The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-03-20

that was in sight.
The morning passed slowly away
with Lem still on the track Most OF
the time he was on his hands and
knees.
Sometimes IL took him half an hour
TO decide where the next fOotstep had
been made; again, In deep moss, he
could follow the way almost at a trOt.
All the while II led starlight away
straight away into the fearsome Adlr-
ondack forest.
IL made the tears come 10 LENS eyes
to think Of that little girl somewhere
ahead Of him in the wilderness. per
haps lying on the ground exhausted, or
worse. But he did not try TO hurry.
He made sure that he was on the
girls track, and not astray, where the
deer had run or a bear had walked.
Once he stopped at wintergreen
berry patch and ate handful Of the
fruit, and all the time he chcwed birch
bark. His hunger was becoming hard
to bear, and night found him on the
side OF a beech ridge drawing his belt
tighter and tighter still, TO sleep the
night away. He felt his heart weaken
when he thought that for all his care
he had been able TO 90 only a few
hundred yards on that day.
But In the morning he rose and went
steadily on again. His head ached
and he was a little sick at the stomach
mo matter" he thought. I'm Just
going ahead now"
Sure enough, he was. Only few
rods along the ridge lie found where
Florence had pulled the leaves out
from under fallen tree, and lain down
in them.
She's cool, still" Lem said to him
self. IF she was much scared, she
wouldn't "a done that"
He found where the girl had started
on again, and then made the discovery
that she was eating bcechnuts, which
she found among the leaves. From the
number of hulls. Lem judged that she
must have found large number of
them. 1t put new courage In him, and
he kept on with more hope than he had
felt at the close Of the previous day.
lie made another discovery, too; he
found that at intervals along the trail
twlgs had been broken off. The girl
had thought TO break them, and so
great help.
Ii was with wondcrmcnt that Lem
noticed the course the girl was fol
lowing; II was almost due north. ms IL
she had a compass, although Lem
knew she did not have one. but the
boy was feeling weak himself now,
and he kept on only because Of the mo-
mentum which three years OF steady
effort TO do his utmost in all respects
had given him.
He lost the track once, and during
hours searched for IT, creeping on his
knees, already worn bare and raw by
his previous efforts. He made band
ages from his coat sleeves for them.
and when these were worn out he
tore up his coat. IL was far toward
night when he found bit of cloth
hanging TO u snaE on fallen hemlock
tree, over which the girl had crawled,
evidently wearily. for she brushed of
the bark and fell heavily to the ground
on the other side. Lem smiled for joy
ut finding the track again but he, too,
could only stagger over the log.
II was all that Lem could do to carry
his rifle. but he clung TO Il. for he knew
that life might depend on his shooting
something with II for her to eat. He
was glad ut every sign showing that
she was eating nuts and bark; hut
with his own feelings in mind. he
wondered at her endurance
The evening of the third day found
him beside n little mountain brook
Here the girl had taken drink and
then wadcd across; she had jumped
many a one twice rs wide, as Lem
dimly remembered.
A partridge walked out on the
branch of spruce tree few yards
away. Lem started To raise his rifle.
but he was too weak to get the sights
in line. his arms trcmbled so. The
partridge was deep woods one, how
ever, and not familiar with men. Lem
moved round till he could rest the
weapon on n stump. and then with
deadly aim he shot the bird through
the body.
He did not feel very hungry: never
thcless. he built little fire and toasted
the birds legs over It.
'l'll just save the breast for her" he
said 10 himself. He ate the legs. and
with that his appetite came back with
n rush; but he knew better than TO
overload his stomach.
For some reason the trail had seemed
easier to follow OH that day. The foot
steps were more plainly marked In the
dirt. but twigs were not SO frequently
broken. The reason Lem did not at
first comprehend. but suddenly he
thought. "She is wcakenlng"
Ii was true. Now and then Lem
found a stick from which the bari;
had been gnawcd. He found, too.
places where the girl had passed two
nights.
But although she was weak. her
courage was good. She kept on. aud
always northward. That night Lem
slept beside a log In the very place
where the lost child had passed night
at least four days before. But that
day the girl had not gone very far
only n little over mile. Lem thought
and she had stopped often 10 rest. ait
ting on logs and the ground.
1--WE Just got to hurry" Lem thought
60 ssCha .ur,l,. ,,ni, mo on.l