The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-07-30

shadows were shield, becoming
each moment mole complete. Nettia
thanked heaven Cor the deepening
shadows of right. Darkness alone
would save her from the fend who had
lured her from home for an awful pur-
pose. What that purpose was Eettie
could well understand. She was not
sure, however, about the mans story.
1t might be true that her husband was
badly hurt. This uncertainty added
to the poor wife's misery, and for the
first ten minutes after her escape from
the clutches of Shiftless Seth she lay
against the ground quite helpless
utterly crushed under the weight OF
her mental burden. The minutes
passed, and still the reckless mill-man
retained his position against the tree.
He knew that had the fair pioneer
continued her flight he would have
seen her moving form ere this. She
was hidden somewhere near, and it
would be an easy task to find her. A
chuckle oozed from the lips of the
man.
"My victory'll be oil the sweeter," he
muttered. "Pm glad night comes. No
body1l ever find us here. and Conrad
Baker'll think his sweet wife's eloped
with the poor coot he despised."
Another gurgling laugh oozed from
the mans lips. He seemed to be en-
joying himself immensely. OF sud-
den he Strengthened up and began
searching the thickets, the heavy
crash of his feet falling on the poor fu-
gitive's ear with painful distinctness.
Every now and then q blood-curdling
laugh would drop from his lips.
Nearer and nearer sounded the awful
tread. Nettie Rugged the ground, her
heart beating wildly, deadly faint
ness filling her whole frame. Would
he find her? Every moment she ex-
pected to feel the clutch of cruel hand
upon her shoulder. Sometimes the
crash of steps seemed almost at her
side, then again they would recede, and
go away farther and farther. Why did
she not spring mp and fee? She could
not answer for herself. She was held
to the ground as by spell.
Minutes seemed hours to that suffer
ing wife. Fainter and fainter grew the
sound of steps; at length q dead silence
reigned over the great woods. The
fear that was all powerful up to this
time began to vanish. Struggling to
her feet Nettie Baker looked about her.
So weak she was that it was necessary
for her to cling to the trunk of the ce-
dar for support. She listened, but
heard only the usual sounds of the sum
mer night. Nettie breathed easier.
Darkness, deep and profound, hung
like pail over the woods. Nettie could
see nothing. She could feel the black
ness of the night, however. Where
was the demon who had lured her from
home in the hope of accomplishing her
ruin? Perhaps lying in wait for her to
make her presence known, when he
would pounce upon her. This thought
held poor Nettie to her position for
many minutes more. Standing there in
the gloom without moving was tire
some.
Nettie realized that she was lost in
the woods, even should she never meet
with her enemy again. She might
never find her way to Solomon's mill,
or to the little cabin on the bank OF
Brler Greek. Death by starvation,
however, was preferable to the doom
the presence of Shiftless Seth invited.
Perhaps an hour passed, and then
Nettie began moving away from the
spot. Slowly and painfully she made
her way through the thickets, and
climbed over logs and hillocks, going,
as seemed to her, directly toward her
house. The blackness of her surround
ings, however, rendered it impossible
for her to take her bearings. She only
moved along in blind way that might
lead her deeper into the woods. That
was a tiresome walk, one that Nettie
Baker was not to forget to her dying
day.
At length, clambering upon log.
the fair pioneer came to halt. 1t
seemed to her that she must have gone
far enough to reach home, but no sign
of clearing or houses was to be dis
cerned. If Conrad was well, as she be-
lieved was the case, he would certainly
keep light burning, and would scour
the wood in search of his missing wife.
She could not be near the house, and
she was we'll nigh exhausted.
"Oh, dear!"
With this exclamation, poor, tired.
wretched little Nettie slipped from the
log, and fell in helpless heap to the
ground. She had miscalculated the
distance, and wrenched her ANGLE ter
ribly. An effort to rise brought moan
to her lips. She could go no further,
if she would, and, covering her face
with her hands, Nettie Baker lay sadly
moaning until tired nature was over
come in sleep.
When the young wife opened her
eyes once more her vision was greeted
with the gray light of day. Night had
passed, and with q relieved feeling
Nettie attempted TO rise. A sharp pain
in her limb brought cry to her lips.
She could not rise, if she WOULD.
Found! I'll value you highly after
the race you've gin me-"
1t was horrible laugh that followed
the words. A hand fell on the shout
der of poor Nettie Baker, and she was
dragged from the low ground upon an
open spot above. Nettie cried out
with the pain in her foot and ankle.
She gazed up into the face of Shift
less Seth, to see there look that sent
shudder ofhorror to the heart of the
poor girl-wife. Her foot was forgotten
then.