The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-22

his side pocket and thcn-slowly dropped he
Why can't / stay here ~ she said, languidly
ITS quite nice and comfortable"
u mB9 ga 6 M,,h we cant Leave yohS o nlG hin ana w
Miss Amy let tie the tail of her eye again
creep shudderingiy over this gentleman Jack
,d "a Snonght the1the gentleman was gong u
""Sonsonsc,'' Amy. You don't understand. Thi,
gentleman Is kind enough to offer to make some
sledge;runners for us at his cabin, and we mus'
0frii% can stay here while you CO. am not
=; but you're alone here. and something
"'Nothinr. could happen" interrupted Jack
quickly and choerfully. lie had flushed a,
hrSt, but he was now eonsiderinE !hat the car,
p~arently as delicate and particular as this one,
might be somewhat dif1cult. There's nothin'
drsssi wSG the 1 @dTs y cap h %nS fu RE iG shroSs n a sSc
darkness, and II there was II couldn't get at
ye, bein'. so to speak; in the same sort o. fix as
'i inco HsstS T. H enough S 4 the sc young o@@sI LADY dSst did nSi
accept this as gratefully. as might have been
OF her eye as. ignoring him. she replied to her
father; ia much rather stop here. papa"
father. You can Keep the wagon and the whole
gorge in sight from the trail all the way NJ; So
ye% S yon 1 fsem sha ,bs sy i,rs, II i. s all Iisht v W IGra l
ly and added. Come along. the sooner we're
of, the quicker ihS Jobs over"
Pray don't delay the gentlemen aud the
job" said Miss Amy. sweetly,
Treasured by Jack'slust suggestion her father
followed him with the driver and tho second
man of The party. a youngish and somewhat un-
distinctive Individual. but to whose gallant
anxieties Miss Amy responded efusiye!y:
noted jacks confession that he had seen them
when they first entered the gorge. And | sup
pose" she added to herself mentally, that lie
sat there with his BOOKING companions, laugh
ing and jeering Mt our struggles"
voices died away and their figures were swa,-
lowed upin the darkness behind the snow, she
forgot all this and much else that was mundane
and frivolous In the impressive and majestic
solitude that seemed to descend upon her from
the obscqritv above. Al first it was accom-.
this passed presently into that profound peace
which the mountains alone can give tneir lonely
or perturbed children. II seemed to her that
nature was never the same on the great plains
where men and cities ALWAYS lnomed into such
ridiculous proportions when the Great Mother
hillSides or encompassed them and drew
them el TSs in Io, the loyinr arms arms Of noun
before her in II purity that did not seem
of the earth; the vague bulk of the mountains
was not OF this life. Yet 1t was not Oppressive:
neither was its restfulness and quiet suggestive
the highly raretird air seemed to give additional
kecn':csS 10 her senses: her bearing had become
singularly acute; her eyesight pierced the ut,
terrnost extremity of the gorge. lit by the fun
moon that occasionally shone through slowly
drifting clouds. Her nerves thrilled with a de-
licious sers" Of freedom and "A strange desire to
run or ci'.lo. 1t seemed to her. in her exalted
fancy. ti,tt these solitudes should be peopled
only by Il kingly race, and not nv such gross and
material churls as this mountainccr WHO helped
them. And. | Ertere to s~ay-writing OF a senti-
menialist that was and n heroine that is to be
she was getting outrageousiy hungry.
There were II few biscuits in her travelling
bag. and she remembered that she had been
at San Jose. These she took out and opened on
the seat before her. and spreading the honey on
ish and n pleasant suggestion OF a sylvan picnic.
In spite OF the cold. it was all very strange:
ware an P espeIE,sR Would tif h hf[ 70 b snsse tha a'. she
had spent an hour or two. all alone. in a de-
serted wagon in u mountain snow pass. 1t was
IN adventure such as one reads Of in the mag
azines. Only something was lacking which
The magaz!nes always supplied some
body. If that awfuI.looking mountnlneer-
that man with the long hair and mustache-and
that horrible gold ring-why such a ring : was
heetsteak or venison viii her father and Mr..
Waterhouse-men were always such selfish
her: 1t would only have been decent for them
TO have brought her down something hot:
somehow didn't. agree with the temperature.
She was really half starved. And much they
Thing did happen TO to her"o a"s seemed r1sdh,, to happen
70 her il only to brighten them. And the pretty
face that was turned up in The moonlight wore
u charming but decided pout.
Good gracious! What was that? The horses
were either struggling or fighting in their snow
broke from its halter and dashed into the road.
only, to be plunged snorting and helpless into
Something had frightened them. Perhaps only
a rabbit or a mole; horses were such absurdly
nervous creatures! However. it was Just as
well-somebody would see them or hear them
that neigh was really quite human aud awful
and they would hurry down to see what was tho
look after the horses In the snow. Anyhow. she
wouldn't: She was a good deal safer where she
frightened them. Goodness,
She was still watching with curious wonder
III. continued fright of the animals when sud.
denly she felt the wagon half bum PED. half
lifted. from behind. 1t was such a lazy. deliber-
ate movement that for n moment she thoughtit
came from the party who had returned noise
lessly with the runners. She scrambled over to
the back seat. unbqttoncd the leather curtain.
Quently. with feminine quickness. she said. Il
see you perfectly. Mr.. Waterhouse-don't be
: hiosci to the the W wagon sn,n %nde from nhf BENEATH Mai f II S !
what at first seemed 10 her to be an uplifting of
the DRIFT itself. but as the snow was shaken
enormous head and shoulders OF n bear.
Yet even then she was not wholly frightened.
inofensiveness;, the small eyes were bright
with an eager. almost childish curiosity. rather
the creature lifted upon his hind legs was
circuslike and ludictous rather than aEgres-
s'ye; she was epa 81 6led 10 say with some dignity,
basket at it with exemplary frmness. But here
the creature laid one paw on the back seat as il
~iapsing the whole side of the wagon. and then
opened its mouth as il in some sort OF
u its red tongue, its riisteninr teeth,
fume of its breath. brought the first
scream from the lips of Miss Amy. 1t was real
and convincing; the horses Joined in II: tho
three screamed together. The bear hcsitatrd
for an instant. then. catching sight OF the
honey pot on the front seat. which the shrink
ing back OF tho young cir! had disclosed. lie
slowly reached forward his other paw and at
tempted to grasp 1t. This exceedingly simple
movement, however. at once doubled up the
front scat, sent the honey pot n dozen feet into
the air. and dropped Miss Amy upon her knees
in the bed OF the wagon. the combined mental
and physical shock was too much for her: she
instantly and sincerely tainted: the last thing
in her ears amid Ibis wreck OF matter being the
" whirp" Of IA bullet and the crack of a rife.
= .
She recovered her consciousness In the flick
ering light OF n fire OF bark that played upon
tho %raftrrs or n roof matched with bark and
upon a floor Of strcwn and shredded bark. She
even suspected she was lying upon a mattress
OF bark underneath the heavy Dearskin she
could feel and touch. She had a delicious sense
OF warmth, and mingled with n strange spicing
of woodland freedom, even II sense Of home pro-
And, surely enough. looking around,
she saw her father at her side.
lie briefly eX plainrd the situation. They had
been ut first attracted by the cry OF tho horses