The Virginia enterprise., 1901-09-20

and exhaustion? A slender, spirited,
high.strung woman, SO delicately fash
ioned that you could lift her with one
hand, will outdo the biggest athlete, in
Of the fact; the doctors will certify to it.
Miss Winifred Gale was 1.-THE, healthy,
quick-blooded young creature, swift and
supple in motion, light of limb and true
of eye; her cheek kindled with pleasure
at the prospect of twelve-mile walk, of
which nearly half would be tolerably Sc
we're climbing. She dearly loved to put
forth her full energy, and she knew her
power to outwalk, outrun, outclimb all
the other women, and possibly the men,
Peradventure she intended to tire ME out
If so: her ambition scared too high.
Before we started something happened
to rouse my temper. To my amazement,
where l thought of going for August.
Going? I'm not going anywhere. I'm
"Confound it air. he exploded, "why
shouldn't sh we tell the truth and shame
here Somehow what 2S ais ake you e never Sf II
saw you 50 mixed up. Let's try new
woods ?"
Good heavens! Was this the end?
Had l become spectacle even TO my
most intimate friend? Would l be driv-
common decency?
No matter! put off the future as not
worth thinking about. Here was one
good day before us-I would think no
further than that.
At the end Of the first half mile we
turned into narrow wood road. Dap
pied shade and velvet turf were before
us, glorious sun sky overhead. The COM
panion that | wanted was by nv side.
and we struck out briskly, leading cur
party.
What a morning that was. Our way
soon became a rugged footpath, an
ascent gradually growing in steepness,
toward the backbone of the great noun
tain. At last we came to the ridge. we
crossed it, and the descent began. After
that we followed the stream, at first a
little brown mountain brook that ran
laughing on before us. White birches
tossed their airy locks in greeting birds
called to us. wild flowers beckoned, in cv-
cry pause the stream babbled on whis-
perlng fragments of all the wonderful Sc
crets of time.
At intervals we fingered and looked
back for the coming Of those behind, but
with the sign of scrambling figures ad-
vanclng Oh we rushed again. When the
walking was not too rough we talked;
occasionally my hand steadied her for a
long rise or slippery descent. There
was no sarcasm in her voice. We spoke
of many things and not always lightly
At last, far in front Of our party, we
reached the head of the waterfall. At
that point the gorge was closing in the
grassy banks Of the stream narrowed. 1t
was cool. green spot; the air. refreshed
by the spray where the stream, now deep
but not wide, thundered into the chasm
below. We sat down near its brink to
rest, take breath and await the remain
chN
dark rock the noisy stream plunged, los
ing itself in dim, green gulf, followed
by centuries of dropping on the solid
rock below.
AS it happened, we talked of drowning.
l had all the easy dogmatism of inexperi-
ence, and l told her boldly that only
dense Ignorance furnished an excuse for
and so keep up until help came. Nothing
more was necessary. She scoffed at my
cheap wisdom and now that we were ex-
pecting our companions at any moment,
she relapsed into the old derisive scorn
for me and my opinions She made me
was the least to be considered and the
most useless in an emergency.
How it happened l never can tell but
suddenly-was it rolling stone? was it
the tumult in my blood? Whatever was
the cause, the cold fact >remains-over !
went. Ill less tIme ludi II taxes 10 tell
it, the cold mountain stream and were
shooting the falls together.
When found myself bobbing around
in the dark, stone-bOund pool at it's foot,
like drowning rat in, tub, it is not
strange that had no clear idea of what
l had done. Only one thought throbbed
in my half-paralyzed brain. l wished
oh! how I wished, that l had only begged
Winifred's pardon. Drowning was a
small matter and soon over, but what
pity not to have made friends with Win
fired! -. 1
The next thing that reached my foggy
consciousness was, a.wonder that has been
growing ever since. How did she get
down that giddy, slippery footpath in less
time, as it seemed, than had taken for
the straight descent, helped by a water
fall? For there, not ten feet from me, a
broken rail was thrust out into the water,
and at the other end Of it saw a little
white face drawn with terror, while an
imperious, agouized voice rang out above
all the dizzy roar il my ears: Tread
I It,was there at her feet, hah- drowned
wretch that I was, that I made peace
al