Wichita eagle., 1888-01-20

was hardly worth living at the best, poor,
ignorant and dull Even if she is dead,
and I'm sure she isn't, death is not such
a calamity But Jordan's face was
deathly pale, cold perspiration had
started upon his forehead and his lips
quivered piteously. 1t had never, in his
pastorate, yet been required Of him to
stand at the gate of death and usher the
parting soul into the solemn mystery; he
had but once stood at the coffin head and
spoken to the stricken mourners. Now
before his eyes lay the silent form of the
member from whom he had hoped the
most, stricken down, as he felt in his
morbid sensitiveness, by his own hand in
criminal carelessness. Hayward" he
said, with low, unsteady voice, show
shall take her to her mothers She is my
hostess at this charge, the only daughter.
Oh, Nancy, don't you hear me?'
HAYWARD had made bandage of his
handkerchief, and was binding the bleed
ing cut upon the side of her head, a little
back of the temple, smoothing away the
tawny hair, while Jordan had not ceased
to battle her face and chafe her hands.
Both paused suddenly at convulsive
movement of the brown hands and a sud
UCl itibs, VI OAiS Al Lay "otiA "a
claimed in subdued triumph, 'See there,
told yon!" but Jordan shook his head.
at is only muscular; she does not
breathe.n
The sun seemed to rise more slowly
than usual over the Round Top and Old
Foggy and Mount Moriah On that still,
hot October morning. Then, instead of
darling long CLEANS of radiance into the
recesses of Red Cliff and Rattlesnake Val
ley and the Raven Rocks, and lighting
the steep slopes Of the hills into a blaze
Of splendid color, it hung, a greet red
ball. in the purple vapor over Old Foggy.
A girl, carrying pail of water up
steep hillside road, paused to rest upon
stone at the roadside and fan herself with
her sunbonnet. A horseman on a fine
chestnut mare, with a silver gray name
and tail, drew rein to ask:
"Can you tell me, my girl, the shortest
way to the Raven Rocks?"
She told him in the vernacular Of the
hill and with much redundancy, and he
deduced: ''Then I follow this road and
then up, until l take trail through the
woods to the left, on the farther side Of
the next hill?'
''Ya-as, that's the wa-ay-ah," drawled
the girl.
"And how far is it?''
81 reckon ez the road runs, hits about
five miles"
Hayward dropped his bride to put his
right hand into his pocket and the mare,
taking advantage of the liberty, stepped
forward and plunged her nose into the
pail of water.
''Hellor' cried her master, ruefully,
jerking her back. eff you will wait till
we get to the spring, you shall have some
water, Jett Here, my girl" and ne
threw her silver dollar. She threw
back her calico sunbonnet and turned a
pale face with scarlet cheeks and flashing
gray eyes to him.
whats thet fer, mister?" she said,
angrily.
''For your trouble and kindness, and
the mischief my horse has DONE" replied
the nan watching her curiously.
"Thet amt with no dollar, and talk
and water is both cheap in these yer hills"
and she put it into his loose side pocket,
finding that his hand would not receive it.
''Then l shall bring you another pail Of
water, for you look sick, and it is long
up the pail, dashing the water down the
dusty road, and scrambled down the hill.
AS he rounded the curve by the bowlder q
sudden memory flashed into his face. II
thought she looked familiar, but she has
changed so MUCH" he said. Well, am
glad, for Johns sake. But thought she
was gone that day sure, especially after
she had revived, and the laundering doc
L. {la% =
Returning, he found that she had fob
lowed him to take the pail. She was
looking at the spot where she was picking
up her split blackberries on that July
morning when the riders came down the
hill.
''Do you know if Jordan went over to
the Raven Rocks this morning." he
asked, giving her the pail at the top Of
the hill.
"Ya-as; he's powerful sot UP over them
bird tracks an leaves an SIGH in the
rocks. He's wrote to heap of folks that
he knows to come an see 'em an make
pictures of 'eln, but l dunno what use
there is.
Thank you. l am going over myself
to see them. He considers them valu-
able discovery. Good morning" And
lifting his hat to her, he rode gayly off.
The girl stood looking after him, the
color quite gone from her face again.
"He thinks dunno him." she uttered, as
she picked up her pail and went on, print
ing her bare feet in the dust.
The sun rose high in the SOFT purple
haze, q thin, silvery mist folded itself
away from the valleys as the sunshine
came down; cool. fragrant breath came
up from ferny glenS and dripping rock.
The clear whistle of the quail echoed
from crag on crag, and the rustling sheen
of gorgeous color on the slope as fringed
by the somber green OF the hemloCks upon
the tops of the hills.
There had been long drought, and the
autumn came early this year, but came
with such pomp and splendor that even
the duh eyes of the hill people were lifted
80 the hills in their glory. There were
soft, pure clouds furling and unfurling
their snowy folds over Mount Noriah to
the southwark, but after time the blue
haze grew denser and yelled them from
sight. 1t crcpt down the valleys and
settled in impenetrable thickness, until
Hank Ghormlev, looking from his door,
remarked TO his wife:
II reckon them hills along the creek is
a burnin' yet. They was a peddler come
along the road last night said they'd been
a burnin' fur week, and the fire WIZ q
gittin' down to the creek farms an doin'
a heap OF hurt"
''Hit smells closeter N that remarked
his daughter Nancy, raising her fine gray
eyes to the top Of Mount Moriah.
Then she, too, went To the door and
looked long and searchingly Her keen
eyes were trained to measuring distance
and TO piercing wells of vapor When she