St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-25

Presently he saw his way.
''You have thought for every one but
me-" he said, reproachfully. How can
you be so cruel?"
"Cruelp' Janet started little at the
charge. She had certainly forgotten him.
81 beg your pardon" she said. 1T is not
well-bred to interrupt any one. but was
startled. And sometimes Interruptions
happen fortunately, i think 1t was so In
this case"
You mean that my devotion can be
nothing to you?"
She looked at him with her clear, sincere
eyes.
II mean that do not think there Is any
devotion In the matter" she answered.
quietly.
Dulany was about to break into protesta-
lions, but again she started and lifted her
hand.
''Hush!' she said as before. "Some one
is calling"
In fact. from the woods on their left a
lOng-drawn shout was to be heard
Il am sure something has happened. !"
said Janet. and without another word she
was gone. running as rapidly as obstruc-
tiOns would permit toward the guiding
sound.
Dulany stood-and looked after her with a
degree of disgust depicted on his counte-
nance which words could no more describe
than words could have uttered it. That he.
the man of fashion. the man whose atten-
tons were eagerly sought after and received
by women of the world should be treated in
this cavalier manner, not even listened to,
but ignored and set aside for the shout of
boy. Amusement was. if possible. greater
even than anger with him; and disgust. as
already said, overpowered both.
Carrie Mildlnay. who came UP just then
with her attendant train, laughed when she
saw him.
what, all alone?" she said. HAS Janet
dererted your"
Completely" he said, .rousing himself
to the necessity for some assimilation.
In the midst of our conversation one of
the boys shouted in the woods over Wonder.
and she instantly darted away and left me
as you find me-"
But why did you not follow her?" asked
a young man.
Dulany surveyed him calmly. Because, J"
he answered Through the wood. through
the wood, follow and find me. NAV be a
very pretty play, but for my part in it
prefer wood with less underground and
fewer fallen trees"
1T is refreshing to see any one so urcon-
ventional as Janet" said Miss Midway.
'She is perfect child Of nature. con-
fess that am not. and | find nature rather
chilly and fatiguing this morning. Since
we are not doing the least towards finding
the mistletoe, suppose we all go home? Ii
there is any to be found, Janet and the
BOYS will bring it..
The party warmly agreed to this-no one
more warmly than Dulany-and so they
eheerfully turned their faces homeward.
Janet meanwhile, had run on, stumbling
in her haste over many of the fallen trees
which lay across her way, saying to herself
that she was sure that something had hap
pened. 1t was not an ordinary shout that
she had heard, but a cry for help-she was
certain of it. Suddenly it sounded again.
now quite naar at hand, and the next mo-
ment she met one of the boys, running like
herself.
"Oh. Janet!'' he cried. when he saw her.
MIR. Kirby fell from tree where he found
the nistletoe, and til nix he's dead"
Dead! Janet's heart seemed to stand
still. She herself stood still for one in
stant gazing at the boy with dilated eyes.
then she said with sort of gasp: "Where
is he? Show me-quick!'
= He turned and went before her, talking
eagerly. but she did not heed him. Was it
so, indeed? Had that crash been death
warrant, and had she heard it and gone on
quietly listening to inanities? This was
what she was saying to herself while they
broke through the underground towards the
foot of tall tree which Jack pointed out as
the tree Kirby had climbed. HE wouldn't
let me OF Tom go up" the boy said. He
was afraid it wasn't safe. You see it's half
dead and very high. He was reaching for
the mistletoe when the bough he was on
broke. reckon he fell thirty feet"
Then he must be dead" said Janet in
voice that seemed the very echo OF
despair.
They came to him the next minute. He
was lying as he had fallen. with spray Of
the mistetoe clutched in his hand. AS her
glance rested on him, Janet. too, thought
that he was dead: but when she knet down
and felt his pulse she knew that he was
living. Stunned. unconscious, perhaps. but
still living. The discovery at once put new
life and resolution into her. She turned to
the panic-stricken boys.
Run as fast as you can to the road,
Jack. and tell the gentlemen that some OF
them must come here for Mr.. Kirby. See.
Il O, that somebody goes as quickly as pos
BILE the house to send for the doctor.
boa lose an INSTANTLY! AS for you.
Tom. go and lind some water. There must
be some in that hollow yonder. Take my
handkerchief with you and bring it back
wet"
While both boys darted away she bent
over the nsensible man, recalling with
terrible sense of fear recollection of her
childhood, how she had once seen a man
fall from tree and die in few hours.
Would it be the case here? Would this
life. so full of promise, be ended by an ac-
cident at the very season of joy and peace?
1t seemed to horrible to be credible-yet
how white and still he lay! 1t was her
turn now to recall with pang those other
Christmas days when they had looked for
the mstletoe together. and to remember
how, less than hour before, she had fallen
back rather than go ON with him. IF |
had kept with them this might not have
happened" she thought-and then she
added. aloud: ''Oh, Arthur, Arthur, how
can forgive myselfP'
As if her words had been spell. Kirby
opened his eyes. The touch of her hand,
the sound of her voice, had summoned him
back to consciousness.
What had you to do with it?" he said,
family. 1T was-an accident"
Il should have begged you not to climb
that tree if | had been here" she said. Il
wish that | had been!"
81 wished it too" he said. But was
not surprised that you did not come. You
are so changed-to me-"
II have never meant to be-" she said
hastilv-scarcely knowing what she did
say. but thank Heaven you are able to
talk! Do you think that you are much
hurt?"
81 feel badly stunned and shaken. and
perhaps have broken some of my bones
it was stiff fall. All, yesn,-with little
cry. as he tried to rise-''I see there is
trouble with my left shoulder. 1t struck
tIa frrorpd fret