Page 128 (1/1)
Neither Gretchen nor the vintner saw Wallenstein, who remained quietly by the door He watched them with an evil smile He would teach this pretty fellow a lesson After sohtly toward the lovers They did not hear him till he was almost upon them
"A pretty picture!"
Gretchen colored and the vintner flushed, the one with dis idyl!"
"Leave us, Gretchen," said the vintner, with a deceiving gentleness
Gretchen started reluctantly down the path, her glance bravely before her She knew that Wallenstein would not o round him She was not afraid to leave her vintner alone with this officer But she miscalculated the colonel's reckless audacity As she stepped off the path to go round hirasped her rudely and kissed her on the cheek She screaht Carmichael upon the scene He itness to the second kiss He saw the vintner run forward and dash his fist into the soldier's face Wallenstein, to whom such an assault was unexpected, fell back, hurt and blinded The vintner, active as a cat, saw Car on a run He darted toward hied the sword-cane away The blade, thin and pliant, flashed And none too soon The colonel had already drawn his saber
"Save hi her hands
The two blades met spitefully, and there were method and science on both sides But the sword-cane was no match for the broad, heavy saber Half a dozen thrusts and parries convinced the colonel that the raging youth knehat he was doing Doooped the saber cuttingly The blade of the sword-cane snapped like a pipe-ste the broken part at the colonel's head The latter dodged it and came on, and there was death's intent
Meantime Carmichael had found a short hop-pole, and with this he took a hand in the contest The pole was cluer than steel He hit the saber with good-will Back came the steel The colonel did not care whom or what he struck at now When Car his hop-pole as the old crusaders did their broadswords And this made short work of the duel The saber dropped uninjured, but the colonel's arainst the arbor, his teeth set in his lip, for he was in agony Carer abated none
"You're a fine example of a soldier! Are you mad to attack a man this way? They will break you for this, or my name's not Carmichael You couldn't leave her in peace, could you? Well, those two kisses will prove expensive"