en ee ne EE DS er 
NORTH SHORE BREESE 
Cowardice 
Court 
By 
GEO°GE BARR MCUTCHEON 
Copyright ‘96 Dodd Mead & Co. 
[CONTINUED.] 
nis iordship leaped half out of 
his corduroys, turned with agonizing 
abruptness toward the tall young man 
and gasped “Oh!” so shrilly that his 
horse looked up with a start. The 
next instant his watch dropped forgot- 
ten from his fingers,and his nimble 
little legs scurried for territory beyond 
the log. Nor did he pause upon 
reaching that supposedly safe ground. 
The swift glance he gave the nearby 
river was significant as well as appre- 
hensive. It moved him to increased 
but unpolished haste. 
He leaped frantically for the saddle, 
seorning the stirrups, landing broad- 
side, but with sufficient nervous ener- 
gy in reserve to scramble on and up- 
ward into the seat. Once there he 
kicked the animal in the flanks with 
both heels, clutching with his knees 
and reaching for the bridle rein in 
the same motion. The horse plunged 
obediently. but came to a stop with 
a jerk that almost unseated the rider; 
the sapling swayed; the good but for- 
goiten rein held firm. 
“Ha!l’ gasped his lordship as the 
horrid truth became clear to him. 
“Charge, Bonaparte!’ shouted the 
man in the road. 
“Soldiers!” cried the rider, 
wild look among the trees. 
“My dog,” called back the other. 
“He charges at the word.” 
“Well, you know, I saw service in 
the army,’’ apologized his lordship, 
with a pale smile. “Get ep!’ to the 
horse. 
“What's your hurry?’ asked Shaw, 
grinning hroadly as he came up to the 
log. 
“Don’t—lon’t you dare to step over 
that log!” shouted Bazelhurst. 
Ally Tighteiet but, after all, 
what’s the rush?’ The other was puz- 
vled for the moment. 
with a 
, 
see; 
“Tm practicing, sir,’ he said un- 
steadily, “how to mount on a run, 
demmit. Can't you see? 
“Iu case of fire, I imagine. Well, 
you made excellent time. By the way, 
what has this envelope to do with it?” 
“Who are you, sir?” 
"Shaw. Aud sou?” 
“You'll learn when you read that 
aoe, SR tee ee 
“Ah, yes; I see it’s for me. Why 
don’t you untie that bitch rein? And 
what the dickens do you mean by hav- 
ine a hitch rein anyway? No rider’— 
“Confound your impudence, sir! 1 
did not come here to receive instruc- 
tions from you, dem you!" cried his 
lordsbip defiantly He had succeeded 
at that moment in surreptitiously 
slashing the hitch rein in two with his 
pocketknife. There was nothing now 
to prevent him from giving the obtru- 
sive youpg map a defiant farewell. “1 
am Lord Bazelhurst. Good day, sir!” 
“Just a minute, your lordship,” call- 
ed Shaw “No doubt you were timing 
yourself a bit ago, but that’s no reason 
why you should leave your watch on 
wy tand.-Of course I’ve nothing 
against the watch, and, while I prom- 
ise you faithfully that any human be- 
ing from your side of the log who 
ventures over on my side shall be 
ejected in one way or another, it would 
seem senseless for me to kick this 
timepiece into the middle of next 
week.” 
“Don’t you dare Kick that watch. 
It’s a hundred years old.” 
“Far be it from me to take advan- 
tage of anything so old Don’t you 
want it any longer?” 
“Certainly, sir 1 wouldn’t part from 
ito 
“Then why don’t you come over and 
get it? Do you expect me to break the 
rule by coming over on to your land to 
hand it to you?” 
“TI shouldn’t cal! that trespassing, 
don’t you know,” began his lordship. 
“Ah! Nevertheless, if you want this 
watch you’ll have to come over and 
get it” 
“By Jove, now, that’s a demmed 
mean trick. I’m mounted. Beastly 
annoying. 1! say, would you mind 
tossing it up to me?” 
“I wouldn’t touch it for $10. By the 
way, I'll just read this note of yours.” 
Lord Bazelhurst nervously watched 
him as he read; his heart lightened per- 
ceptibly as he saw a good humored 
smile struggle to the tall young man’s 
face It was, however, with some mis- 
giving that he studied the broad shoul- 
ders and powerful frame of the erst- 
while poacher. “Very good of you, I’m 
sure, to warn me.” 
“Good of me? It was imperative, let 
me tell you, sir. No man can abuse 
my servants and trample all over my 
land and disturb my fish”— 
“Excuse me, but I haven’t time to 
listen to all that. The note’s sufficient. 
You’ve been practicing the running 
mount until it looks well nigh perfect 
to me. so I'll tell you what I’ll do. Pl 
step back thirty paces and then you 
come over and get the watch - if you’re 
not afraid of me—and I'll promise” — 
“Afraid? Demmit, sir, didn’t I say I 
was Lord Bazelhurst? Of the guards, 
sir, and the Seventy-first? Conf” — 
“You come over and get the watch 
and then see if you can get back to 
the horse and mount before I get to the 
lag If I heat vou there. you lose. 
How’s that?* 
“TI decline to make a foo! of myself. 
Hither you will restore my watch to 
me or | shall instantly go before the 
“Afraid? 
Didn’t | 
Bazelhurst?” 
say | was Lord 
authorities and take out a warrant. I 
came to see you on business, sir, not 
folly. Lady Bazelhurst herself would 
have come had I been otherwise occu: 
pied. and I want to assure you of her 
contempt. You are a disgrace to het 
countrymen. If you ever put foot on 
our land I shall have you thrown inta 
the river. Demmit, sir, it’s no laugh. 
ing matter My watch, sir” 
“Come and get it.” 
“Scalawag!” 
“By George, do you know if you get 
too personal | will come over there.” 
Randolph Shaw advanced with a 
threatening scowl. 
, “Ha, ha!” laughed his lordship shrilly, 
“I dare you! He turned his horse’s 
head for home and moved off a yard 
or more. “Whoa! Curse you! This is 
the demdest horse to manage I’ve ever 
owned. Stand still, confound you! 
Whoa!” 
“He’ll stand if you stop licking him.” 
“Halloa! Hey. Bazelhurst!"’ came a 
far distant voice. The adversaries 
glanced down the road and beheld twe 
horsemen approaching from Bazel- 
hurst Villa—the duke and the count. 
“By Jove,” muttered his lordship, 
suddenly deciding that it would not be 
ronvenient for them to appear on the 
scene at its present stuge, “my friends 
are calling me Her ladvshin doubt- 
