Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-04-11
SURRENDERED.


her through the gathering twilight.
The small hand that grasped the
pony's bride trenbled and the girls
sweet face was us pale as death. No
wonder
The shadow Of night was beginning
to fan. She was all alone in that
southern pine forest. And worse than
all elsa storEi was coming. one of
those swift, sudden. semi-tropical
storms, which are lialAe 10 burst upon
one at short notice-here in southern
Louisiana and leave desolation in its
wake. The girl knew all about them;
she had come through the crucible of
experience, for although ordinarily
such storms are infrequent, the year
1893 was prolific of them.
Eden taught the little school al the
old log school-house, some few miles
from the house which for the present
she called home. a great rambling old
building on the bank of a brawling
river. Eden had fotnd quite comfort
able quarters with kind-hearted Mr.
and Mrs. Roberts. The girl had come
from the city, 100 miles away, for her
health, and having but trifing share
of this worlds goods moreover, being
a friendless orphan-she had soon
found herself teaching the young idea
how to shoot" and thus earning a re
spectacle living.
| All this time she had been riding
fast, half wild to reach home before
the storm should burst. She had dis
missed her scholars two hours before,
but had incautiously fingered at the
school house, correcting exercises and
educing order out Of the chaos of GER
tain algebraic problems, until the
| growing gloom warned her Of her
long ride home, and she found the
skies darkened with the coming storm.
On she galloped, with the pony seem
ing to comprehend the situation.
ely, Topsy," she cried. eagerly,
make haste, my beauty Don't let us
get caught in the gale
The sullen boom of thunder, getting
nearer and nearer, alone answered her.
| inky sky.
Eden shuddered, but she shook the
bride over Topsy's back, and urged
her on to greater speed.
Boom, boom. went the thunder; one
sharp binding flash of light, and the
next thing that Eden knew, she was
lying upon the ground, and Topsy was
"out Of sight"
Slowly she raised herself to q sitting
position and gaZed wildly around her.
! There, just before herso close that it
made her shudder with horror--a giant
pine lay prone upon the ground, rent
and splintered with the lightning.
Eden rose to her feet.
She had only lived in the pine woods
three months and had never learned
the roads. She knew the way to the
schoolhouse-tha was all. To her, as
to most people reared in cities, the mo-
notonous forest roads were all alike.
Where am II" she cried aloud, and
was astonished to her h"rself an
swered.
A man on big black horse suddenly
emerged into view; black-b2arded,
coarse-looking man. Somehow Eden
shrank away in fear, and began to re-
alize that one may be in worse COM
pany than alone. The man refined in
his horse and lifted his dripping som-
brero with an overdone bow.
Good evening! Why, if it amt the
young schoolma'am! Done got lost,
amt We, schoolma'am?"
Yes, sir" drawing back little I'M
der a tall tree Il was delayed at
school and then took the wrong road.
The storm was so bad / could not see
where | was going. Then there was
flash Of lightning which frightened my
horse. She threw me and l have not
seen her since.
"Humph Wal, now, then We see
thar amt nothin' for We to do but to
git up here behind me, Prince can
carry dozen like you. Come, up
with ye"
mo, sir, if you will please direct me,
will walk. 1t surely cannot be over
two miles to Mr.. Roberts house from
here?"
"Ain't it, That thars all We know
about it, | reckon. we've gone clean
i've mile outen your way, ma'am, So
We had better take my offer. I'll bring
you safe to Roberts sho"
Put somehow with the wonderful
intuition which God has given to
women as a weapon Of self defense,
Eden. full of apprehension. shrank
back, trembling and afraid. Better the
shelter of the pine woods and the drv-
ing storm, than TO trust herself to this
human wolf in Sleeps clothing. SheI
shook her head.
mo, sir will walk. Good even