The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-08-02
CHAPTER XIII.


and sleep on straw bed in a noun
taineer's cabin. This was much better
than she had expected. The next day
and for a week, it was an uneventful.
lonesome tramp, tramp, up hill anu
down hill. over ravine and underbushes,
sometimes lost. to return to the start
ing point again and again, demonstra-
ting the fact that one side OF the body
was a little larger and stronger than
the other, and when not checked by
will-power or directed in one course,
will always take US in a circle, and re-
turn to the place where we started. In
what we call right-hande1 people, the
right side of the body is larger and
stronger than the left side, caused by
the left side of the brain being lal ger
and stronger, presiding over the right
side of the body which makes il strong
err In the left-handed the reverse is
true. When lost, the larger side. where
the leg is just a shade longer than its
fellow, will step a little farther each
time than the one on the opposite side,
and finally walk around the smaller
side Take a large and small man walk
ing side by side undirected, they will
walk in a circle toward the little fei-
low, as can be illustrated by two wheels
fastened on opposite ends of an axle,
fixed so neither can turn except the
axle turns Put them in motion, and of
course they will describe a circle, the
larger wheel making the outer track
and passing around the smaller one.
If the right side be larger, his circle
will be to the left; if the larger, TO the
rfurbF ha IN
hill and dell and got back to the point
in the evening that she had left in the
morning. and slept by the same log to
renew her journey next day: and, either
return or break the bewilderment of
the confused mind.
One night while she was, as usual,
lost, and was cropping her way down
the irregular meanderings of a noun
tain path, aided by the light of the full
moon, as it would ever and anon burst
through the flying clouds that seemed
20 sail like black ships through foamy
sea till they approach the moon and
then the imperfections of our vision
makes us think the moon cleaved
through them like a sharp, fiat disk.
and slip out the other side to wait for
another cloud to approach and repeat
the dissection. When the moon was
behind the cloud. the lonely woman
would stop and rest; mediate, and wait
for more light to guide her on her I'M
certain road, and with the return of the
silver rays take up her journey again,
TO again be halted by the darkness
In this she was not unlike all human
ity on all the various roads of life, adj
vancing a little in the light and wait
ing long in the darkness. Now seeing
the way clearly. but for a moment;
then hesitating and feeling cautiously
in the gloom. Signing in the darkness,
signing for the light. Nor is it prob
able that it will be better, or be other
than il is. while the laboring spirit car
ries its heavy burden of flesh, and
gropes through the forest of mist that
hangs like robe over the shoulders of
the world. Sometime, mayhap, in the
far distant future, We see through a
vista that the imagination alone can
build into an avenue of clouds, clouds
upon clouds, but in the far beyond is
one bright spot where all is light. 1t is
there, after the untiring change of gra-
datiOn has lifted the finer spirit, mat
ter, and nodded the coarser spirit, mat
ter, into the ETHEREAL divinity of sancti-
fed humanity, and carried it up and up
into the everlasting sunlight of the in
finite and eternal.
While thus cropping her practiced ear
caught a sound. Looking back all was
blackness. Waiting till the moon had
cleared another cloud. and the soft light
like silver hair uncurling over the
mountains broad bosom, till the world
seemed TO rise UP out of it's gloom.
With her eyes fixed in the direction of
the sound. TO her great surprise and
unmeasured horror, a few PAGES away
she saw W. crossing the path, in the bright
moonlight a large
Misunderstanding animal. in outlines re-
sembling monster cat, but larger than
the largest dog. AS it passed into the
bushes the moon passed under a cloud
and ii was almost Egyptian darkness
in the woods. Still peering through the
gloom, with eyes on the spot where the
animal had been seen, and with feelings
quite beyond description, she heard a
step in the dry leaves and saw two,
cleaning, phOsphOrescent balls of fire.
as he turned his eyes upon her. She
now realized she was being tracked by
some wild animal. What to do was a
question Of no small moment. Flight
could offer her no PROMISE as her
speed was not to be matched against
that of such an animal. which was. as
she surmised, panther. The thought
Of climbing offered quite as little hope
of escape as did that of flight. To call
for help was almost as hopeless. To do
battle with the beast was not to be
much as a stout club was the best
weapon she had. Thinking it was pos
sible that there might be some hunters
In the hills, or cabin within range of
her voice. she cried out with all the
fear and emotion a woman possesses
when in danger, and to her indescrib-
able delight was answered from the
other side of the hill. but was Mortified
the next moment by seeing the fiery
eyes Of the beast, still within range,
though she went down the path as
rapidly as possible in the darkness,
hoping to receive aid from those who
answered. In the moonlight she saw
her pursuer in the path, and in the
darkness his fiery eyes cleaning out
with an unearthly expression that would
intimidate the bravest man. Again she
called, and again she was answered
from those who well understood her
danger. The dogs, that accompanied
the mountaineers, barking, kept time
to the calling Of the woman, and now
the screams Of the beast, which was
answered by its mate from another
direction who seemed TO realize, as did
the woman, and her rescuers, that a
meeting was near at hand. Scream
after scream, barking Of dogs, in the
moonlight and darkness, gave a strange
music to the grand, old hills, and under
other circumstances would have awak-
ened sublime echoes. Dashing now as
rapidly as possible, falling down and
quickly regaining her feet, the woman
hurried on in the midst of fright
scarcely feeling the bruises, scratches
and cuts from stones and thorns. The
pursuing beast only held at bay by feat
Of his danger, did he approach too rap