Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-01-15

Four days had passed away. -Four
times over again had a weary old world
buttoned and unbuttoned, Weakened and
slept.
In the hope of finding a letter from
Donald, Anita had walked down to his
Office i'll the afternoon There had come
but a note from him, another hurried
scrawl. to say that he had joined party
which was going over the range for a
few days to hunt bear. For Anita there
was grain of comfort in the reflection
that Mrs Rogers was not likely to go
hunting bears, although, indeed, she
could believe her capable Of even thai.
1t was II close, hot afternoon. when the
flies stuck maddeningly to perspiring
humanity. Mr.. Carlton, who had been
enjoying his pipe and Il magazine in his
shirt sleeves, was scrambiing INTO his
coat, with an expression of mild martyr
dom, as he came forward to offer Mrs
Bartels IL chair and fan.
"And so Don has really had an adveu-
ture?' he began. with a lazy chuckle
He was IA most excellent man, full of
charitable kindness toward all the world
but he dearly loved good dish of gossip
1t was his one redeUming vice. Donald
used laughingly to declare What
have sou not heard?" as Anita looked up
in mute surprise. NO, suppose he has
not had time to write yet; or perhaps he
means to keep it under cover; if so, don't
tell him that gave it away-but really
it is too good to keep"
well, don't keep it for moment
then" smiling perplexedly, in sympathy
with his evident enjoyment. do tell
me at once"
'Well, what do you think of Bartels
who went away tor rest and recreation,
mind-getting lost on Ute peak, and
wandering around above timber line all
night?"
But it is quite impossibler cried
Anita, pale at tlr idea Donald is over
the range, hunting bear"
Carlton laughed with cheerful mere
dulity, Hunting his grandmother" he
cried, grown quite reckless of his speech
in the excitement of his news. II had it
from fellow who was one of the party
and who saw him when he done it'-as
the small boy averred in support of his
story of Jonah's swallowing the whale
This fellow stopped over for the night,
on his way to Denver, and had the luck
to run across him just in time to hear
the story, 1t appears the Rogerses got
up party to ascend the peak, and Bar
tells, who is staying with them, this fell
low told me, was one of the crowd. 1t
was rather late when the party started
to make the descent, and Mrs Rogers
who was rather used up, hung back
while Bartels was gallant enough to keep
her company. Somewhere among the
bowlder fields the rest of the outfit got
out of sight, and, in trying a short cut
to overtake them, Bartels and Mrs.
Rogers lost the trail, and did not succeed
in getting themselves forod till 5 o'clock
the next morning. A new version of the
babes in the wood" with a callous laugh
at their plight, "only there were no birds
above timber line to cover them with
leaves, worse luck for them"
You are sure there is no mistake
about this?" Anita's face was CHASTITY
"This man who told you was really one
of the party?"
Yes; although he did not really be-
long to the Rogers outfit. He had en-
gagged guide to go up the Peak by him
self, when DR.. Rogers, wanting the same
man for the same day, compromised by
inviting this fellow to go with them
But you need Tot look so frightened.
Mrs. Bartels. Don is all right. He did
not even take cold. asked after him
particularly. And all's we'll that ends
we'll"
Eyes, alls Well that ends we'll" re-
peated Anita duly. 1t seemed to her that
the end of all things had come, that
chaos was staring her in the face. She
had strange sense of faintness and on
preston; a dull blur seemed dancing be-
fore her eyes; and the fingers nervously
tracing the pattern of the wrought gold
of her sun umbrella top were weakly
trembling. Her face felt rs if it had
petrified. She had vague conviction
that if she once relaxed her hold on the
little conventional smile fixed on her
| stiff lips, she could never recover it
again-that she would go on unsmilinp
for evermore. II thought perhaps there
might be letter for me here" she list
lessly added. moving to 60
mo; you could hardly expect him to
spare time for letters" with another
jolly laugh. Really, it is too goodl
Perhaps ought not to have given him
away; but, upon my word, it seemed
too bad that you should not enjoy the
joke too"
She enjoy the jokel Was the man
cracked? Yes, it would have been a
pity for me to have missed it," with a
white Tipped smile.
Carlton stared meditatively at the
open door after his visitor had passed
out. "Unless the signs fail, there is a
bad quarter of an hour ahead for Bar
tells" he muttered, lazily amused, land
serves him right-the ass! A man must
be saved from drowning, even if one is
obliged to pull his hair in doing it; and
good, clean drown is nothing, COM
pared with a dip in the dirty puddles of
Orodelphian gossip. One would hardly
have reckoned Bartels non compos,
either" he thoughtfully added, knock
ing the ashes from his pipe; "but that
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