Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-05

breath yet came to he in gasps ..The
'r sand 4 s ssa are mol Ilsdr Shall, ever
thank God. thank Godk
The sound ofithese lager words yielded
me fresh measure of life.
Believe me. certainly do" said as
also as His insttnnerif: but IL you would
keep me from fafnting away like nerve-
less woman. beg you come here
I could mark her coming across the mar
row streak of moonlight. moving toward me
as a frightened bird might. startled at
everything. and passing as far from the
would allow. a she bent anxious lousy over
me her face was SO In shadow that could
distinguish nothing Of tits features.
What is it? Are you indeed severely
Not seriously, think. yet 1 have lost
some blood and am in great pain. There is
brandy In the Inner pocket of my jacket.
to reach 1t. Would you endeavor to draw
the flask out?'
1 felt her bend over me, her soft breath
coming almost in sobs upon my face. as
tons of my troopers jacket and extracted
the small fiat flask 1 had been thoughtful
enough to store away there
The fiery liquid seemed to put new blood
into my veins. and with 1t there returned
all my old-time audacity. with that intense
hopefulness in which had been trained by
years of war and self-reliance.
I exclaimed, cheerily. Things are surely
not SO bad after ALL At least we have
roof over our heads. and another day in
which TO lfve.".st
felt her shudder.
''Oh. please do not make light OF it," she
whispered. 1T Is like some horrid
dream, and I am trembling yet" 1 put MY
II trust you realize" said. ''that am
neither thoughtless nor ungrateful. Years
of war service make one careless Of life,
but I know it was your shot that saved
me. You are brave girl"
Her overtaxed nerves gave way at my
words, and knew she was crying softly.
The sobbing was In her voice as she strove
to speak.
great coward am. l scarcely knew
what was doing when fired. That horrid
thing-what was it?'
"A huge mastiff, imagine; one of the
have been, the beast is dead, and we have
nothing more to fear from him."
Yet tremble So" she confessed, almost
Historically. Every shadow fr:ghtens me-"
would quiet her nerves SO effectively ns
some positive action; besides, l felt the
hot blood constantly trucking down my
arm, and realized that something needed
to be done at once to Stanch it's flow, be-
fore weakness should render me equally
useless.
do you think you could build a fire ON
the hearth yonder?" l asked II am afraid
l am hardly capable of helping you as yet;
but must have light in this gloomy old
hole, or it is bound to craze us both. Take
those broken chairs if you find nothing bet
ter"
She instantly did as I bade her. moving
here and there about the room until she
gathered together the materials necessary,
but keeping carefully away from where the
dead dog lay, until in brief space of time
the welcome flame leaned in the wide
black chimney, and cast it's red glare all
over the little room. The activity did her
good, the light flooding the gloomy apart
ment yielded renewed courage, and there
was a cheerier sound In her voice as she
came back to me- u.
1.-The great ugly bruter' she excla med,
looking at the form in the center of the
floor. Ef-s
He was certainly Eeavy enough to have
been bear / replied clinching my teeth
in pain. land sufficiently savage"
l viewed her now for the first time clear
ly, and the memory will remain with me
till ! die. How distinctly that entire pic
ture stands forth with the mist of all these
years between! The low-eeled room, de-
void of all furniture, save of the rudest and
most primitive kind; the bare logs forming
the wallis unrelieved in their rough ugli-
ness, except as here and there sundry
shapely garments dangled from wooden
pegs; the rough deal table, with few
cheap dishes piled Upon one end of it; the
dead dog lying across the earthen floor;
and over all the leap of rudy, fame as the
newly kindled. fire gathered way. leaving
weird shadows here and there. yet steadily
forcing them back, fand flooding the whole
interior with a CHEEKY glow.
She had flung aside the blue and yellow
cloak which, during the long hours of our
night ride. had so completely shrouded
her, and stood before me dressed in some
soft clinging stuff of delicate brown col
or. SO cut and fashioned as to most become
her rounded, graceful FORM About her
neck narrow strip of creamy lace was
fitted, the full throat rendered whittier by
the contrast. while at her wrists a similar
ornament alone served to relieve the simple
plainness of her attire The flaming fire
lighted up her face, making it seem to
flush with the dancing glow, which SPAR
killed. like diamonds in her eyes, and touched
with rudy light the dark, dishevelled hair
Hers was young. fair face-a face to love
and trust forever, yet with pride in it,
and a certain frmness also that somehow
was good to see. All this I noted with
one quick upward glance and with sud-
den thrill of the heart such as had never
known before.
(To be continued tornorrow)