Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1897-09-15
XV.-CoNrINUED.

Having set out in haste. ne had am
pie time TO repent in leisure The road.
little used NJ any time. and practically
abandoned since the opening of the
Eailway, soon led away from the valley
End ran in tortuous wiudings and in
'EeniOus doublines over i spur of Johns
mountain. At the top of the spur il
speedily lost it's identity in succession
CT wood roads. and. after following sew
eral of the latter 10 their vanishing
points, Philip gave up the struggl, and
determined to let the horse find the
way If he could. In common with un-
Equestrian mankind i'm general. Philip
shared the belief IN the inerrant path
Ending instincts of horse. butafter an
other hour of hesitant wandering. dur
1ng which time he had been thrice gar
roted 10y low-Swingiug branches. and
impartially bruised about the legs 10y
the efforts OF the horse TO squeeze be-
tween cloSe-growiug trees. his conf
dcncc in the Sagacity Of the animal be
- 10 waver. From doubt 10 GER
tninty is but step. and Philips faith i'm
horses went the way Of all dcluSions
when the clumsy beast stumbled ON the
edge of ravine, slid helplcssly TO the
bottom, and ended by throwing his
rider into heap Of stones
= Philip was half stunned by the fall
and when he came TO himself hc found
that he had gained a >praincd ankle and
lost a horse. Remembering rucfully
the maxim about great haste and small
speed, he got up with some difficulty
and continued his wanderingy afootun-
Ill the pain in his ankle became unbear-
able. After that there was nothing for
il but to sit down and wait for daylight.
and he was about 10 resign himself to
this cumfortlcsS alternative. when ha
heard "A cock crow. Chickens argued
Inhabitants. and Philip dragged him
self painfully i'm the direction OF the
sound until he came To the log cabin
OF mountainccr. IL was but a miSer-
able hovei of a single room and loft.
and it's indwellers were doubtless
a BedouinS in other respects than in their
hospitality; but of the latter Philip
soon had grateful assurances. He was
taken in and cared for: the man making
up a fire in the crumbling stone fire
place while the woman bathed his swol-
len ankle and called a half-grown boy
from the loft TO go out after red CLAW for
poul'ice. And aftervard they would
hav 4de him take the only bed i'm he
cabin If he had not insisted upon sleep
ing on the floor before the fire.
When Philip awokc the next morning
he found himself as completely pris-
oner as even Sharple>s could have de
sired. Walking was out of the ques-
lion, and his host had neither a horse
nor the disposition to go to Glcnco TO
procure one. though his offers of hos
pitality were as generous as he knew
how 10 make them. Philip guessed at
the mans reason for not wishing to- ap-
pear in Glenco when the mountainecr
offered him a potation from a Jug
drawn from its hiding-place beneath the
punchcon floor, and forbore to press
the point. contcuting himself with "a re-
quest that the boy might be allowed 10
carry a letter to Allacoochcc. The
permission was given. and Philip wrote
a note to Duncan, telling him of the
accident and urging him TO spare no
pains 10 keep kilgrow out Of the hands
OF Sharpness and his cmissarieS during
the enforced armstice. This he in
closed in a line 10 Prothcroc. in which
he begged the young engineer to de
liver the message to the Scotchman
Not having an envelope. he took that
from Helen, letter. drawing his pencil
Through his own name and writing
Protheroe's above it; and. after many
explicit and precise instructions. the
boy left the cabin on Thorndykc's err
rand. An hour afterward he was sit
ting coHtcntedly on a bowldcr bv the
side of the Nilacoochec road. waiting in
Tranquil idleness for the chance coming
of some team whose driver would re-
1ieve him of the necessity for further
exertion. He found a proxy in the
course Of the forenoon, and i'm due time
the letter was delivered. not to Profile.
roe. but TO Mr.. Jenkins Fench. who
answered the bearers inquiry as to the
whereabouts Of the engineer. and who
kindly volunteered TO convey the mis-
sive TO that gcntleman's office on the
fourth floor of the Guaranty building.