Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-07-05

| sturdy help, is at hand. Once more.
aHsre herer' cried the faint voice
| at the right OF the rock. II I'M Well
| nigh persisted. Who is 1t that has come
TO aid me? Who are the brave meh
who have dared n storm like THIS 10
save a friendless many'
.sTis I. monsieur" said the guide, as
he and Herbert lifted the giant form
of Col. Laponte from its recumbent po-
sitlon-"I. Jean Baptiste Fevre, your
faithful servant, and this brave young
monsieur, who so kindly gave me
his"
Herbert Oliver AS the helpless
man was lifted in those strong young
arms his dark eyes fell full upon MS
sayior's face. Herbert GIVE! ne re-
peated, hoarsely. "1ou-you! Wnat
avenging fate has sent you here!
.I came to save your life" was u
quiet reply-'a life which Is dear 10
one who is dearer than life to me.
"And you have periled your Ire o
me-for me?" repeated the helpless
man, in a husky whisper. For me,
the sworn and eternal enemy or Q
and yours"
"Of my own will I have made no
man my enemy" answered HERBERT,
grayely. "What / have done for you
I would have done for any fellow
creature in peril. This faithful fellow
beside me has the only claim on your
gratitude. He knew the dangers or
the search; / did not"
II told monsieur said the honest
Jean, who felt this an imputatlon on
his fair dealing-'I told monsieur the
risk. and he took it all. We cannot go
back this evening, but there Is q nut a
mile away from here, to which we can
carry Monsieur Laponte till the worst
Of the storm is passed"
"Oh, see, he has tainted! Thank the
good God, We came not a moment TOO
sooni"
Not a moment, for the powerful man
lay in their strong, brave arms, passive
| and HELPLESS as a child. Thus they car
ried him, painfully and perilously,
through the driving SHOWS, until the
deserted hut was reached; and through
the long, dreary hours Of the stormy
night that followed, while the winds
roared wildly through the mountain
pass, and the dull thunder Of the ava
lanche resounded ominously around
them. they watched beside the couch
of straw where the dark-browed man
lay m~otionless and silent-buried, so it
seemed, in a heavy stupor from which
he could not NV. }.
What he saw, what he heard, what
he thought and felt, in that seeming
trance. no mortal ever knew. once
only he started up wildly, and, as Her
bert fancied, whispered hoarsely his
fathers name-the name of Robert
Oliver
BY the morning the storm was over;
the sun rose in u%nclouded majesty over
the snow-clad heights, and a party Of
stout young men from the neighboring
valley came up to find the brave res
cuers, whose story had reached fitting
ears at last.
The still unconscious patient was
borne home on a litter, and with the
bright sunlight gliding the dazzling
peaks around, and the blue Of an Alp
Inc sky above-with the Christmas car
OILS of the gay young mountaineers ech-
DING from the icy crags, and the sweet
peace that follows a noble deed filling
his beast. Herbert found no terrors
II hiS SCSoLu JOulhSy bhANA5h tAS
mountain pass.
There seemed a strange stiffness in
the little village as he reached it-a
sort of Sabbath hush in the air. Good
Dame Marguerite forgot her matronly
propriety, and fairly Rugged the re-
turning wanderer as he crossed the
threshold.
"Ah, Monsieur Give, Monsieur Give!
to think my sharp tongue should have
sent you and poor Jean Baptiste on
such a searchl All, mademoiselle heard
Of 1t, you may be sure! Poor made
moiselle, who is nearly wild with ter
ror and grief. All, ali, I forgot the let
ter monsieur was waiting for Is here.
All. nor Dieu, how black and sad 1t
looks!' And Dame Marguerite turned
the black-sealed envelope over in her
hand. IL trust 1t has no sad news
from monsieur's home"
Herbert broke the seal with trem-
bling hands; then sunk. with a low
moan, into the seat behind him. His
father was dead-the master of Give
Towers was peremptorily summoned
home!