The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-28

he full as blank as his. I made sure
some deep-laid plot was at the bottom OF
the mystery; but we had measured many
weary miles in the wilderness, AID the
and sprung, before the lightning fash OF
exploitation came to show US all Its devil
ish ingenuity.
But now Forward" was the word, and
we fell In line again. and again the tirs-
less running OF the two guides stretched
and held us on the rack OF WEAKNESS.
Happily for US two who were out OF
training, the ~rainy-day dusk caRs early:
ana though Yeates and the Indian, run
ming now with their bodies bent double
and their noses to h ground, held on
long after Richard Jennifer and I were
bat-bhnd for any seeing Of the hoof-
prints. the end came at length and we
as We Were. %freless. and with
the last OF the cooke ration Of deer's
meat for a scaIlty supper.
After the meal. which was swallowed
hastily In the silence Of utter fatigue, we
scooped q hollow IN a last years leaf
e and lay down to sleep. wet to the
Skin as any four half-drowned water rats,
and to the full as miserable.
Tagged as I was. twas Q long time be-
fore sleep came to make me forget; a
weary interval fraught with dismal men
tai miser.es to march step and step with
the treadmill rackings Of the aching mus
cles. h grievous hap had befallen
my dear lady? and how much or how lit
tie was 1 to blame for this kidnapping of
her by my relentless enemy? Was 1t a
foreboding OF some such resort to
savage violence that had tortured her Into
sending the appeal for help?
With this. I fell to dwelling afresh up
on the wording OF her message, hungering
av.dly for some hint to give me leave to
claim It for my own. Though I made sure
she did not love me-had never loved me
as other than q make-shift %conidant,
face and ge would set him far be-
ycnd h pale of sent,ment-yet I had
hoped this friendship-love would give her
to call upon mo In her hour Of
Was I the one to whom her message
had been sped? Suddenly I remembered
what Richard had said; that the arrow
was the Catawba's. II Uncanuola were
the bearer OF the parchment. he would
surely know to whom he had been sent.
His burow in the leaf bed chanced to
next to mine. n I could hear his
steady breathing, light and long-drawn
IKE tnat or some wild Creatures. truly
was-sleeping with all the senses alert
TO sprfng awake at a touch or the snap-
OF a tw!g. "A word would arouse him.
ana q single question might resolve the
doubt. e"e
Il thought OF all this. and vet. when 7
Woulo nave Weakened the Indian, a shak-
ahs asue-ne Of poitroon cowardice gave
me pause. For while the doubt remained
there was q chance to hope that she had
sent to me. making the little cry for helm
q token, not OF love, %perchance. but OF
dawnfng Of forgiveness for nv des-
perate wronging OF her. And in that
nesltant momen 1t was borne In upon
me mat without this slender chance
lor nope I should go mad and become a
Wretched willing at a time when every
faculty should be s~uperhuman sharp and
for spending in her service.
80 L 1orebore to wake the indian. and
out this thought Of service ht-
ness. would force myself to go to s,een
ana SO 70 gather fresh strength for the
days measure, -
CHAPTER XXI.
WE KEPT LENTEN vIGrrs
IN TRINITYTIDE.
Iwould weary you beyond the limit
OF good nature were I to try to pict11ra
out at large the varied haps and haz-
ARDS of our ~fwatchings inIthe savage
wilderness. For the actors in any NAV
q e trivial details have their place and
momentous enough, 1t ma be:
yet these are often wearisome to the
OF stall yawning impatiently for
the climax. ~
So. II you please. you are to conceive
us tour, the strangest ill-assorted com-
pany on the footstool, pushing on from
lay to day deeper and ever deeper into
the painless forest solitudes. vet al
ways with the plain-marked trail to
guide us.
AT times the march measured a fun
Gays length amid the columned aisles
or h forest temple through lush green
glades dank and steaming in the All
gust heat. or over hillsides slippery
with the fallen leaves of the pine trees.
1t traced the crooked windings OF
some brawling mountain stream
through thicket tangles where. YOU
would think. no Woman-ridden horse
could penetrate.
one day the sun would shine re-,
splendent and all the columned dis
tances would fill with soft suffusines Of
the gray and green and gold. with here
n there a dusky flame where the
sweet-gum heralded the autumn, whilst
overhead the leafy arches were fine
lined traceries and a~rabesques against
the blue. But in the night, mayhap. a
dismal rain would come, chill with the
breath Of the nearing mountains; and
the trees turned into dripping
pots to drench us where We
sOdden already with the heayiness
Of exhaustion.
Since the hasting pursuit was asthing
to tap the very fountain head OF forti-
n endurance, we Jared on silent
for the better part; and in a little time
the hush of the solitudes laid fast hold
OF us, scanning us Of speech and bidding
go softly. And after this the march
became a soundless shadow-fitting. and
we a struggling file Of voiceless mech
anisrns wound up and set Il measure off
the miles till famine or exhaustion
Should thrust a finger in among the
wheels and bid them stop forever.
This was the loom on which we woye
the misunderstanding web of siren
uous expressing. But through that web
the scarlet thread Of famine shuttled
in and out, and hunger came and
marched with us till all the days and
We're filed with cravings, and
we rocked little OF fair skies or drip
ping clouds. or aught besides save this
ever-present specter of starvation.
You will not think 1t strange that 1
Should have but dim and misty
les OF this fainting time. OF all priva-
tons famine soonest blunts the senses.
making a man oblivious OF all save
that Which drives him onward. The
happenings that I remember dearest
are those which turned upon some
temporary bridging Of the hunger gulf.