The age-herald., 1900-02-04
CHAPTER Y.

lWCCh AhaASh 10 eAiN -"'
 CHAPTER V.
 June with summers early verdure, the full bloom of flowers, the sweetest notes from the chorister of the air, had passed. Six of our young friends for more than month had been enjoying the 'wildings of nature" to the utmost. pitying right hearti- ly the poor unfortunates, doomed to stifiing heat and city dust.
 Scarcely a day passed that the six friends were not together at least for short time. Mrs. Clay was improving rapidly. Seeing her getting so well and strong, the boys, Ran and But, with less so.citude for her. felt free to wander and ramble about tine mountain wilds to their hearts content.
 Tom Harry and George were hkewise masters of the time. and many excursions' frequently with Eleanor to bear them com pany, were enjoyed. Fred had less time TOT slrcdh delights being employed as waiter upon a table of guests at the hotel; but his afternoons being comparatively unem- ployed he often joined them during later hours of the day.
 They had made many discoveries of pleas ant spots and beautiful scenery, being de- lighted with this glimpse of a world which had been left just as God made it, they spent nearly all of the days out of doors
 The boys had made acquaintances among the natives of the hills. and found mucn eii- tertainment from this source. The siinpie mountain people afford perhaps the pest onrortunity for a study of human nature IinsLilled In ability to dessemb.e, and know ing almost nothing of customs ana Inan- ners of city civilization, altogether iiilte ttat ota ,r,e possibilities for vaneering tnehi trne character are few, and to student oa nsvcology. the mind of the native moudi- ta5neer is the best subject Tor anals DIS. 1T. S,ad ehanced to-day that the boys and Eleanor were in the greatest huniioi for e trlp. and felt desirous for more than fine usual amount or tramplns' u must be some place wath toucn ol u>' ger and a spice of adventure. tue Na.e was suggested, but its exploration thss nreferred to defer till one of their rusoc friends, who had volunteered 10 oo so' cculd 20 with them. To clinlo to the sum- rnit of another mountain peak would SlVe them exercise sufficient, to be sure put without any new feature of interest, they having already sealed several points near.
 ooh, I know" exclaimed Eleanor, you remember the old Indian woman up
 Laurel Creek told us of the falls Thah the place. Let us go to the falls
 You go to the falls echoed George "Why everybody about here says tnat uae stoutest of us boys alone must thmk or that trip You go to the falls, indeed.
 Now, George" Eleanor began. II hcpe you have no thought of undertaking that trip without me. You, for one, could never survive it if I do not go to stimu- late you to the effort"
 "Humph!" was all George condescended to reply.
 ."We'n go to the falls" was the decision, and though all protested that Eleanor should not attempt it, she was needless, and sooon preparations were made Tor
 what proved to be an adventure indeed
 It was early and chilly, so with coats Of somewhat heavier material than ordin- arily worn by them, baskets of lunch, fish ing rods, rifles, and other such paraphe- nalia, they started. Pausing after mile of rough walking at the house of the In dian, or half-breed, woman to inquire for better directions concerning tine locality of the falls, they were again told of the dan Gerous and almost impossible way thence and cautioned not to undertake it. "Oh, but we've come this far and do not intend to turn back said George.
 Well, the gal and them boys,' pointing to Tom and Bert, ''wtfl wish they had hyeard me, and stayed behind that's all, " she said as they left her hut. but heSn~a they had gone very far they heard her voice calling after them: ''oas. ,,.,.t hyeard there's bar prowlin roun you'd better be keerfu.
 "An right one of the boys answered, and on they went. A half mile of laurels, underbrush and vines, fallen trees and rocks seemed to them about three miles, | or even greater distance. It was up n:ll, | too, and panung they scrambled. crawled, 1 and stumbled on quite slowly till they l reached a place where it became mani | festly impossible to continue further on l this so-called path.
 What's to be done?" inquired George, | who was ahead of the others "ti Is either | to take to the water or go back" All stood still for a brief time consider ing. They anxiously examined the steep | rocks before them, and the festoons of | thorny, tangled vines, then looked appre- | hensively at the rushing, dashing stream, | which was so clear that every pebble and | sharp. moss-covered rock on the bottom | could be seen perfectly from where they | stood. The boys turned to Eleanor ard | wondered what she would do.
 | They should have learned ere this Shat l her "undaunted mettle" was equal to every emergency
 "Let us take the water" she decided. "T am not going to give it up yet" The boys | laughed as one and all. now thoroughly | tired out found rocks or logs upon which ] to seat themselves for rest before con- | tinuing the perilous undertaking. Off came coats and hats, lunch baskets | were opened, Harry declared they could carry them no further, and soon every morsel of the contents were devoured. For time jest and merriment was su- preme but after awhile, feeling refreshed slowly in their journey toward the falls by means of the rocks in the stream, and holding tightly to the overhanging boughs 1 of the laurel trees. Coats and guns were | left, with the exception of a couple of | rifles and some fishing rods, and they went l forward with nothing to hinder them. In | a short time these proved too burdensome