The Greeley tribune., 1905-12-21

bathed her face and hands. flushed
from the long walk, ate the bread and
meat, then lay on the bed of pine nee
dies, brown and soft from the wealth
ering of many suns and SHOWS. She
had been all day in the company she
loved best-the earth, the sky, the sun
and wind-and In her heart ut last was
deep tranquility Thus she could
face life and ask nothing but to watch
the cloud tleeces as they are spun and
heaped high in the long days Of sum-
mer, in soberer moods to watch the
thoughts of the Great Mystery as he
reveals them in the shifting cloud
shapes; to penetrate farther and far
ther into the councils of the great
forces. Thus did she dream the mo-
ments away till the sun was high in the
blue and threw long. yellow splashes
Of light on her still body, on the soft
pine needles beneath the bOughs.
But there was no time for further
day dreams If she intended to fore
stall the hunters at the place Of noon
ing. She followed game trail that
lay along the stream, ascending
through the dense growths till she
reached the top Of the tutting rocks.
Her hair was looeened, her skirt awry.
and the pine needles stood out from 1t
as from a cushion. Much Of the way
she gained by creeping beneath the
low branches on her hands and knees.
No white woman would be likely to
follow her, reasoned the daughter of
the plains. 1t would be little too hard
on her appearance. And here, by lying
fiat and hanging over the juttfng knob
Of rock, with pine branch In her
hand. she could see this mysterious
woman and Peter and the hunters.
She broke branch to shade her
face; she looked down on the grassy
level. She waited. hut there was no
sound Of hoofs falling mutfled on the
soft ground. The shadows Of the pines
contended with the splashes OF sun
light for the little world beneath the
trees. They trembled in mimic battle
then the shadows stole the sunlight
bit by bit till all was pale green twi-
light, and there was no sound Of the
hunters.
The hunters meanwhile had not been
altogether successful in the chase. The
necessary wolf had been coy, and they
perforce had to compromise with his
poor relation. the coyote-a poor rela-
tIon. indeed, whose shabby coat. thinned
by the process of summer shedding,
made 1t an unworthy souvenir to Miss
Colebrooke. But it was not the lack of
n wolf that robbed the hunting party
OF its Zest for Kitty. She could not tell
what it was, but something seemed to
have gone wrong with the day from
the beginning. She rode beside her
cavalier in habit the like of which the
country had never bef&re seen, and
Peter. usually the most observnnt OF
men. had no word for its multitude OF
perfections. In the first realization OF
disappointment with the day. the hunt'
the hardships of the long ride. her per
turbed- consciousness took up the prop
lem of this missing element and tried
10 adjust itself to the irritating alb
sencc. Kitty wondered II 1t were
something she had forgotten. NO. there
were her two little cambria pocket
handkerchiefs. remotely suggestive OF
orris and bearing her monogram dell
cateIy wrought and characteristic IL
was not her watch, the ribbon fop OF
which fluttered now and then In the
breeze. 1t was not veil or scarfpin or
any of the paraphernalia Of the proper
ly carbed horsewoman. And yet tnefe
was something missing. something she