Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1907-09-27


, time, on this vantage point, she halted.
How thrice blessed those lnotted logs
| now seemed She Rugged and patted
them in abject gratitude. She crawled
to the edge and looked over into the
dark, gurgling water. Up above lay a
faint ripple of silver. Here, also, she
could see the moon almost at the
zenith, and few fickering stars.
A tritie of courage and renewal of
hope now came. her face and hands
were scratched and bleeding, clothing
torn, feet and legs black with mud
But these things she neither noticed
nor felt-only that blessed bridge of
logs that gave her safety, and the
moon that babe her hope
Then she began to count her
chances. This landmark told her that
five miles of her desperate journey
had been covered and she was still
alive. She began to calculate. How
soon would her escape be discovered
and who would pursue her? Only
Pete, her purchaser, Size telt sure, and
there was a possible chance thot he
might return to his cabin before doing
so. Or perhaps be might sleep late.
and thus give her one or two hours
more Of time
And now cheered by this trihing
hope and Iessening sense Of danger,
her past life came back. Her child
hood in a far-of settlement; the home
always in a turmoil from the strange
men and women ever coming and GO
ing; the drinking. swearing, singing.
at al hours of the night. her constant
fear Of them and wonder who they
were and why they came. There were
other features Of this disturbed life:
frequent quarrels between her father
and mother; curses. tears, and some
times blows. until at last after a night
more hideous than any other her
mother had taken her and fed Then
came long journey 70 another village
and new life of peace and quietness.
Here it was all so dlfferent-no red
shirted men to be afraid of. no loud
voiced women drinking with them.
She became acquainted with other
children of her own age. was sent to
school and taken tc church. Here.
also, her mother began to smile once
more, and look content. For two years,
and the only ones Chip cared to recall,
she had been happy schoolgirl. and
then came a sudden, tragic end to ii
all. OF that she never wished to think
Ii was all so horrible, and yet so merci-
fully brief
The one friend life held, her mother,
had been brought home, wounded to
death amid the whirring wheels of the
mill where she worked, there were a
Few hours CT agoaized dread as her
lie ebbed away, whisper or two CT
love and longing. and then the sad
farewell made doubly awful by her
fathers frowning face and harsh voice.
IT It's ending, and in spite of her fears
nd tears. she was now borne away by
him. For days they journeyed deeper
nd deeper into vast wilderness, to
alt st last at Tins Place.
Like a dread dream it all came back
low, as she lay there en- this one nat
srot of sacurity-tle bridge-and lis
IN through her mad flight the wilder
2ess had been ghostly and spectral in
he moonlight; now 1t had become lost
n iuky hlackness yet alive with de-
,nCnlac voices All the goblin forms
md hideous shapes OF Old Tomah's
faEcy were rushing and leaping about.
'ow high up in the treetops. now deep
~ ! =
-hriokcd and mosned.
And now, just as this fierce battle of
sound and spectral shape was at its
vo.st, and Chip. a hopeless, helpless
mite of humanity, crouched low upon
he bridge, suddenly a vicious growl
ched her, and raising her head she
saw at the bridges end two cleaning
yes!
NAAPTEc II