Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-03-15

q
felt would never be entirely stilled,
Hester went with Harvey to the pine
ries. where she was installed as house.
keeper in a little cottage which had
long needed a mistress, and that need,
if she had only thought of it, was the
selfish motive which had beer at the
bottow of Harvey's antipathy to Burt
Lyon.
1t was early in November when the
brother and sister reached the pine
ries, where the bracing air. the sing
ing trees and carpet of dead pine
needles under their feet all had their
charm for Hester. Although the
training of her former life. embracing
her dramatic reading, was OF course
thing which she was expected to for
get, often when her brother was away
gathering his lumbermen together for
the winters work in the forest she
amused herself by going out under the
fragrant pines and listening to their
music, and sometimes reciting as she
walked along.
One day She had wandered farther
than usual, when suddenly she was
joined by two large dogs, which trot-
ted along socially, yet shyly. with
great red tongues lolling from between
their white teeth.
Hester was not cowardlv girl, and
she extended 4 caressing hand toward
one of the ours; no stretch of imagiu-
alton could have made them respect
able CANNES. The larger OF the two
turned upon her with snarl which
frightened her. and brought to her
mind instantly certain piece which
she had one studied, portraying the
rawlings of a madman. She fixed her
eyes on the red-green ones of the ami
NAL and began TO recite the piece in
her most freuzied manner.
The brute shrank back, his brush
tightly drawn down, and with his COM
pauion skunk ont of sight in the under
brush as she finished with the blood
curdling shrek:
Woe TO the daughters and sons Of rIen:
Woe to them all when ] roam again"
Amused At her success she laugh
iugly pursued her way homeward. I'M
molested now by either animals or
men.
She said nothing to her brother of
the occurrence. fearing that nc would
blame her for exhibiting her accom-
pli:.hmcnt even TO the brutcs OF the
forest.
Business WAS not to begin in real
cal nest in the piueries until Decem Der.
but Harvey one day put his AK over
his shoulder, telling Hester that he
was about TO fell i giant hemiock
whick she herself had visited and
which was about two miles from their
cottage.
parting words.
But when the little clock on the
shelf struck y he was not there, nor
i. !, nor ii ,, nor at 3, and then Hes
ter decided 10 20 and look for him.
She found him at the foot of tree,
about mile from their cottage. whittier
he had dragged himself. He had cut
his foot badly and had been obliged to
sit down on account OF weakness
caused by loss of blood.
1T Is fortunate thing for me that
Won came" he said. You must 90
back and get men to carry me home"
She FASTENED to the lum bermen's
cabins. but the men were away. and
it was nearly dark before she could
return 10 Harvey with two stout
bearers and one of the lum bermen's
wives.
just As they stepped into the OPEN
ing the darkness seemed 10 fall over
them like mantle, and from far IF in
the woods came lony. low howl of
hunger and despair.
W Olives" said one of the men. we
must hurry"
They turned the light of their Ian
terms upon the moss where Harvey
Bond had lain when Hester left him.
He was not there, but his torn gar
ments and the few bloodstaiued bones
cleaning in the lantern light told of
the fierce fury of the carnivorous beasts
| that had attacked him.
lie sold his life dearly" said one
| of the men. see, here is his AK, with
the handle broken. and here. too. are
bones OF Il half-ioZen wolves which he
must have killed before they over
powered him"
Ii WAS aa awful shoe, 10 Hester
Bond. Sac understood now the nature
II the animals that had Joined he.' in
the Irrrsf- But There WAS something
more. I..c .umberman's wife came TO
neI, "a. ~:
just picked up"
She took it in her hand. 1t was the
gold watch with the diamond in the
case which Harvey Bond had accused
Burt Lyon OF stealing,
Ever thing was clear to Hester now.
She made nc revelation to any one.
but after her brothers remains were
buried she returned to her Aunt
Martha. One day she showed the
watch to her, saving:
See. Aunt Martha. here is the watch
brother Harvey told us Burt Lyon had
stolen"
"He found it. them" cried Aunt
Martha. in great relief.
The older lady. who had been like
ice to Prof. Lyon for some time. well
coined him most heartily when he