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About Independence enterprise. (Independence, Or.) 1908-1969 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 12, 1909)
The Fighting Chance ROBERT W CHAMBERS Copyrkbt. 1906. by the CurtU rullbhlug Company. Cop) right, by tiuti'Ti V. t'hambera. tSUuui'a eyca bud ttuddeuly narrow ml, (i,,u u laughed, patuug fcagu uiotv t -hecka. " I don't U'lle I ahull boot wry neadily Uu ufteriioou," be said, turning toward tlie group at lum lici.u unler the tm "I wliU tjunrrler well with tb cup." .Noiim'Iim'!" wild Mariou 1'age curtv It. are the cleuuest abet I ever ; "w know." Aud ahe raised her gias to tiai frauUy and emptied it with tua lrt'iKiu characteristic of her: "Your cup! W'ltb all uiy heart!" - also driuk to jour success. Mr. SI ward." ald Sylvia In a low voice, lift ing ber chauipugne glasa lu the sun light "To the Khotover cup If you wish It" lu the little gust of baud flapping aud laughter bo turned again to Sylvia uilllngty. Baying under hla breath. A though wluulug the cup would compensate, uie now for losing Itr Bhe leaned Involuutarily nearer. "You mean that you will not try fur It?" -Yes." That U not fair to me:" Why not?" "Because liecnuae 1 do not ask It of you." "You need not. now that 1 know your wish." "Mr. Slward, 1 my wish" But she had no chance to finish. Al ready Rena Bonnesdel was looking at them, aud there was a hint of amused surprise lu Eileen Sbauuou's mischie vous eyes, averted Instantly, with ma licious ostentation. Then Mariou 1'age took possession of hlui so exclusively, so calmly, that something lu her cool certainty vague ly Irritated Sylvia, who had never liked ber. Besides, the girl showed too plain ly her Indifference to other people, which other people seldom find amus ing. 'Stephen." culled out Alderdene anx iously counting the web loops in his khaki vest, "what do you call fair shooting at these ruffed grouse? Yon needn't be civil about it. yon know." "Five shells to a bird is good shoot ing." answered Siward. Ion't you think so. Miss Page?" "You have' a better score,' Mr. Sl ward," said Mariou 1'age, with a hos tile glauce at Alderdeue, who had not made good.' Inpatient to start, she had turned her tailo;- made back to the company and was Instructing his crest fallen lordship very plainly: "You fire too quickly. Biiuky. Two seconds is j wh;;t you must count when a grouse flushes. You must say. 'Mark, right,' or 'Mark, left, bang!' " And so the luncheon party, lord aud lady, twius and maidens, guides and dogs, trailed away across the ridge, distant silhouettes presently against the sky, then gone. And after a little Vhile the far dry. acceutless report of smokeless powder announced that the opening of the season had been re sumed and the birds were dying fast In the glory of a perfect day. "Are you ready, Mr. Siward?" She stood waiting for him at the edge of the thicket. Miles resumed his game sack and ber fowling piece. The dog came up, looking him anxiously in the eyes. So he walked forward beside her Into the dappled light of the thicket Within a few minutes the dog stood twice, and twice the whirring twitter of woodcock startled her, echoed by tie futile crack of his gun. "Beg pardon, sir." "Yes, Miles," with a glint of humor. "Overshot, sir, exeusin' the liberty, Mr. Siward. Both marked down forty yard to the left If you wish to start em again." "Miles," he said, "my nerve is gone. S'Jf'a things happen. I'm all in. Come over here, my friend, and look at the sun with me." The discomfited keeper obeyed. "Where ought that refulgent lumi nary to scintillate when I faceOsprey Ledge?" "Sir?" s ."' "The sun. How do I hold it?" "On the p'int of your right shoulder, sir. You ain't qulttin', Mr. Siward, sir!" anxiously. "That Shotover cup Is easy yours, sir!" eagerly.. "Wot's a miss on a old drummer, Mr. Siward? Wot's twice overshootin' cock, sir, when a blind dropper can see you are the cleanest, fastest, hard shootin' shot In the hull county?" But Siward shook his head, with an absent glance at the dog. and motioned the astonished keeper forward. "Line the easiest trail for us," he said. "I think we are already a trifle tired. Twigs will do in short cover. Use a hatchet in the big timber. And go slow till we Join you." And when the unwilling and per plexed keeper had started. Siward, un locking his gun, drew out the smooth yellow cartridges and pocketed them. Sylvia looked up as the sba-p metal lic click of the locked breech rang out In the silence. "Mr. Siward!" In quick displeasure. "Yes?" "What you do for your amusements cannot concern me." "Right, as usual," he said, so gayly that a reluctant smile trembled on ber lips. "Then why bave you done this? It Is treasonable If you don't feel as I do about killing things that are having a giKil llaie lu the world. He Mood slieul. absently looking at the fowling pin cradled 111 hi loft arm. "Shad we lt here a moment and talk It over?" be Ugiled llatliwaly. tier blue gai itwept him. Ill vague Kinlle wa IndlnVtvitdr bluud. "It jou aiv tlelermtned uot to snoot might a well start for Ospivv Ledge." h sugijeMed. "Otherwise what reasou I there for our being here together. Mr. SUxard'.'" Awaiting III comment, perhaps en ix-ftlng a counter proMM(ltlou. i-he lean ed again! I lie tree bcidde which he Mood, and after awhile, an bU absent in !u led preoccupation continued: "Io you think the leave are dry euough to alt ou ?" He slipped on hl shooting coat and placed It at the base of the tree. Shtf seated herself, and. aa he eoutlnued to remain standing, she stripped off her shooting glove aud glnnced up nt bliu Inquiringly, "Well. Mr. Siward, I am literally at your feet." "Which redresses the balance lit tle." be aald. finding a place near ber. He sat there, chin propod on bis linked finger, elbow on knees aud. though there was always the hint of a smile In bla pleasant eyes, always the Indefinable charm of breeding in voice and attitude, something now wa lack lng. And after a moment she con eluded that it wa bis atteution. Cer tainly his wits were woolgathering again. His eyes, edged with the shad ow of a smile, saw far beyond ber. far beyond the sunlit shadow where they sat. In his preoccupation she bad found hlui negatively attractive. She glanced at hhu now from time to time, ber eyes returning always to the beauty of the subdued light where all abont them silver stemmed birches clustered like slim shiuiug pillars crowned with their autumn canopy of crumpled gold. "Enchautmcut!" she said uuder ber breath. "Surely au enchanted sleeper lies here somew here." "You," he observed, "unawakened." "Asleep? I?" She looked around at him. "You are the dreamer here. Your eyes are full of dreaming even now. What Is your desire?" lie leaned on one arm, watching her. She had dropped her ungloved hand, searching among the new ly fallen gold of the birch leaves drifted Into heaps. On the third finger a jewel glittered, lie suw It, conscious of its meaning, but his eyes followed the hand Wly heaping up autumn gold a white slim hand, smoothly fascinating. Then the little restless hand swept near to his. almost touching It, aud then instinc tively he took it in his own curiously, lifting it a little to consider Its nearer loveliness. Perhaps it was the uuex lectedness of it, perhaps it was sheer amazement, that left her haud lying idly relaxed like a white petaled blos som in his. After a little while the consciousness of the contact disconcerted her. She withdrew her fingers, with an Invol untary shiver. "Is there no chance for me. Miss Landis?" The very revulsion of self possession returning chilled ber: then auger came quick and hot; then pride. She delib erated, choosing her words coolly enough, "Wrhat chance do you mean, Mr. Siward?" "A fighting chance. Can you give it to me?" "A fighting chance? For what?" very low, very dangerous. "For you." Then in spite of her her senses be came unsteady. A sudden ringing con fusion seemed to deafen her, through which his voice, as if very far away, sounded again: j "Men who are worth a fighting I chance ask for it sometimes, but take It always. I take It" Her pallor faded under the flood of bright color. The blue of her eyes darkened ominously to velvet. "Mr. Siward," she said very dis tinctly and slowly, "I am not even sorry for you." "Then my chance is desperate In deed," he retorted coolly. "Chance! Do you imagine" Her anger choked her. "Are you not a little hard?" he said, paling under his tan. "I suppose wo men dismissed men more gently even such a man as I am." For a full minute she strove to com prehend. "Such a man as you!" sue repeated vaguely. "You mean" A crimson wave dyed her skin to the temples, and she leaned toward him in horror stricken contrition. "I didn't mean that. Mr. Siward! I I never thought of that! It had no weight. It was not in my thoughts. I meant only that you had assumed what Is unwarranted that you your question humiliated me, knowing that I am engaged knowing me so little so" "Yes, I knew everything. Ask your self why I risk everything to say this to you? There can be only one answer." Then, after a long silence, "Have I ever," she began tremblingly "ever by word or look" "No." "Have I even" "No. I've simply discovered how I feel. That's what I was atrti.i l iii',;!t! turn tmin, uui t e. ;iut I tb It auvway twfr It 1 iu too late. "It b li !' from tti vry iuu uteut v,n met. Mr. KUard." And. t rvdiVt-, painfully again. b added eul.Wh, "I mean thai I hid 'ready Jo. i.U d - And. he aald titrtliliif: "Y'n were 1 li.lle r-iiiSh. a litllo maldru with lit. Mr. Kluiird, Men It. ked Hie that n.Hit nii Mi'in! ilinen but never mhiii. no unrvaMMiubij hmiii - ne n itlitt-.it koine :-. latiiiHi , of win ort 40 tluit I toiilil fort" eo I more or If prepared Hot you cme uu warn lug. I -If you had I would have known how to l eemle. wloh l U now." Still he said lioihht. 11 l there l!i.tlH.Hlv MmlilllS the Mltl tot Klow lutp uiivhiff waning, tin the carpet of dead leave at hi feot ia for what vim luiv mild" he added, a little audit curving the a'""! tit mouth. "It l Impulsive, uncoil idcred. a trill Ihi.vIkIi. Mr. Siward. I ..it- n,v,.if ih.. eoiimilmeut of yiv.tr odmvrltv. It l rather nle to lt -iri hoi mi awaken the roina:iv lu a i.ian within a day or two" a ni,ji:n!ut ... W Khali not iiiluuderM.ind e.i. h other again, "hull we?" lb- raised III head, eoimlderlllg b foa litis the niitlle to meet her owu W Klmll U Iwtter friends than ever." he asserted confidently. "Ye. Iftter than ever." "Because what you have done mean the nl.vat sort of friendship, you o You can't escape It" tint lea and re- Kp.iin Ibllltle now. Mr. Klward I ahull exect you to end the greater part of your life In devotedly doing thing! for ine. Beside. I am now privileged to worry you with advice. Oh. you ted ma with all aorta of power now!" He nodded. Kh Murmur to her feet flushed, snill lng. a trifle excited. "Is It all over, and are we the very Ideala of friends?" she asked. "The very Ideals." "You are nice!" she said Impulsively hnl, line out Imth cloveles bands. He hel l them, she looking at hlui very sweetlv. verv confidently. "And you are content?" persuasively. "Of course not." he said. "Then I am sorry for you. Look at that!" turning ber left hand In bla so that the Jewel ou the third finger caught the light "I see It." "Aud yet" "And yet." "That." she, observed, with compo-u-e. "Is t:!ieer'olstlniicy. How can you rr:i!'v care for me? Do you actually Iteileve that devotion cotne3 like that?" "Exactly like that." "So suddenly? It Is Impossible!" with a twist of her pretty shoulders. "I low did it come to you?" be asked between his teeth. Tben her face crew scarlet, aud ber eves grew dark, and her hands con traded In his tightened, twisted fingers entangled, uu til, with a little sob, she sway ed toward him aud he caught her. An Instant a minute more perhaps she did uot know she half lay In his arms, ber un taught llpsclose against his. Lassitude, faint consciousness, then tiny shock ou shock came the burning re. She wayed toward vulsion. aud her him. and he cauaht voice came her. back, too. sounding strangely to her. a colorless, monotonous voice. He had freed her. She remembered that somebody had asked him to per haps herself. That was well. She needed to breathe, to summon strength and common sense, find out what had been done, what reasonless madness she had committed In the half light of the silver stemmed trees clustering in shameful witness on every band. Suddenly the hot humiliation of It overwhelmed her, and she covered her face with her hands, standing, almost swaying, as wave on wave of incredu lous shame seenied to sweep her from knee to brow. That phase passed after awhile. Out of it she emerged flushed, outwardly composed. Into another phase, in full self possession once more, able to understand what had happened without the disproportion of emotional exaggeration. After all, she had only been kissed. Besides, she was a novice, which probably account ed in a measure for the unreasonable emotion coincident with a caress to which she was unaccustomed. With out looking up at blm she found herself saying coolly enough to surprise her self: "I never supposed I was capable of that. It appears that I am. I haven't anything to say for myself ex cept that I feel fearfully humiliated. Don't say anything now. I do not blame you: truly I do not. It was con temptible of me to do it wearing this" She stretched out her slender left hand, not looking at him. "It was contemptible!" She slowly raised her eyes, summonmg all her courage to face him. I pi (To be continued) i George Nessling, marker for Com pany H, Oregon National Guard, of Dallas, wa$ shot in the leg Saturday afternoon by Private Tom Magers. The accident occurred at the rifle range near town. Nessling was rushed at once to the Dallas hospital dreaming wnere 11 was found that hIs wound' about when you asked me. I was while serious, was not fatal. ONCE MORK J n (g re we tlenire to draw your aiteiitlon to ih remarkable l' '' iianu on uualltl.Ti of untju Honed merit. 17 lbs SUGAR 1.00 At Moorca t'ah Sloro Mon day, Tuody and V tinea-day. 11 Pi U -A W p 21 ili-l lyiHiiliiXQ SPECIALS A.t lvroo:re'i3 Gash. 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