Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-11-15

ed him in amaZement, thinking thai
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 a stranger, a 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 bis
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 q 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 a peep into glens and
valleys where the gray shadows lurked
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 loftier, stonier; patches
Of dark gray rock showed black
against the snow, while here and there
tuft Of bush and brier, or 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 dark. feshless 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 q 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 q cleft Of the mountains,
through which a wild, weird sight pre-
sented itself to the view.
In q 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 great gray
bowlder. snow capped, but bare and
dark on Its scooped out sides, stood
upon the fat expanse Of untrodden
snow. Nothing else, not tree, not a
bush, broke up the monotonous stretch
Of bleak, desolate shore and black,
lonely pool AS the big snowflakes
futtered down swiftly and softly into
the black waters, each absorbed as
soon as 1t fell, Reginald shuddered,
with q sudden hldeous fancy that In
some such silent, grim fashion lone
ly traveller might be swallowed up by
the cold. placid waters Of this noun
tain tarn in the shadow Of the hills.
Even the rustic In front seemed to
be impressed by the wild and awful
desolation Of the scene. At any rate,
he paused and thus gave Reginald an
opportunity of getting up to him.
Determined not to be eyaded or
avoided this time. Mason seized the
huge peasant In a strong grip and with
an unexpected movement brought him
face to face with himself so suddenly
that the other man slipped upon the
loose stones. lost his footing and fell
down.
AS he did so his round cap fell off,
and Reginald Mason, with great