The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-04-30
CHAPTER TX.

lima had not the least idea where she
was going, and did not care, so long as she
escaped Roland. Indeed she wanted TO
escape from every living thing, and the
wilder the country grew the better pleased
she was. Up hill aud down dale she went,
and along rocky paths, till she came at
last TO a deep gorge, the sides of which
were thickly clothed with yerdure.
The place looked like an enchanted dell,
and brought to llnRs ready Imagination
the old legend of the knight who rode
with the cross hilt Of his sword uplifted
through the enchanted groves. She Won
dered If the superstition OF the country
folk had peopled the glen with elves and
other mysterious beings, and II the hoof-
marks her quick eye detected among tho
thick moss that carpeted the ground were
those Of u headless steed, like the one that
haunted the precincts of the Alhambra.
The entrance to the gorge sloped grad
ually from were lima stood. AT another
time she would have deliberately skirted
the verge for the pleasure of scrambing
down; but now she had lost her wild, high
spirits, and walked onward slowly, swing
Ing her hat and listening to the singing Of
the birds In the trees, and watching with
dreamy interest the sunlight among the
leaves Deeper and deeper she went into
the dell thinking she would discover the
outlet; for, she argued, there surely was
an outlet, since the hoot-marRs were still
visible going one way, and there was no
sign Of return journey.
II was strange, the girl said to herself,
that she had never heard OF this wildly
beautiful spot before. Stay! She stood
still for moment, trying TO remember.
Yes; had not Rose, only the other day,
talked Of the Abboys Dell, which was said
TO be hauntedY No doubt this was the
place. Haunted! Then she need have no
fear .of meeting any one. But the hoof-
marksi The girl had moved onward, but
now halted again with u sudden throb at
the heart. There was one man who cared
nothing for peasants tales. She glanced
behind her, but saw no sign of any living
creature, save the birds In the branches
and the scuttllng squirrels. She listened.
There was dead silence, though indeed
OH the messy ground even horses step
would not he audible till the animal were
within twenty yards.
She bent down and examined the marks
moro attontiyoly. An Indian would have
made moro Of them, light as the impress
WINS; but lima could see that they were
those Of smal.hooiod animal, though
whether they were recent or not her
knowledge did not enable her TO determine.
Had Hassan passed that way? Well, why
frighten herself soy II might have been
yesterday, or two days before, or three
hours ago, that Sir Philip had ridden
through the glen; and, II It were only
five minutes ago, he would be far ahead Of
her, far out OF sight before she reached
4 che end. But how the mere thought of
his having been so near--pcrhaps no re-.
cently---made her heart beat Aud how,
argue ~ she would, her lips quiycrod and
her eyes gazcd fearfully before her with
/. every onward step She took! How she
started at every rustic OF a leaf, ~ though
she expected 10 see an eiln creature In.
stead Of d bird shoot forth from the brake
Il Another turn, and no sign yet or the