The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1891-05-23
GRACE EDRINGTON; {;
Snowbound in the Rockies.
STORY OF MISSOURI AND COLORADO.
A STORY OF MISSOURI AND COLORADO
JAMES Il. PAYNE.

the plain and there he felt sure hi.
shovel could be thrown aside.
After supper he and Grace sat befor,
the glowing fire talking pleasantly OF
such subjects as came to their minds
Grace was quite vivacious and Howard
in unusual spirits, and ten O'Clock came
before either thought of the speeding
of the hours. Then rising, he bade
her ''good night" once more, and re-
tired to his couch in the stable annex.
The next day passed very much as
the preceding one. Howard had ex-
tended his road nearly three hundred
yards further and found, as he had
hoped, that the further he got from the
shelter of the mountain slope the shall
lower became the snow.
With hope mounting high in his heart
he told Grace how he was succeeding,
and assured her that her imprisonment
promised to be of short duration.
"How can | ever repay your kind
ness to an entire stranger?" she asked,
turning her violet eyes upon him with
look of deepest gratitude.
elf you knew how pleasant it is to
me to serve you," he said, with much
earnestness, ''you would hardly ask
that question:
"But you periled your life to save
me from the Indians and you are now
periling your health to get me away
from here, and | cannot help feeling
that | owe you debt shall never be
able to pay. Is there not some way
can serve you when l get away to my
own home again? Are there not friends
lis there not some relative or dear
one back in the states to whom can
bear message for yOu?" she asked.
NO." he said mournfully, ''there is
none, none in the wide, wide world to
care whether live or die And the
mans head sank upon his breast and a
deep drawn sigh, freighted with sad
ness, escaped from him.
"Tell me something of your past
life" pleaded she, all her womanly SYM
pathy touched by his tone and manner.
The request startled him and brought
a great agony to his soul. His heart
beat painfully and he struggled hard to
hide his emotion from her.
"No, no; pray pardon me. can
not!n he exclaimed. 1.-The past is
buried. Let it not be recalled. Suffice
it to say my life, my hope, all my am
bition and lofty aspirations were blast,
ed years ago. Should l tell you my
story, Il story | have never told to any
living soul, it would frighten you; fol
there is one, she who scorned my love
and blighted my hope and heart, whose
treatment | have never mentioned since
the day we parted because ! could moi
do SD without curse
"Alay she not have had cause, ol
thought she had; causes you know not
of, for her conduct?''
"No; she was false, as false as she
was lovely and fair, but-pardon me, il
is too painful, l cannot talk of it
and rising he abruptly left the room.
At breakfast the next morning Grace
was inclined to be talkative, but stud
iously avoided any reference to the con
versation of the previous evening. Thi.
sad hearted, brave and chivalrous man
who was SO considerate of her comfor
and safety, filed her with strange in
terest, and now, knowing that he had ;
great heart sorrow, she lOnged to com
fort him if she could, and assuage tn,
anguish of his lacerated and bleeding
heart. But his manner of the previou:
evening convinced her that it would bt
very delicate task to accomplish, anC
| she finally concluded to let the matter
drop.
Howard was moody and silent. A,
soon as breakfast was over, he wen
back to his work, and she saw nothing
more of him until he came in for hi:
noon lunch. As soon as he had dis
patched this he returned to his labors
Grace could see him at work from
the top of the snow drift at the house
but feared that her presence would no
be pleasant to him. She was unusually
lonesome, and there was sutficien
crust on the snow to bear her weight
Notwithstanding the peril of walk up.
on the uneven surface, she took one
and came back with her cheeks full o
roses.
Howard met her at the door ant
could scarcely repress an exclamation
of admiration, so charming was he
face and so divine and queenly he
form.
Supper was prepared and eaten, no
altogether in silence, but the conyersa
ton was not important, and Howar'
pleading extreme fatigue, retired to hi
own room.
Then the thought came to him: Per
haps after all Grace had cause for he
strange treatment of him. "She ma,
have been imposed upon," whispered
his heart, aroused anew in its burnin!
love for her.
ssThat man Adams, may he not, il
your absence, have plotted your ruil
and turned your love into scornP" 'sNo
no." pleaded his reason. "She wa
unjust to you. She would not tell yol
of what You were accused; would no
hear your defence if any We're needed
She tried and convicted you in your alb
sence, and passed Judgment withou
permitting you to enter II solitary plea
Even Judge Lynch is more mercifu
than that"
.sShe was false to me-; but has she
lover nowp Well, no matter. She i
dead to me, yet her fair name, he
safety her honor are entrusted to m
keeping by an overruling Providence
and the trust is too sacred to be abused
But | must lose no time in getting he
hence. There are some things TIN
best and strongest of human nature
cannot stand. cannot stay here thus
she with her sweet, patient ways; he
glorious eyes, ,rivaling the ether i'll thei
cerulean depths; her beautiful hair fall
ing below her waist in ripples of sun
shine and gold as she loosensit from it
confinement that hair with which II
happier days my restless fingers toyed-
which now find myself so often III dan
ger of toying with in the same sweet OH
way; that voice, SO full of music-th
look she gives me at times as II trying L
read the secret of my life, and yet s.
full of svmpathy-she will break IN
down yet, undo my manhood ana com
pellng me to proclaim myself, scor'
my love again.
i "Yes; / must hasten, | say. mus
run where | have walked, and redoubl
all my eXertions.
Then sleep came, and with it dream
and beautiful visions, visions in whic
the lovely eyes of Grace Edringto
, were invariably part.