Evening star., 1895-10-09

! her family, and Will ragged with vain re-
grets that he had not followed Mr.. War
| ren's instructions literally and gone up the
| mountain himself in search of the visitor
Il could at least have kept 1t to myself, >
| he thought.
Martha" began Mr. Warren desperate.
| ly. but she would not let MIN speak.
You forget she interrupted almost
sharply. your duty as a man. He is
| dead. you say. dead! and you left himv'
There was nothing to be DONE" ne NUT
tered, you wouldn't"
Then he stopped of his own accord and
glarced apprehensively at the lovers He
| was recovering his self-posse ssion in a
| mea sure, while Mrs. Warren was growing
more and more agftated.
Come, Martha" he resumed hastily,
this is for you and me- and he drew her
with him into the kitchen.
| For long time, as ii seemed to the low
| ers, they remained there debating In
| earnest but not contentious tones. Elsie
| and Will could only listen to the murmur
of voices, wishing that 1t would cease, and
dreading what might happen, or what
both thoroughly depressed now, and Will
| found few words of comfort ready for the
poor girl, whose hand lay cold in his.
1T is so dreadful not to know what it all
means she moaned, and to that feeling
he could bring no relief.
At last the voices ceased, and a moment
later Will turned suddenly about. He
! looked through the window, shading the
| rem had left the house by the kitchen door
| and were going through the yard to the
read.
Will hesitated an instant and then went
to the front door.
Excuse me-" he said. but don't you
want me to go with you?"
No" replied Mrs. Warren, 'it is better
that we should go alone
Silently they turned into the little used
road that led up the mountain and in
silence they groped their way up the ascent,
Mr.. Warren swinging a lantern to guide
them from stones and protruding roots.
The cabin was a long half mile away, and
the road wound with many curves along
the corrugated mountain side. The deserted
cabin stood in a lateral depression, and had
it been day they could not have seen II
until they were close upon it. Husband
and wife proceeded with heads bent down,
not SO much because of the weight upon
their hearts as the better to pick their way.
Nicholas" said Mrs. Warren presently,
''it seems to me / smell smoke
Shs had paused and raised her head. Be
fore them, little to the right, she saw a
faint glare over the tree tops. Mr.. War
rem saw 1t also.
"Marthaw he cried, appalled, at the
thought, what if 1t should be Sprlnger's IS
cabin!
Without reply she dashed past him, run
ming as she never ran before and her hus-
| band, hurrying after with the lantern, call
| ed upon her vainly to stop. If she heard
| him, 1t was but as voice from a crowd
when not all together. Nothing could have
caused her to swerve from her course.
On and on she ran, her lungs smarting
| with the exertion, her feet stumbling again
and again on the cobbles of the rough,
| rainwashed road. At last the ground was
more nearly level and she knew that she
had come to the bend within which the
cabin lay.
Smoke filled her nostrils, the glare of a
| fire could be plainly distinguished through
the foliage, IL lit her path, she saw the
| tiniest branches on the trees, and had she
not been wholly absorbed in straining for
| the first glimpse of the burning cabin she
| might have seen two glowing eyeballs,
| glaring down with reflected light from the
thicket at her left.
Had she seen them. would she have sup
posed that a deer had been attracted by
! the fame and was now gazing at it with
| the stupid surprise with which it waits at
| the margin of a lake for the hunters bull
| let? Perhaps so, but she saw rot the glow
| ing eyes and she heard not the rustling
| among the leaves as some living thing has
| tiy withdrew.
! The back part of the cabin was all ablaze
and the flames roared. The front was but
dimly alght with the little tongues of fire
| that had begun to lick it.
''Martha!' cried Mr. Warren, in agony,
| come back!''
| Needless she rushed on; needless of him.
needless of flame and smoke. She dashed
| open the cabin door and almost fell upon
the man who lay near 1t on the floor.
In her strong arms. doubly strong with
excitement, she lifted him and bore him to
| the open air, laying him gently down upon
| the grass by the roadside.
"Nicholas!' she cried. "he lives, he
| lives!'
| Her husband bent over them. 1t was
true. The very heat of the fire may have
revived him. At all events his eyes were
| open and the pupils moved.
"Oh!' groaned Mr.. Warren, lit would
| have been better If he had dedr'
| And Ben Golding and the two villagers
| who came running up at the moment, hear
him.
| CTo be continued tonorrow)