Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-07-10

heels.
"Nonsense. Trudge along; it's
growing colder every moment. It's
death to give up"
Strathley staggered along for a
few PAGES with Lorrimer's aid, but
soon came TO q halt.
81 tell you, Lorrimer, it's no go;
you'll have to leave me and push
ahead"
an carry you first"
"That deuced fall took all the
pluck out Of me. / might find
courage to crawl if l was sure it
wasn't a tomfoors errand-if we
were on the right track-but it
would be a sin to keep you here in
this weather. I'll wait awhile and
catch my breath. Do you go on.
I'll overtake you sooner or later"
"Will you! If leave you, you
will never take another step, you'll
Just doze off into the other world.
The only safe thing for us to do is
to keep jogging till we drop; any
thing else is suicide, and'-with an
effort-"there's Margaret"
Eyes" drowsily, "there's Margar-
ct, to be sure. | must malIe-an
effort-for her sake! But you
push along-l'll follow. l couldn't
walk just yet to save myself from
perditiou, I'm SO stunned-and
shaken no-I-couldn't."
Lorrimer leaned against the near
est tree and waited 10 desperation.
1t was bitter cold, he owned, and
his powers of persuasion were ex-
hausted; but to leave the man to
his own devices was certain death
and what then! Was he his
brothers keeper Why should he
hazard life and love for this strang-
err who had stepped between him
self aud happiness Did he owe
Mr.. Strathley aught! He started
forward a few paces-perhaps the
camp was near at hand and he
could bring help. But what was
he doing! Deceiving himself !!
Should he leave Strathley behind 7
Would he be able to fluid him in
the dark! Would any balloo Of
his waken him from that deathly
sleep into which he was fast falling!
But there was Margaret--would
she not be all his own again ! And
then he hung his head there in the
thick darkness. Only an instant,
it may be, he paused in the shud-
dering night, and he turned back
to Strathley--already slipping into
eternal sunderland half dragged,
half carried him forward Some
times he rested and took breath (;
sometimes his sluggish burden
slipped from his hold awhile some
times he shouted for help, and the
bowling wolves seemed to mock
him.
"For Gods sake, lay me down
and let me die !" groaned Strathley,
between fainting and sleeping.
"Margaret-can eyplain-every-
thing-who could bear a grudge--
against a ghost' She loved me
through good and evil reports
Lorriner picked up his burden
and trudged on. Was that star
glinting through the trees, or the
moon rising big and red 2 or was it
great heavens could it be the
camp FIRE shining like the gates of
Paradise Some one coming out
into the night, closed the rude
camp-door. behind him and shut
them out into darkness again. Lor-
rimer plunged forward with cry
for help, and fell fainting with his
burden within few yards of the
camp.
"If it had not been for you, Lor-
rimer," said Mr.. Strathley, next
day, when he found himself too
lame and frost-bitten to lift himself
from the bed of spicy boughs, such
as the camp afforded, eff it hadn',
been for you, should have slept
out last night. And it was at the
risk Of your own life, too! Greater
love than this bath no man And
you thought | was Margaret's lover
all the while That's what l cal
; heroic. I'm going to put you on
of your misery. Look at me, Johr
}, Lorrimer. Did you ever see Ber
. Bevis-Wild Ben they used to cal
bim-though believe he was los
at sea, wasn't he, before you wer,
, grown upl / see there's stone il
the burying-ground to his memory
> eh Well, the prodical son has re