Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-28

The
Daredevil
*
|, By
Maria Thompson Daviess
Author of The Melting
Of Molly"
~
\ Copyright 1916, by the Reilly &
. Britton Co.
HA-%-%-~-A%-%A%%~-A-
(Continued)

And was il that cruel and wicked
and cold Gouverneur Faulkner who
was to scourge me and keep me in
the house of my uncle. the General
Robert, for a dishonor? 1t was not.
Before me stood a tall man who was
of a great paleness and a terrible
fatigue also covered with the dust of
long. hard ride, with eyes that were
full of fear, who stood and looked
at me with not word of any kind.
Suddenly l bowed my head and
stretched out my bare arms, the one
of which bore the red scar from
the wound suffered for him, and,
thus suppliant, I waited to receive
the reproaches that were due to me
from my gouverneur.
And for long minute l waited and
then again for another long period of
time, and no word came to me.
Then 1 raised my head.
For all women now in the world
who have the love of a man in their
hearts and for those unborn who will
come into that possession pray that
they may be given the. opportunity
to plant in the hearts of those men
of their desire the seed of fine
loyalty and service and comrade-
ship and that they may some day
look into his eyes and see that seed
slowly expand into a great white
flower of mate love as / beheld bloom
for me in the eyes of my beloved
Gouverneur Faulkner. Long we
stood there and looked into the soul
of each other and let the flower
grow, drinking from our hearts and
the veins of our bodies until at last
it was fully open, and then l went
with a love cry into his arm held out
to me and pressed the heart of my
body close against his own.
Il think my heart has always
known, though my minds eyes were
blind. God, If 1 had lost you into that
hell of war, you daredevil!" he
whispered, and tasted the salt of his
tears on my lips.
him.
You are-myself," he laughed
through a sob, and then. while with
his large warm hand he held my
throat as a person does the stem of
a flower, he pressed his lips into
mine until they reached to the heart
within me. In a moment with my
hands l held him back from me.
II must go. my beloved, even as
] have said" I cried to him, Il can
not stay to my dishonor and to the
rage and unhappiness my uncle, the
General Robert, will experience
when he discovers that a girl has
cheated him in his great affection and
generosity to her."
1T is going to be hard on the gen.
eral to have his grandmother come
to life on his hands like this,
laughed my Gouverneur Faulkner,
bending and placing upon the creamy
lace of my grandmamma kiss
which was warm to my heart
through the bef1owered silk.
Let me die in those threnches so
that he will never know" ! pleaded.
mo. sweetheart that would be too
easy. You are going to stay right
here and face the old forty-two
centimeter," he made q reply to my
pleading request as he bent and laid
his cheek upon the loveloCk. That
curl ought to have opened my eyes
when l sat and watched you open
your day before yesterday morning. y
was the remark he added to his cruel
command that I stay and face my
very dreadful and so very much be-
loved uncle. the General Robert.
II am afraid" / answered as I
clung to him with a trembling.
Yes; 1 know you are afraid OF
him or anything" laughed my be-
loved Gouverneur Faulkner, with a
shake of my shoulders under his
great strong hands. But perhaps
these papers 1 have in my pocket
from Captain Lasselles, who is at the
mansion getting rid of dust, will help
you out after the first explosion,
which you will have to stand in a
very few minutes from now if that
hall clock is correct and 1 know
the generals habits as I think do"
"Oh, let me ascend and get once
again into my trousers!" 1 exclaim-
ed as l sought to leave the arms
that again held me close.
Never" said my Gouverneur