Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-05-03

for she knew that she risked infinitely
more than her own life upon the issue
of her quest. Sac might, for instance,
for all she knew. run straight into the
arms CT the cruel and lurking fee. She
might chance upon the spot in which a
score CT them lay hicden. Neverthe-
less, she sped swift-fboted towards the
wall OF leaves, and in a moment she
was STOPPING low TO take the plunge.
Suddenly out CT the darkness, little
way to the right, two men emerged and
looked towards the chalet. Their eyes
caught the flash of her figure darling
past. Without a word they closed in
upon her, compelling her to enter the
woods little more to the left than she
had intended. So that instead OF hay
ing thick woods all the way to the clefts
mouth she had to cross an open space
of twenty yards across.
When Gertrud emerged from this lit
tie woodland cirque: where a thousand
times as a child she had spread out her
cups and baked her mudpies in her girl
ish playings at housewife. she almost
tripped over half dozen men lying
on the grass. She swerved to the right
in order 10 avoid them. One or two OF
them sprang after her with growls like
wild beasts, and 10 dodge these new as
them crashing after her in the wrong
direction. She bent her head until she
was running almost double. Truda
kept the side of Martins cleft for hun
dred yards before pluDging into il. lei
ting herself down by the branches OF
trees and bushes into its depths, and
clinging perilously with her knees to
every jutting crag and point of lime
stone rock
Her pursuers came laundering after.
She could hear them calling in prison
slang the one to the other. But they
searched in vain. for not one of them
was a mountain man or trained in the
ways of the woods.
When Gertrud Richter reached the
gravelly bottom OF the cleft OF st. Mar
tin she found the rivulet wholly dried
up by the long heats Of summer. Here,
in a secure recess, she waited fully five
minutes TO let the heat OF pursuit pass
by. and there in the setillness which en-
sued she cried twice "CuckOO" in exact
imitation of the bird. IT was the note
of hope which cheered the heart OF the
Count. hearing it from the window CT
the beleaguered chalet.
Very swiftly the girl made her way
along the cleft. which. as in the sumner
Of such places in limestone districts,
now opened out into ravine with pre-
cepittous sides, now contracted into a
passage little wider than tunnel. and
anon debouched quite Unexpectedly up
on the bare side Ct a precipitOus cliff.
But the latter not unexpectedly 10
Gertrud Richter. Many a time had she
clambered Down to the steep treak-necl1
path, which led almost to the roofs of
st. Potion. There it was at last.
Through the narrow half overgrOwn
opening Of st. Martins Loeb, Truda
could see the lights OF st. Polten, glim-
mering beneath her. She even heard
the band playing-that Of the regiment
which she had risked her life to sum
mon. It seemed as If she could almost
cry down to them. they were so near.
She could see the bright lights Of the
cafe. and the officers sitting in front OF
it at the little round tables. smoking
with crossed legs and no doubt talking
infinite scandal.
but there was hard climb yet to come
and what rPdo 1t more DIFF srlt. she
had to climb down, not up.
But little Gertrud srasped the edge
of the sill of St. Martins Loeb ard let
herself drop with confidence over the
bare scarp OF the cleft. Her feet did
not quite reach the next ledge, so she
let go. vita catch in her throat lest
in the years since last she had been
there. the foothold beneath her might
have been knocked away either by the
weather or by random feet.
rebellious heart to he still, there are