The Little River news., 1920-09-01

She clung to him for neaEy a minute, sobbing; then he raised Der face ten derly kissed her, pressed her from him, and walked swiftly away without looking back.
 It was a sweet and rather touching little tableau; to John Stuart Webster, imaginative and possessed of TO- mantle streak in his nature, it was more than tableau. It was a nov ing picture!
 T suppose her old man objects to the young fellow," he muttered to himself sympathetieally, "and he can't come near the house. They've met here for the fond farewell, and now the young fellows going out West to make his fortune, so he can come back her, why the devil doesn't he take her? Hello! By Judas priest! Now 1 know what those two paraqueets are up to. One of them is the father of that girl. They've been spying on the lovers, and now they're going to cor DeI tllt NOuuS IeiiOW dilu SllllSie for his nerve."
 The girl had stood for a moment, gazing after her companion. before she turned with her handkerchief to her eyes, and continued on her way to the cathedral. Webster heard her sob ping as she stumbled blindly by, and he was distressed about her, for all the world loves a lover and John Stuart Webster was no exception to this universal rule.
 "By George, this is pretty tough" he reflected. That young fellow treated tIat girl with as much gentle ness and courtesy as any gentleman should, and Pm for him and against this idea of corporal punishment, Don't you worry, Tillie, my dear. I'm going to horn into this game myself if it goes too far.'
 The two dusky skulkers ahead of him, having come to another cross path, turned into it and came out on the main path in the rear of the young man. Webster noticed that the pair were still walking on the grass He padded gently along behind them.
 The four were now rapidly ap- preaching the old French market, and the steadily rising babel of voices speaking in French, Italian, Spanish, Creole patois and ChOctaw, was suffi- cient to have drowned the slight noise of the pursuit, even had the young mans mind not been upon other things. and the interest of the two Central Americansecentered upon their quarry, to the exclusion of any thought of possible interruption.
 Webster felt instinctively that the two men would rush and make a con- certed attack from the rear He smiled.
 ''I'll just fool you two hombres a whole lot" he thought, and stepping picked up a small stone. On the in stant the two men, having approached within thirty feet of their quarry, made a rush for him.
 Their charge was swift, but though it was, the little stone which John SUuuTI NeDSleI nuElcu WtS SNlilt II struck the young man fairly between the shoulderblades with force suffi- cient to bring him out of his senti- mental revere with jerk, as it were. He whirled, saw the danger that threatened him, and-sprang to meet it.
 "Bravo!" yelled Webster, and ran to his aid, for he had seen now that 1t was to be knife work. Tragedy in stead of melOdrama.
 The man with the puckered eye closed in with such eagerness it was apparent to Webster that here was work to his liking. The young man raised his light cane, but Pucker-eye did not hesitate. He merely threw up his left forearm to meet the expected blow aimed al his head, lunged for yard and sashed viciously at the young mans abdomen. The latter drew back a step, doubled like a jack knife. and brought his cane down vciously across the knuckles of his nssailant's right hand.
 "So 1t is thou, son of pig" he