Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-01-16

| peneu 10 yOuF"
The exclamation recalledHolt to him
self. He tried to laugh. Then he said,
awkwardly:
81 am glad you agree with me about
women and their way of loving. You
see nm right in deciding not to stay
here and endure the torture of seeing
that girl love someone else. Instead of
waiting until next week before | go. l
can be ready the day after tomorrow.
Holt was looking full in his com
panion's face as he said these words, and
he saw something there that made him
say, sharply, and yet with kind of gut
tural, sound in his voice:
Barron, you love herw
Barron turned away, but Holt saw his
face growred and then pale. Then he
fronted his questioner and said, almost
in whisper:
"If 1 do, you cannot wonder, can
your
Holt was silent long time. So long
that Barron at last came toward him, and
put his hand on his arm, repeating his
question:
"You cannot wonder, can you2"
Instead of replying. Holt said:
81 was thinking of that old saying
about looking at happpiness through
another mans eyes"
"But am not happy yet"
"You will be. Isaw her smile at you
to-day"
"You must not put too much into a
woman's smile"
Though Barron said this, his face
showed that his hope was high.
/" l shall not cut any more wood to-
day." abruptly said Holt. "Will you
go down the hill with me2"
He hurriedly put on his jacket, then
swung his axe over his shoulder. He
looked and acted in haste.
"If see Steuben before noon," he
said, as if to himself, 81 can easily ar
range to leave the day after tomorrow.
Every hour that I stay about here is
misery to me now"
The two men began the descent of the
hill, and went ON half way down in
silence; then Barron suddenly stood
still.
'0That was curious sound" he said.
Holt reused himself.
81 heard nothing" he answered.
"What was it like2"
He spoke indifferently, as if he cared
very little.
81 can scarcely tell. 1t might be a
cry for help"
''Not likely" listlessly.
'But if it were, returned Barron, still
OBTAINING his companion by hand on
his arm eff it were, you would wish to
heed it, would you notm
Holt was plainly impatient; but he
said, "Of course" and tried to. listen.
Then they both heard what might
have been cry, but it had such
strange and suffocated sound in it that
it was impossible to tell if human
voice had uttered it.
"You heard that?" said Barron, who
felt irritated that the other should feel
SO little interest in this sign of distress.
Eyes; but don't know what to make
of it. Some dog, perhaps"
"Whatever it is, shall follow it up"
And he turned off to the left and be-
gan pushing through the thick growing
wood, while Holt kept by his side sui
lenly but persistently, as one having no
interest in the affair in hand
In moment the two had emerged
into space where the trees had been
cut that winter. 1t was somewhat steep
slope down the hill, and here and there
were still small patches of snow, fast
melting beneath this sun.
On one of those patches of white,
close to where a small group of walnut
trees had been left standing, both mem
saw at the same instant the same OBJ
ject.
That object was spot bright red on
the snow, something resembling what
women call ''cloud"
1t was like what Naomi Barto had
worn halfhour ago.
Holt dashed forward a step by the
side of Barron; then, recalling the
smile he had seen given to that man, by
an effort which took all his will, which
was not weak, he drew back, and fol-
lowed the impetuous rush that Barron
made down the hill.
81 will be ready to help, but l will not
be first" was what he thought.
AS they came nearer they saw that a
tree seemed to have fallen, and the next
moment revealed to their eyes that a
woman was pinned down beneath one of
the branches.
They saw the dark hair loosened and
lying on the snow. The face was
turned from them, but neither seemed
to see it to know that it was the woman
they both loved who was in such need
of help.
Hollis eyes mechanically took in the
whole scene, aside from that
helpless figure. He saw that the
tree which had fallen had been sawed
nearly through the butt, and that it
stood ready for the first blow of wind
from the right direction.
He knew, too, or thought he knew,
whose careless work il was.
Strange how many swift thoughts
raced through his mind in the brief time
while he was flying down the hill.
Barron reached the spot an instant be
fore Holt The two men saw at glance
the position of heavy branch across
the girls chest, and saw also from what
place it must be moved.
But Holt had the better Judgment, and
in this terrible moment the cooler eye.
He felt as though every nerve and mus
Gle were strung to the utmost tension.
His swift glance at the suffering face
on the snow told him with almost uner-
ring precision how many minutes longer
Naomi could endure the burden that was
pressing her young life out.
Barron leaped at once to the place,
close to where the tree.limb joined the
trunk. Before Holt could cry out to him
to wait, that they might unite their
efforts, he had seized the limb, and with