use a brown-faced girl of seventeen precipitated
herself through the air in the midst of a shower of torn card-board
which she threw before her as she leaped. She lit upon her toes and
headed for the gate at top speed, pursued by a pale young man whose
thin arms strove spasmodically to reach her. Scattering snow behind
them, hair flying, the pair sped on like two tattered branches before a
high wind; for, as they came nearer Eugene (of whom, in the tensity of
their flight, they took no note), it was to be seen that both were so
shabbily dressed as to be almost ragged. There was a brown patch upon
the girl's faded skirt at the knee; the shortness of the garment
indicating its age to be something over three years, as well as
permitting the knowledge to become more general than befitting that her
cotton stockings had been clumsily darned in several places. Her
pursuer was in as evil case; his trousers displayed a tendency to
fringedness at pocket and heel; his coat, blowing open as he ran, threw
pennants of torn lining to the breeze, and made it too plain that there
were but three buttons on his waistcoat.

The girl ran beautifully, but a fleeter foot was behind her, and though
she dodged and evaded like a creature of the woods, the reaching hand
fell upon the loose sleeve of her red blouse, nor fell lightly. She
gave a wrench of frenzy; the antique fabric refused the strain; parted
at the shoulder seam so thoroughly that the whole sleeve came away--but
not to its owner's release, for she had been brought round by the jerk,
so that, agile as she had shown herself, the pursuer threw an arm about
her neck, before she could twist away, and held her.

There was a sharp struggle, as short as it was fierce. Neither of
these extraordinary wrestlers spoke. They fought. Victory hung in the
balance for perhaps four seconds; then the girl was thrown heavily upon
her back, in such a turmoil of snow that she seemed to be the mere
nucleus of a white comet. She struggled to get up, plying knee and
elbow with a very anguish of determination; but her opponent held her,
pinioned both her wrists with one hand, and with the other rubbed great
handfuls of snow into her face, sparing neither mouth nor eyes.

"You will!" he cried. "You will tear up my pictures! A dirty trick,
and you get washed for it!"

Half suffocated, choking, gasping, she still fought on, squirming and
kicking with such spirit that the pair of them appeared to