The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-12-04
The Great Dea
wood Mystery.
Copyrighted, 1886, by Houghton, Mill
lin & Co., and published by arrangement
with them.
BY BRET HARTE.

Miss aIlCe ueiBlou no TeplSi put uo" ss's
loop of the lasso over her shoulders, and let
it drop to her round waist Then she essaye'i
tothrow the other end TO her guide. Dismal
failure The first fling nearly knocked her
OFF the ledge; tho second went all wild against
the rocky wall the third caught in thorn
bush, twenty feet below her companions feet.
Miss Alce's arm sunk hclplessly to her side,
at which signal of unqualified surrender, the
younger guide threw himself half way down
the slope, worked his way to the thorn bush,
hung for a moment perilously over the para
pet, secured the la$So, and then began to pull
away at his lovely burden. Miss Alice was
no dead weight, however, but steadily half
scrambled on her hands and knees TO within a
foot or two of her rcscucr At this too
familiar proximity, she stool up, and leaned
"a little stihy against the Tine, causing tho
trliIc h. give an extra pull, which had the
lamcntuhlc effect Of landing her almost in his
arms. rs it was, her intelligent forehead
struck A.s nose sharply, and | regret to add,
treating Of n romantic situation, caused that
somewhat prominent sign aud token OF a
hero to bleed freely Mis-, Alice instantly
ciappad handful of snow over h' hoS'fiH
"Now elevate your right arm, sue ''''d
commanlnSlN
IL did rs h. was hidden, but -u'ElIy'
"Thu, compress, the artery
No man, with pretty womans hand and
Il handful OF snow over MS mouth an" nose
could th'cuNci! u.Lef L-!'i. sentence nor
with ms arm elevated St'n'y over us helh
assume a heroic attitude hu'' "i''' MS
mouth was free again, he S"AH nan sunny
ha!!apo.osetlca!ly
Il might Fave Known GHI '"llull 'Ai'"
worth cent.
Nv N.Y. demanded Miss Alice Sharply
"B"raUse-"hy because you zee 'hey
haven't got the experience, lie stalilih'Fed
fcebiy,
Nonsense! they haven't theclavicle-that'
all, It's becau~' I'm woman, ana smaller
in the collar bone that haven't the play OF
the forearm which you have See Hhe
squared her shoulders slightly, and turned
the blaze Of her dark eyes full on his. Tx
pclicncc, indeed 4 girl can learn anything
boy can
Apprehension took the place Of ill-humor in
her nearer. he turned his eyes hastily away,
and glanced above him. The elder guide had
gone forward 10 catch Miss Alices horse,
which, relieved of his rider, was founder
ing toward the trail. Mrs Rightbody was
nowhere TO BE- seen And these two were
still twenty feet below the trail!
There was All awkward pause.
"Shall | pull YOU up the same way" he
qucricd Miss Alice looked at his nose, and
heaitatcd. "Or will you take my hand" he
added, in surly Impotence. To his surprise,
Miss Alice took his hand, and they began tho
ascent together
But the way was difficult and dangerous.
Once or twice her feet slipped on the smoothly
worn rock beneath, and she confessed TO an
inward thankfulness when her uncertain fomi-
nine handgrlp was exchanged for his strong
arm around her waist Not that be was UNI
gentle but Miss Alice angrily felt that he
had once or twice exercised his superior mas
culinc functions in rough way; and yet the
next moment she would have probably re-
Jecteu inc luca Jliht she hau even noticed IL.
There was no doubt, however, that he was
little surly
fierce scramble finally brought them
back in safety 10 the trail but in the action
Miss Alicc's shoulder, striking projecting
bowldcr, wruns from her feminine cry OF
pain, her first sign Of womanly weakness.
The guide stopped Instantly.
~ AN afraid hart you"
She raised her brown ashes, trine moist
from suffering, looked in his eyes. and droppol
her own. Why, She could not tell. And vet
he had certainly u kind face, despite its seri-
business: and line face. albeit unshorn md
weather beaten Her own eyes had never
been SO near > any mans before. savo her
lovers; and vet She had never seen so much
in even his. She sIipped her hand away NOT
with any reference to him. but rather 10
,ond.r nvor fiji, .i,,,,,Io,. or,o,.;.,,,,., o,,,
somehow. felt uncomfortable thereot
Nor was ne les, So It was but n row 1oys
ago that he had accented the charre of mi.
Young woman from the elder Guide vbo.,,.
the recognized escort Of the RighthoJv n,,,,.
having been former correspondent If her
fathers He had been hired liko any o.hrr
guidn lint had urjnrt,l,nn tbo t,.,, ,.,,,. ,,,t