The Argosy — page 282: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

aiid Winifred Power. 261 him along the top of the barricade under a murderous volley of musketry. For fresh troops had arrived, and were encouraging the others. ‘The next moment the barricade was again stormed and taken; but a final desperate stand of the Communards had given Monsieur Richard time to escape. He was wounded in the hand and bleeding ; nevertheless, he reached a church that served for a tem- porary hospital, and gave Réné into the care of a doctor. Then he had his hand bound up, but he was faint from loss of blood, and could not go so far as his own home. Besides, he feared to com- promise his people. So he took refuge with a medical student, a friend of his. In the night his wound became worse; he was feverish, a little delirious even, and only to-day had been able to send his friend first to enquire for Réné (who was better and had told the story of his rescue), then to Claire. “And did he send no message to his family—his friends?” exclaimed Dolly, always practical. | *‘ Yes, indeed,” answered the fleuriste, warmly. ‘‘ But the gentle- man had engagements; he had lost time at the hospital; he begged her to take the good news. She went, but Madame and Mademoiselle Dallas were out, gone to Versailles to make enquiries there, pauvres cheres dames; she could not wait, and had decided, as the next best thing, to come to Winifred and leave the message, with every expression of her own everlasting gratitude.” “You see Mr. Dallas may not talk very grandly, Winifred ; but he can act,” said Dolly, triumphantly. ‘I hope he will one day know how proud you are of him, dear,” answered Winifred ; and her own eyes were bright. CHAPTER XXIX. DOLLY. Dick strolled in a day or two later, looking pale, and with his arm in a sling, otherwise quite unconcerned. Dolly and Winifred hap- pened to be present, with Mrs. Dallas and Georgie; they all sprang up to greet him in glad excitement. But Mr. Dallas, at work upon some illustrations, looked up from his drawing-block with an air of calm contemplation ; and his composure was fully equalled by Dick’s own. Outwardly he was rather bored than otherwise by these loving demonstrations, and if anybody could be said to have obtained an answering look from him, it was certainly Dolly. She had, indeed, gone up to him in such eager welcome, looking so pretty in her _ pleasure the while, that his courtesy was momentarily transmuted into a warmer sentiment. “You had no need to be anxious about me. You must have known I could take care of myself,” he said carelessly, in answer to their affectionate reproaches. cCoOnnicloooks (CO)