The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-14

Cr'TUrwegiar snowshots, ON her snoul-
dcrs
81 am going to take short cut across
the fields, she observed in matter Of
fact tone as she dropped the skis on the
snow crust. "Ploase do not worry about
me, but drive home at your leisure. The
chances are that l shall be there before
you. "
"But could you not first tell me, dear,
what is tho cnuse Of this extraordinary
behaviory"
1 would willingly if there was the
least chance that you would understand
me. Goodby
She had stepped into the skis, and
before he had time to say another word
she was darting away over the snow,
the ends Of her rcd scarf flying behind
her So overcome was he by constelna-
tion that be G<uld scarcely muster
strength enough to crawl out Of the hole
in which he was sticking. He seemed
half paralyzed. His limbs refused tore
spond TO the promptings Of his will. A
deadly wearincss which was mental
rather than physical oyercame him, and
he had an impulse to remain where he
was and let death steal upon him. But
suddenly the horse gave "a wild, fright
ened whinny and began to plunge about
the gatepOst in a desperate attempt to
rid itself of the halter The thought of
wolves stung Mr.. Falck into sudden en-
elgy, and before he was aware Of it he
had struggled out of the hole, rolled
across the exposed fence rail, united the
horse ard given him free rein. The ami
mai needed no urging, but broke into Il
mad run, so that the curate had To
guard himself with his arms against the
whizzing snowballs that We're hurled
into the air by its hoofs Now it slack
ened speed for an instant and anxiously
shifted the air, then with a wild snort
galloped away at the top Of its speed.
As for Mr.. Falck, he dared scarcely
think He was in that condition Of ter
ror when the only safeguard against
madness is to hold the thought in check,
to fight with desperation against the
suggestions Of oue's own fancy The
wolves were abroad, and Hulda, alone
and unprotected was speeding on skis
across the trackless snowfelds AT the
poles of his mind these two terrible
facts stood out in luminous relief, but
he strove TO keep them apart, to refrain
from connecting them and supplying
the horrible probabilities which the sit
uation suggested.
Hulda in the meanwhile was skim
ming over the shining snow with sense
Of exhilaration which chased the blood
with bounding rhythm through her
veins She felt like a bird that had es-
capped from its cage and was now in the
first thrill of recovered freedom tum-
bling, sweeping, rioting through tho
vast and glorious fields Of ETHEREAL space.
She was heartless perhaps, and it pres
entity occurred to her that she had not
treated Mr.. Falck with proper consider
alton But the fact was that if she were
10 have been scrupulous in that respect
she would have remained in her bond
age 70 her dying day. She had not the
remotost intention Of breaking with Mr.,
Falck on this particular occasion,
though her engagement had long been
odious to her. His irritating chirrup
and the appalling glimpse it afforded
her OF his dry and prosaic soul had no
doubt been, specifically speaking, the
cause Of their rupture, though the real
cause lay much deeper And when once
she had leaped out Of the sleigh she
found that she had on the spur Of the
moment made a declaration Of indie
pendence which at home in m atmos-
phore Of conscientious consideration and
complex duties she would never have
summoned courage 10 make. The act
thus became half symbolic, and il was
only because she distrusted her ability
10 repeat it that she remained obdurato
to Mr.. Falck's entreaties and in order To
escape from him finally fled ON skis
across the fields. 1t was a bit Of childish
knowledge that had come TO her rescue.
She remembered that the parish snow
plow was kept outside Of this bain and
that the skis Of the drivers were hid
den within.
OF course she did not delude herself
in regard TO the reception that was i'm
store for her She knew that a storm
was brewing and would burst upon her
devoted head. But, then, she had Mr..
Brun. He would stand by her, and the
knowledge that ne loved her would give
her courage TO suffer and endure. Had
he not told her in glances and in thinly
yeiled phrases that he would never bo
happy without her, and that it was
merely her engagement TO Mr.. Falck
which made him refrain from declaring
his love for herr Indeed what had he
done every moment Of the day but 10
declore in looks, illusions and actions
that he loved her? And that she loved
him she had known as unmistakably
since they sang together on the night of
his arrival. il had come to her with a
blissful certainty while their voices
scared together in such harmonious full
ness during the song, and it had gradu-
ally matured in her tho resolution which
tonight she had found the strength to
carry ont
TO 81 CONTINUED.