with a desperate effort, and
stopped to plead: .say, old man. don't
take that. That's not fair"
"Shut up, both Of you.'' Jake
growled, and 1abbed him again with
the gun. ..s s%y 4: 4 ~
\ He gave the ring q jerk. but Mar.
jorie, In the very face Of the weapon,
/. i. As u. - ~ - -