The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1900-07-05
CGUR D'ALENE.
BY rlARY nALLoCK P00TE.
copyright. 1894. by Mary Haliook Foo+s.l
Continued from fifth page.

| GOd bless mel" he murmured, while
she held her breath in horror of his
coming to himself at this fatal mo.
ment. Il thought that you kissed me!
! must be dreaming. Oh, let it be true!
Faith, dear, make it true before lose
you again"
1T is true" said the girl hoarsely
and nothing else is true-nothing. !
will never doubt you; l never did doubt
you. Now go to sleep! Good night,
dear; good night"
He held his breath and looked at her
keenly.
Your lips are cold; your hands are
cold. Why are you saying good night?"
The boat is late" said Faith in hol-
low voice. 1--WE cannot go till the boat
comes. You are sick: rest now--do rest
this is your only chancel"
She put her hands upon him, with
soft, shuddering touches, trying with
all the strength of her love to master
her fear, that she might have power to
lull him into obliviousness of the awful
sounds of the night. Under the trees il
was quite dusk; he could see nothing,
but she felt that he was listening.
What is that fring?"
only some men," gasped Faith.
But what are they shooting at?"
shooting? Oh, at mark"
"Oh, I say! in the dark" laughed
Darcie softly. He was drifting of
again, as his speech betrayed. "Are
they drunk? What are they shouting
about?"
ITS the other men who are shout
ing" Faith lied to him, feebly.
What other men? Is this a stag pic
nicP 0 Lord! 0 Faith, dear!"
Faith hardly knew what he was say
ing, but she welcomed any wildness,
profanity-anything but his own low,
steady tones.
BE quiet, Darcie, dearl" she whis-
pered
"Darcie, dear!" he repeated, foolish
~. God bless me, but this is nice
what sweet girl you are! Heavens!
what brute wasl Are you ever going
to be friends with me again?"
He nestled his sick head close to her
lap, contentedly, and gave himself up
to the exquisite sense of her cold, soft
touch moving over his hand in the dark.
Mother of Grace, the pass is diff
cult!'" whispered the tortured girl. 1t
was the mother instinct, which can look
on death, that taught her calmness at
this moment, and gave her strength to
exert her love, else one of natures mira
Giles was wrought; for out of the an
guish of her deadly fear came supreme
rest to him she loved, and Darcie slept.
His hand slipped from hers, lower and
lower, and touched the sand; softly she
saved the contact from disturbing him.
He sighed, and breathed more deeply;
he was gone, even beyond his conscious
ness of her.
She moved trif1e, cautiously; drew
away her dress, and noiselessly raised
herself upon her knees. All along the
shore she seemed to hear stealthy foot
steps and furtive, leafy rustlings, as of
hunter stalking big game. The rapid
firing had ceased, but scattering shots
came infrequently, one at a time, from
a distance. Step by step she moved
little way past the bushes and looked
out. Overhead the clouds were blown
in wild masses; the stars in the dark
blue lakes Of sky between winked peace
fully, while the torn and flying cloud
signals altered from moment to mo-
ment. So did the peace of heaven abide
this senseless, passing hour, that proved
nothing, changed nothing, simply add
ed its score to the wrong side, the side
of human passion, which must miss the
mark thousand times before one true
aim shall raise the record a little higher
as the centuries pass.
Faith was quoted; she had reached
the limit of emotional fear, and now a
species of insensibility crept over her
the reaction after the shock She
wondered why she could not feel as she
ought the peril Of all those other men
who were strangers to her affection.
Where was Mike-always rash with him
self? Was he safe? And how was it
with the honest Cassons-the wife wait
ing with her little sleepy brood about
her, to learn perhaps that they were
fatherless?
look and hid herself as man came run
ling, like one pursued, out from group
of black birch trees that stood together
shivering in an open windy space. He
ran uncertainty, this way and that, as
II crazed with fear. His dog-hearted
pursuer covered him with deliberate
aim. 1t was pitiful to see him waver
between the chances of the river and
OF the broken plain below. lie was en-
hausted with running; his chest labored
in hard, painful gasps; his legs were
giving under him. The next moment
he stumbled and fell. The "scab"
hunter came up and turned him over
with his foot, keeping the muzzle of
his rifle close to his chest. He said
something brief which Faith did not
hear. The man never spoke, but threw
out his hands expressively on the sod.
The other searched his clothes and took
all that he had in money or small valu-
ables and, stirring him with his foot,
said:
"Git-git out from herel I'll give you
till l count CO."