Ellsworth American., 1877-11-08

/ There was alsoia wet spot on the sleeve.
II fitted tight Z, her arm aud would not
( come up. The tramp opened his pocket
/ knitr. aud gave ? to her saying. peremp-
tori'y:
"Eip il tup,'
I. she he,itated. ald then. apparently rec
ocnizing that it wss no me for prudery.
f hegsn tn cut and hsggl. st the sleeve.
making sucl poor work that he was evil
deutly on TIE point Of takiug the knife out
81 her hand and doing il tor her. but re-
trained AZ she raised the severed sleeve
ahove the pund white flesh. she turned
aid" itle. so thar he could not see
I There. of i,- outside OF her arm. were two
I rel pune urs' in the flesh. from which a
/ few drop e blood had exuded
Lets see" said the tramp. and she
I showed lin She wasn't thinking OF the
Z proprictis any more.
All hats bad" said he. shaking his
/ head ant looking concerned.
Its 1tal. isn't II ?" she asked. family.
tie dlt not reply 10 words. but his coun-
truAuce Indicated that he had nothing to
say to ID contrary. She sat down on a
rock IN hee limbs trembled under her
\ She was ely pale aud her face was =, Ia
rigid line.
We ut try ia get YOU home at once.
said the amp. who was standing before
her. look down 90 her comrassionately
from his ix-f-et altitude. "wherc do you
liver
lm Iying al the -house in.
but | cau out TO walk aud lost ny way.
aud I've y idea which way /. home" she
: replied, peouslv.
Thatfiniuckv, said he, Tor I'm on
tramp ifol the North. and | don't know
thr count lcxpcc;ed io pull up at the
hotel by ri-bt, but don't know Just
where il Il. "
q, pe5 al DO, hr.I.G.,,;,. cant die here here,
,,t,.n % Of M iii,alcd as,iFITaly cTns,y a, E@n, @
fa,c rsin,oYcs. overcome The % incre,laity ii IN.
Nith whlta Nature iHterposes to prevent
the hr,t spck OF a terrible reality from
crushing g. mind.
Io hrr.vcu her. Antoineite Livingston.
the belle her avenue at hom.. and the
p.f'el % sf a circlci OF wealth and
cG'turc. Il was apparently appointed to
1ie of a su>e's bite 10 desert place With
i tTaL y Il lose hct eyes. 4 wave of self
pity overwhelmed her; her eyes flooded
w.;h tear and she began to sob And
thru. .rrnC cAlmer, she found herself
WuaderluIw hen they would mis- her 81
TIE hotel, Hi begin Ia send ont searching
parties. at bow long Il would be before
they woal fnd her. AID whether she
would 0e iry much dishgured' She had
read such hrri5lc stories about the effects
of raitie-,akc bites, How would her
father fe.N when he arrived At the hotel
from the g boz the morning and fou pd
Der missing or, YET perhaps she would
have been hugh. home by then. What
tommptiu. il would make among the
quests a. ih' ntcl. and how pretty Belle
stacy Noult look 10 tcars-sEc ALWAYS
dsi Mr.. II wood would undoubtedly
admire her. a; il might lead to something.
The tramp W speaking; she had nearly
forgotten hila
sucking ae poison out of the wound
sometimes Ct pcrsoas. We can u least
Try that" "a
Sh" csugh-t the suggestion with an
esSerur-- AlnSt conclusive. aud raised
h-r arm 70 he mouth Bu'. because the
wuuui Na- on1c outside. she ~culd not
trS a. she m'el quite touch it with her
Her cirt. n she twisted her mouth
and pinch, I arm. would have beer
lauchahie h--te emergency been any les
s.tIpu.
You had liter le: me do L."
She Looked him In involuntary amaze
mrui II the para!icled andacity Of the
suggestion"
H. NO time be notional It's llfe or
drAih' said tftraGp. rather Impatient
~.
The logic ofle situation was indeed in.
exuTable she pended her arm. lie knclt
before her andsok the snowy treasure in
bis big, rough brown tirgers. The slen-
der blue-veinc.wiHst he held as tenderly
g. II It had be,ab egg shell. The dimp-
led elbow resuin the palm Of the other
hand Miss Litgston. despite her terri
led prcoccupaih. could not help starting
~ he put hi, mob 10 the flesh. She h,d
not thought that e lips of 60 rough a man
could be 80 soft. that their toucn would
be - Ike a kiss. .here was something a.
once laughab'e Al pathetic IN the attitude
OF The strangely aoried couple during the
mex irw minutes Miss Livings on Kept
her fsce resoluy' 'averted. ard looked in
t.uily a. dista monntain-top, but her
eyes were reallon her arm. Her occa.
sional frtive ghces al the face so closely
pressed TO Ii weia study In their mix ute
nf repugnance, en- 10 loaihing. with in
fen-e anxiety totve him go on.
And vet. II sihad been 10 a mood To
take 4 dispassi ate inventory OF her
framp's appearan she must have admit
ted that. a,hou, rather formidAbly big
and brawny. he ald not have been At eli
a bad looking few II he were once well
shaved and hsd .tter clothes. lie had
been kneeling here her on both knees
tu; nos changed posture To one knee,
and almost instau' thereafter sprang TO
his feet, crying Wi an excitement that
showed how strontad been his repressed
feelings:
Thank God! l. got something that
will save you. WI fool was not to
think OF it before .Tand he pulled flask
out OF his hippock and shook it exul-
family in her face. | heel. as he changed
his posture, had tohed the flask and re-
minded him Of It's eSence. Miss Living
ston looked at him arehensiyely. What
was he going TO do her? lie speedily
made It clear.
"Tha,'s full of wkey, a good pint
NhiSkey is the only ire cure for rattle
snake poison. All ytve got to do is to
driuk 'ti> till you are tnxicated. and then
YOU ar cured"
She had been throue .ssne very novel
experiences that afternn, and done
things which she would net have thought
1t possible she should be bught too do;
but this was rather too mt. II she had
heard this brawny vagahd Alright, he
coollv proposed that she shld drink her
self into q state of insensibi. alone with
him in this remote spot. boured some
liquor into the tin cup whicle took from
the bottom OF the fiask and. tended II to
her. She shook her head, al merely said
Thank you, won't try
What was the use of argu a question
of propriety with tramp:
81 see you are afraid of n he said; Il
can't wonder at that, but il il case of nee
esshy. If you don't drink y are dead IN
an hour. There's at least bare chance
that I'm an honorable fellov but there's
no chance at all if you don IKE the whis-
key This is the time Of 1r when the
poison Is strongest. and thtvas a big iel
low. Your arm Is sweiiinfready."
She glanced at the still thing reptile
with a shudder, and then iher arm II
was indeed swelling. and fang-marks
had grown black. Pitiful aven. must
she choose between TINS intent, horrible
death. and an absolute surreer of herself
, to this vagrant's mercy? ,e rose and
, turned her back on him. LONG away to
, the mountain tops. She walk,a few steps
: 10 and fro. and then turned al asked him
+ IN strained voice:
"But won't this that you'veeen ioing
, draw out the pOisonW