The Washington herald., 1907-02-17

/
/ came normal and cool. Then he looked
about a half-mile away he saw a mass
/ of heads, sometimes rising and falling,
and faint echo of cheers came to him.
/ lie knew that the candidate was stiil
/ speaking. and he smiled rather s0urly.
! Then he was conscious that the sunshine
was not so brilliant. and there was feel
/ ing of chill damp I'm the wind that came
/ up from the southwest
The King" glanced up at the sky; il
/ had turned steely gray. and ugly brown
/ clouds We're coming up over the rim Of
/ the southwestern horizon. There's go
/ ing to be an early snow, he said, and
after the moment the matter gave him no
! further concern. Then Sylvia and Har-
/ ley suddenly shot up and filed his whole
/ horizon He had seen them far from
/ where he stood, and they were going di-
rectly away from the town. not toward 1t!
And one was a girl and the other a ten
4 derfOot,
Now Harley disappeared from the
Kings" horizon as suddenly as he had
| come into it. and the solitary figure Of
I Sylvia filled all its space. She was not
a woman now. but the desolate little
/ girl whom he had found alone in the
mountains, vainly trying to bury her
( massaCred dead. and whom he had car
I ried away on his saddle-bOw. Al the long
years of protection and tenderness that
/ he had given her came back 10 him;
/ there was only the image Of the slim lit
tie girl with flying curls who ran 10 meet
/ him and who called him Daddy"
That little girl was lost out there on
the plain, and as sure as the sun had
gone from the heavens a SnoWstorm was
coming fast on the wings OF the
u q is
heart was filed with grief and despair;
10 rage was. left there; that fire had
burned out completely, and IL seemed 10
the king that it never could be lighted
again It was wonderful now 10 him that
the flame could ever have been so fierce
And the boy Harley was lost, too. Mr..
Plummer again remembered. and with
a certain admiration, how brave Harley
had been, and he remembered. TOO. that
when he first saw him lis impulse was
to like him greatly.
lie ran back toward the swell where
he had last beheld them, hoping 10 mad
them or at least 10 follow upon their
traces before the SNOW fell and hid the
trail He was an Old frontieTsman. and
with a favorable soil he might DO II.
But long before he reached the swell the
snow flew, and the brown clouds and The
plain. save the little circle in which he
stood.
He raised mis- powerful voice and called
in tones that carried far, sylvia, Syl-
viar' But no sound came back save Tho
lonely cry of the wind and the soft.
whirring rush Of the snow, like the soft
beat OF wings. The king was q brave
and sanguine man, physically and mem
tally disposed to hope, but his heart
dropped Ike lead IN water. He saw
the slim little girl, with flying brown
hair. dead and cold in the snow Then
his courage came back, and with II all
his mental GOODNESS. He did not seek 10
rush after them, loundering here and
there In the semi-darlncss ana calling
vaiuly, but hurried back 10 the town.
The people had just returned from the
candidates speech. and We're crowdiug
into the lobby of the hotel TO shake Mr..
Graysons hand. and to tell him that he
would win 10y q million majority The
candidate was enduring this ordeal with
his usual good nature and grace. al
though the crowded room was hot and
close and the Odor of steaming boots
arose.
Into this packed mass Of human beings
king" Plummer burst ike bomb.
Help, All of YOU he cried and his
voice cracked like a rife. They are
lost out on the plain in the storm, and
they we're wandering away from the
town, Miss Morgani Sylvia, Ny child,
And the young man. Harley"
There was no mstakng the Kings"
meaning. Here was 4 mountain man.
one who anew Of what he was talking.
one who would raise no false alarm.
Both grief and command were in his voice.
and the D5lyotans responded upon tho
instant: they knew Sylvia, JOO-her fresh.
young beauty. coming into so small .
Town. was noticed at once. To the last
man they went out into the storm 10 the
rescue. and there were many women who
were willing, 100.
The candidate seized Mr.. PIummer's
arm in a fierce grasp.
DO you mean to say that Sylvia AMI
Harley are lost i'm that2' he cried. and
he pointed into the mass of driving snow.
LAY, they are there" said the king
but we viii find them"
we viii find them" echoed Jimmy
Grayson, and. though they strove TO make
him stay at the hotel, he drew his over
coat about his ears and was by his side
as King Plummer led the way. Ho-
bart, BlaisdeH, even old TTemaine. and
Churchill as well, were there. too
They knew that Sylvia and Harley were
somewhere north Of the town, and, divid-
ing into groups five or six TO a group
they spread out TO great distance.
They carried whisky for warmth. and
lanterns with which TO signal to each
other. and FOR guidance in the night that
might come before they returned. IN the
twilight Of the storm these lanterns
twiukled dimly
The King" himself carried a lantern.
read his face. Mr. Plummer had not told
him a word, bat he could guess the story.
He had come upon them. there was
violent scene Of some kind. and now the
King with death threatening his little
girl was stricken with TemOTse. All the
candidates anger against Mr.. PIummer
was gone melted away suddenly-and he
saw that the Kings" wrath against
himself was gone the same way. Now
lie felt only pity for the stricken man.
The great line OF mon moved across the
plain toward the north, calling to each
other now and then and waving the dim
lanterns. Jimmy Grayson listened for the
welcome cry that the lost had been found,
but it did not come. The king" did
not speak save to give orders-he had
naturally assumed command Of the relief
party, and his position was not disputed
They advanced far northward, and they
noticed with Increased alarm the thicken-
ing of the storm. WhirlWindS of snow
beat in their faces. Jimmy Graysoa once
heard the big burly man by his side
say, in kind OF sobbing whisper, "Oh.
my little girl" and he felt a catch in his
own throat.
Then he repeated the Kings" own
words, we Will find them"
And alive" said the King, in fierce
defiance.
He did not speak again for long time.
He seemed 10 become unconscious Of the
presence 10y his side of Jimmy Grayson.
the man whom in his hot wrath he had