Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-07-20

best.
"You don't think" she returned.
"Tm going to let You go alone /
should have to wait hours before you
/ found door to let me down--except,
indeed, you went and told Goody VIII
son, and l had rather die where / am.
No, no. Come along. I'll show you
how"
With rush and scramble, she was
up over the round back of the buttress
before l had time to understand that
she meant as usual to take the lead.
If she could have sent me back IL por-
ton of her skill and lghtness, ornerve,
or whatever it was just to set me off
with rush like that. But / stood pre-
pairing at once and hesitating. She
turned and looked over the battlements
Of the tower.
"Never mind, Wilfrid," she said,
"Ill fetch you presently"
No, no, / cried. "Wait for me.
I'm coming"
got astride the buttress, and pain
fully forced my way up. 1t was like a
dream of leap frog, prolonged under
painfully recurring difficulties. / shut
my eyes, and persuaded myself that all
| had to do was to go on leap-frogging.
AT length, after more trepldation and
brain turning than | care todwell upon,
lest even now it should bring back a too
keen realization of itself, Preached the
battlement, Selling which, with one
shaking hand, and finding the other
grasped by Clara, | tumbled on the
leads of the tower.
Come along " she said. "You
see, when the girls like, they can beat
the boys-even at their own games.
We're all right now"
81 did my best" | returned might
ly reliveu. "Im not an angel, You
know. ] can't fly like you
She seemed to appreciate The com
pliment.
"Never mind. I've done it before.
1t was game of you to follow"
Her praise elated me beyond meas
ure And it was well.
Come along she added.
She seemed to be always saying,
come along.
/ obeyed, full of gratitude and relief.
She SIX pped to the tiny turret which
rose above our heads and lifted the
door latch. But, instead of disappear
ing within, she turned and looked at me
in white dismay. The door was bolt
ed. Her look reused what there was
of manhood in me. | felt that as it
had now come to the last grasp, ii was
mine TO comfort her
1--WE are no worse than we were |
said "never mind.
81 don't know that, - she answered
mysteriously. "Can you go back as
you came 2 | can't"
| looked over the edge of the battle
ment where | stood. There was the
buttress crossing the angle of moon
light, with it's shadow lying far down
on the wall. | ahuddered Mt the
thought of renewing my unspeakable
dismay. But what must be must. |
Besides, Clara had praised me for
creeping where she could tly; now
might show her that / could creep
where she could not fly.
Il will try" returned /, putting one
leg over the battlement.
'Do take care, Wilfred,' she cried,
stretching ont her hands rs if to keep
me from falling
A sudden pulse rushed through me.
All at once | became not only bold,
but ambitious.
Give me a kiss said, "before l
go"
'Do You make so much of it2' she
returned, stepping back apace. How
much woman she was even then
Her words reused something in me
which even to this day l have not been
able to understand. A sense of wrong
had its share in the feeling; but what
else / can hardly venture to say At.
all events, an iuroad of careless cour-
age was the consequence / stepped
Mt once upon huttress, and stood for
q moment looking 1T her-no doubt
with reproaeh. She sprang toward
me.
Il beg your pardon, she said.
The end Of the buttress was foot
OF two below the level of the leads, .
where Clara stood. She bent over the .
battlement, stopped her face toward me
and kissed me on the mouth. My an .
swer was to turn and walk down to the .
buttress, erect; walk which rs the T
arch of the buttress became sleeper, /
ended in a run aud leap on to the (
gutter of the hall. There | turned. 7
and saw her standing like lady in a
ballad leaning after me in the moon
light, lifted my cap and sped away,
not knowing whittier, but fncying that
ont of her sight l could make up my
mind better, Nor was | mistaken
The moment sat down my brains be-
gan to go about, and in another mo-
ment l saw what might be attempted.
In going from roof to roof, had
soon the llttln nnllarv alnnn which |