Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-11-29

spent in these woods and the Chautau-
qua grounds adjoining, where she and
her loves wandered like two children,
finding tongues In trees. books in
running brooks, sermon i'll stones. and
good in everything"
Alas! it was here they had quarrel
ed; what it had all been about the girl
could scarcely remember. Both We're
foolslily quick, both proud. To who
was at fault, Eleanor now gave no
thought; she would have taken the
blame and asked forgiveness for her
hasty words. fault or NO fault. il he
had but come to her; but he did,
not. and she could not seek him. Not
long afterward she had gone abroad
with her parents, and when she re-
turned to Washington, it was only to
learn that Hal had left the city.
She caught her breath sharply and
pressed her hand against her heart as
if to quiet it's violent t%hrobbing, when
n sudden thought flashed into her
mind. Perhaps he did not care; per-
haps his was merely IL fancy. No, no!
She felt that he had suffered, too. for
he loved her; of that she was con-
WINGED, and as she sat thinking of the
happy past and the dreary future with
IL him. she vowed to herself that if
she ever saw him again she would
speak to him and explain, even if lie
did not come to her. But where was
he? Would she ever see him again
ever have an opportunity to explain?
Sitting thus d%ejectedly. she allowed
her eyes to wander rcstlessly from OBJ
ject to object, scarcely needing what
she saw, until, OH the opposite side of
the narrow ravine, over which the
ledge of rock projected. she noticed a
beautiful cluster of early autumn flow
ers. They seemed almost within
reach, and She decided to gather them
as a souvenir of this visit to Glen
Echo. Perhaps it would be the last,
for each succeeding visit only served
to make her more lonely than before
Then, beside. Autumn, laying here
and there a fiery finger on the leaves"
' told only too plainly of approaching
winter, when this loved spot would he
robbed of many of it's beauties.
Stepping. from the rock, Eleanor
climbed up a few feet and steadying
herself by clutching the ferns and
bushes at her side, reached out over
the narrow space toward the coveted
blossoms. Closing her hand around
them, she gave a quick jerk to pull
them from the stem, but at that in
slant the moss covered stone upon
which her weight rested moved slight
lily, and she felt herself slipping down
the bank. She frantically clutched
/, some bushes growing directly before
her, but in her eagerness caught them
too near the tops, and the branches
slipped through her fingers, leaving
only the leaves in her hand.
A second attempt caused her to lose
her balanc altogether, and she half
slipped, half rolled, some distance
down the bank, carrying with her. i'm
the descent, a shower of dirt and small
stones. An instant later she found her.
self sitting upon a ledge of rock init
ting out from the hillside. upon which
was a bench similar to the II upon
which She had been seated.
Making no attempt to rise. Eleanor
leaned back against the bench. unde-
cided whether to laugh or cry. and
thinking how ridiculous she must an.
pear, and thankful, indeed, that no one
had witnessed her undignitied fall.
She was shaken and breathless. but
unlnJured, and she laughed as she
thought how fortunate it was Hal was
not with her this time. She was sto,.
tied by a slight exclamation: tben
came a hurried footstep. and n voice
said:
Are you hurt? Let me assist yor.n
I~nstinctively Eleanor drew her feet
toward her sideways, smoothing out
her skirt with one hand, while with
the other she tried to put back her
hair, which had become loosened Inv |
the fall. Again the voice spoke.
Tell me-are you hurt?"
The girl glanced up quickly, then,
with a surprised little "ohv covered
her crimson face with both hands. As
she turned toward the speaker he
sprang back, exclaiming, "Eleanor!"
and the next instant was on his knees
at her side.
With n arm about her, he gently
took her hands away from her face.
kissed away the tears of humilia-
ton which started into the blue eyes.
Eleanor, my darling, what has hap
pened!" asked the young man, as he
raised the girl and put her upon the
bench, still keeping his arm about her.
Il wanted a flower which was a little
above7'our b%ench'-and 1 fell from the
ledge above" She answered.
You fell from the ledge above" he
repeated. glancing upward. then at the
dark ravine below. He shuddered and
drew the girl closer to him. "Eleanor.
sweetheart, I have been the most
wretched man in the whole world for
many months. I would have come to
beg you to forgive my thoughtless
words long ago. but 4 did not know
where you were. went abroad solely