The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-01-02
EXTRA-HAZARDOEs.

ne mop lnaL evening was 10 Dt
quite the event of the season at The
- House, one of the most fash
ionable summer resorts among the
hills of New England Most of the
youno ladies were getting up their
compilations in their rooms, and Miss
Antoinette Livingston was starting
forth TO refresh hers where she bad
originally obtained it-out in the sun
and breezes; not that its delicate tiur
looked in particular need of refresh
ment, as she stood on the piazza ar.
rayed in a blue-cloth walking-suil
that fitted well to the full yet plant
lines of her rather tall figure. A lit
tie white plume was stuck in the
jaunty blue hat, the shining yellow
hair, the envy of the other girls, fel
in loose knot down her shoulders
and her dark blue eyes with which
she scanned the surrounding peaks
of the lordly mountains, were a
wide-opened, clear, and confident, a:
a child's-a child's who has never
been frightened. And who indeed
should they not, seeing that nc
child was ever more sedulously pro
tected from all that could shock, pain
or grleve, in the harsh realities of the
world. The pet OF the family thai
had been wealthy for generations
the aattered queen oftbe circle her
beauty had drawn around her, the
walls and angles of life were indeed
all upholstered for her, and the Prov.
idence she said ner prayers to was
a very polite and gentlemanly deity
Miss Livingston finally finished
her inspection Of the mountains and
started off briskly for her walk,
drawing after her to the next turn oil
the road skein of admiring glanees
from the groups of ladies and gentle,
men on the piazza, as one pulls out a
ball of molasses-csndy. An hours
walk, seasoned with botaniziDg, was
her usual afternooa recreation, and
she had not intended that the pro-
gramme to-day should differ from the
customary one. But, yielding to the
seductions of an old wood-road, halt
with bushes and young
trees, she was beguiled on from one
fork and turn to another, until she e.
nally found herself fairly in the
woods, the road having passed by
insensible gradations into the forest.
At first she was not much disturbed,
having no doubt that she could re-
gain the road and go out as she
came in. But, after walking vigor-
ously for half an hour without com
ing to anything, lump began to
come up in her throat, and she was
forced to admit that she was lost.
She had now come to an open,
rocky place, where the trees had
grown infrequent and stunted, and
the sun fell hotly on slabs of granite
scattered around and interspersed
with tindery mosses and whortleber-
ry-bushes. With the feeling that she
was lost, the strength suddenly left
her limbs, and she sat down on the
shady side of mass OF rock, feeling
very much like crying, aud with con-
siderable ado to keep that lump in
her throat from growing unmanage-
able. Although the lovely color bad
somewhat left her face, know aell
the old rock had never borne pret.
tier flower on its rugged bosom. 1t
would not do to give way to her feel
ings, however; she must keep her
wits about her, and so she bit her
lips to prevent them trembling, and
sought, by an effort OF the will, to still
the beating Of her heat But these
praiseworthy efforts at self-control
were suddenly nulli6ed by sight
that for moment stopped her heart
A big rough looking man was
walking with swinging gait across
one end of the opening. The
sloucbed hat, the eoatless flannel
shirt, the bronzed face and unkemp
beard, the bundle on q stick across
his shoulders, left no sort of donbt
in her mind that be was 9 genuine,
unadultersted, and unusually formid-
able example of the species tramp
that variety of wild beasts that has
succeeded The bears ard wolves iu
the undisturbed possession of Ameri-
can fields and forests. A hundred
tales Of the violent and bloody do
logs which have made the tramp the
terror of women and children the
through. with the sense Of
her utterly helpless position, flashed
through Miss LiviugstoD's mind.
Apparently be had not yet seen her.
Scarcely daring to breathe, she rose
to crouehing posture, and, without
taking her eyes from the tramp, ST.
lently stepped backward around the
rock. in whose shadow she had been
sitting, and, to ber intense relief,
found herself at length withdrawn
from bis possible view.
How loud the crickets sangl There
it Was again; in spite Of her preoccu-