The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-10
THE EVENING yTOR r



him a singing blow in the face-and
ran, plunging through tangled vines
and bushes, tearing her light dress and
| scratching her arms on the blackberry
thorns, until she broke into an open
| space where one might stop to breathe
4 She paused then flung herself upon
/ the ground, pressing hot hands TO
warm, flushed cheeks.
Why had Martha run away? Because
she hated Billy? Oh, no! or she would
not have gone blackberrying with him.
] Because she loved to scramble through
brush and brier? Hardly why then?
Because cher thoughts rambled con-
/ fusedly)-just because he kissed her
Perhaps Billy would come ana find her
/ She waited quite time, but he did not
come; and at last, with a sigh, she re-
membered the blackberry pail and rose
/ to her feet
It was a large pail, holding fve gal
! Ions. and was much less than haAI-
| filled. Not caring to retrace her steps,
/ she crossed the open and pressed on u
/ a blackberry patch farther away, ons
/ to which they seldom came. The day
was blistering hot. and when the last
| glistening berry had heapsd The pail,
she lifted it with tired, purpled fingers,
and started home carrying III her heart
/ the feeling of n disappointing day.
It was quite a distance to the farm
/ house, and the girl hesitated consider
/ ing which would be the shortest route,
| finally deciding upon a path not much
used at that point. but soon coTly-uni-
eating with the country road.
She had gone but q short distance
| on the path when crunchlng step IN
| the woods startled her, and an instant
| later man stepped out from the
trees, started at seeing her, grinned
amiably and walked to her side. She
/ stif1ed the first impulse to scream.
! There was no one near to hear, ana II
might be dangerous to show fright; so
1 nh ri n 11 RnnGa1lGn
and walked quietly on her way.
'Lemme carry the pail, ne Sald'
ats too heavy for you"
Il can carry il, 3" said Martha.
MAYBE YOU can; but I WILL he re-
/ sponded, and took 1t from her.
Rapidly she tried to form mental
/ plan of action. She could not snake
/ off the Instructive feeling that the man
meant harm; yet she knew the abso-
lutte futilitv of crying out or trying 70
/ run from him II she could keep MIN
! from molesting her further until the
path Joined the county road she Would
/ be reasonably safe, as wagons ana
bugRies passed there quite continually.
He began 10 talk. inquiring about
the principal farmers around the VI
cinity=1vho they were, the best ROADS
! the distances to towns; and she an
swered, never ceasing to be painfuAy
alert. never stacking speed
"Herei Quit the pace, he sudden
! Iy. exclaimed roughly, putting one arm
] around her waist IN d nIIu ~
needn't try to run away from me, ana
I'm not going to run with you Cut II
out
/ Her heart almost stood still. Then
it flashed upon her that. somewhere
near. another path ran from this one
deeper into the woods. toward a de-
serted little cabin That it stood open,
she knew; that the door could be
| closed and barred, she also knew, nav
ing once taken refuge there in a rain
a ma TfN ntHn1CkeTS.
ewes now strained to unnatural keen
ness, discerned the break IN the shrub-
berry where the second path began, not
far ahead. Just as they approached
If with a sudden movement she trip
ped. unguarded. sending him sprawl
ing over the pail of blackberrles as she
wrenched herself away, and dashed
down the turning path, tearing along
at a speed under any other circum-
stances impossible
She had a start of several yards be-
fore he regained his footing and mad
" rushed after her. She ran till a pain
throbbed in her side and her eyes
swan. never faltering; then it seemed
to her that she was lifted to insensi-
bility, and sped on without volition,
conscious only OF speed me caoln
door was nearing, glimpsed through
the woods. open. 1t seemed to her
that monster was coming fast be-
hind and that she covered the ground
By leaps, like a strange animal sud
I
short cut through the trees, so that
for the instant he did not see her swift
change of direction, and to this she
probably owed her life. She tore into
the cabin. almost fell upon man
within as he jumped from his chair.
and gasped. hardly knowing what she
was saying: Hell kill u.s. Lock the
door! RUM
As she fell exhausted to the floor she
dimly sensed Il man rushing out of the
cabin IN the direction from which she
had come. Her breath came thick and
painfully. She tried to think, and sud
denly like lightning fash came the
query: "Who was the man in the
cabin - and a new terror seized her.
Then her flesh quivered at the sound
of a horrible cry and two almost sim
ultaneous shots, followed by third.
How long she lay where she had
fallen she did not know. for now
fright and exhaustion seemed to have
numbed her utterly; but when she
was able to struggle to her feet she
lcrept through the woods toward the
old path leading to the country road.
avoiding with a shudder the crooked
path which led from the cabin Final
| " she sat down by the wayside, to
wait for any passing vehicle, too spent
to carry herself farther. And this
time Billy. also disappointed, carry
ing his load OF berries. came strolling
along.
At sight of the limp. bedraggled
figure he cried out and fell at her side.
She told him weakly what had hap
pened, and afame with revengefuI
rage. he marched down the crooked
path. leaving her for minute alone
When he came back, his usually rud-
dy face was white, though he would
not give any explanation; and not IN
til Billy had carried her home in his
strong young arms, and she had cried
upon his shoulder and let him kiss
her peacefully, rapturously. did he tell
her that he had stumbled upon two
dead bodies. dead. but warm, not 1--WE
yards from each other. though sepa-
rated by shrubbery and trees.
Tt tTanspired that the men were no
torIous criminals in hiding. When