Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-12-13

his inexperienced eyes an impossible
ity.
His very foot tracks, not having
been made in deep snow, were already
obliterated, and the wind was driving
the flakes straight into his eyes as he
stared and stared, vainly trying to rec
ognize some landmark by which he
could find his way back.
He felt that to venture farther with
out the guide would be madness. Yet
to go back, now that the snow was
driving from that direction, was al
most equally difficult. AS he paused
for. one moment, celebrating and
blinking to keep the snow out of his
smarting eyes, he heard mans voice
behind him, evidently at some dis
lance, singing one Of those wild, half
mournful, wholly tender Welsh bal
lads which are forever on the lips of
these people of the mountains.
Reginald Mason turned again, fac
ing the mountains once more. With
his back to the wind 1t was easier to
see, and he managed to distinguish n
dark figure on the rising ground lit
tie way ahead Of him, making its way
slowly through the snow in the direc-
ton Of the hills.
Reginald shouted, but the man went
on singing and took no notice. Against
the whitening background and through
the veil of falling snow his figure stood
out, seeming to be gigantic in size.
20, Do I'll IL -, a,
but to follow this, the only human fig
ure in sight. Quickening his pace. not
without difficulty, for the road had
dwindled into rough foot track, he
came up with the stranger at point
where the path began to wind round
the side Of hill. By this time the
town was SO far behind and the snow
was falling SO thickly that Reginald
Mason felt that the only safe thing to
do was to address himself to this
stranger, who could hardly be as ig-
norant Of the country as he was him.
self.
The man had quickened his pace and
was now making his way, still singing
to himself, with long strides. which
made 1t difficult for the town bred
Mason to overtake him. So that at
last Reginald had to speak from be-
hind, without having had one oppor-
tunity Of seeing the face of the man he
was addressing.
Can you tell me-" called out he. "if
l am on the right road for Monachlog
and how far off 1t Is?"
The man In front had stopped with
disconcerting suddenness before his
interlocutor had got to the end of his
question. His body. which had been
bent nearly double as he assembled the
hill, stick In hand, had become
upright and rigid, but he did not turn
round, and he did not answer.
Reginald. coming step nearer and
trying to get look at the mans face,
repeated his question.
He might as well have poured his
words into the ears of a statue Of
bronze. The stranger, a man Of enor-
nous height, dressed In the rough
clothing of the hillside peasant, his
head and face almost hidden behind
the collar of coat which he wore,
cloak fashion, over his shoulders, an
swered never a word-did not even
turn his face toward his questioner.
Surprising that the man was deaf,
Reginald, who was now close to him,
touched him on the arm. But the mo-
ment he did SO paroxysm of terror
seemed to seize the fellow. He shook
of the light touch with an abrupt and
violent movement and, still without
turning his head, began to run up the
hillside path us If for his life.
For few seconds Reginald watch
ed him in amazement thinking that
the fellow must be an imbecile. But
then 1t occurred to him as possible
that IL might be only the uncouth ma
tive way Of treating stranger, way
compounded of rustic shyness and su.
perstitious fear, for fear was apparent
ly the emotion uppermost in the heart
Of the flying countryman.
The snow was now coming down in
larger flakes; the sky had grown
heavy and lowering. After one more
glance back Reginald saw that to fol-
low this son of the mountains was his
best chance of safety. The man had
now got SO far ahead, however, be-
ing evidently used to these paths in all
weathers and sure Of foot as mule,
that Reginald had some difficulty In
keeping him in sight.
Up the rugged, slowly ascending
footpath, which he would never have
been able to find but for the footprints
OF the peasant, winding round the hill,
descending again. turning, twisting
about among the rough hill tracks,
now with peep into glens and
valleys where the gray shadows lurl1ed
IN the corners, now shut in on all sides
by the bare and stony hills, Reginald
followed his unwilling guide.
The way grew wilder as they went.
The hills grew loftler. stonler; patches
OF dark gray rock showed black
against the snow, while here and there
a tuft Of bush and brier, or a lonely
stunted tree, stood up from the white
ground like gaunt, misshapen figure,
bent into strange curves by the weight
of the snow 1t bore and seeming to
point with a dark, 1eshless finger into
the recesses of the barren hills.
The figure in front had never once
turned, and Reginald felt sure that the
sturdy mountaineer was unaware that
he was serving as guide to the stran.
ger whom he had treated SO cavalierly.
AT last after a rough and toilsome de.
scent of a barren hillside, made dan.
gerous to the foot passenger by great
quantities of small loose stones, the
pursuer having at last gained some.
what upon the pursued, the two found
themselves in cleft Of the mountains
through which a wild, weird sight pre-.
sented itself to the view.
In a rough basin formed by the
stony, barren mountains lay stretched
before their eyes the dark waters of a
lake which looked inky black against
the snow which lay all around. Here
and there on Its borders a great gray
bowlder, snow capped, but bare and
dark on its scooped out Sides stood
nnnn tho Haf ~ ,,rtv,.l,lo,,