The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-13
THE FUGITIVE

THANK you-thank you," he said as
he put the cup back in her hand, and
il was clear to her that ii was not the
water alone to which his gratitude
answered. Are you alone?' A SIMS
ter query, had there been anything in
the desperate young face that could
threaten; the question of a robber, a
fugitive-a lover. Lydia felt instinc-
lively that it was not the first, and
though she knew it for the second, she
answered him with the quick, tremu-
! lOus interest she might have given the
third of these three.
I'm alone. 1 live here alone, with
my child. I'm a widow"
| but may not somebody" he be-
gan.
! She interrupted comprehensively,
wait, l will look" and with eager
caution she crept back to the door,
stepped through 1t and out into the
/ brilliant sunlight. which made beaten
gold of her thick-growing hair, scan
ming the canyon first up and then
down, scrutinizing the upper line of its
walls, where they lay sharp against
the blue sky, searching every TRAIL in
terrogating every bit of shadow. In
all that her eyes commanded there was
no sign of human life. She hurried
back to the face at the little win
dow.
There Is nobody in sight" she told
him. But stay there-I will come to
you
Again, as she turned from him to
make good her word, he checked her,
putting a hand forth to touch her
shoulder, with, Thank YOU" and once
more his look extended and illuminated
the meaning of the words
| She came to him-showing plainly
marks of sympathetic excitement, anx-
| iety, alarm, yet moving slowly and
loiteringly, carrying upon her arm
| some garments which she had taken
| from the line. In the instant of his
rising to his feet and turning fully
toward her Lydia became aware how
young and comedy he was, despite his
disarray, the fact that his left arm
was in a sling, and the fresh, disfig-
uring wound on his temple. A brief
! feeling of embarrassment came to her;
but was instantly swallowed up in the
sense of something terrible impending.
And so, as she might have done had
he been her brother, she approached
| him swiftly( without a word passed her
arm through his, and walking on the
outside, covering his form with her
own, moved slowly around to the door
and in through it.
/ BrOuRDIOn ndQ Deen leo anu COM
| forted and his wounds dressed; he had
| lain down at peace to sleep the sleep
| of utter exhaustion on little Norah's
bed. The child-who had walked, and
| listened to her mothers explanation of
the case with sweet, grave docility-
was taking turns with the woman at
keeping watch up on the big rock
above the cabin, whence one could see,
/ two miles below. the turn in the road
that brought into clear view any one
approaching up the trail.
While the fugitive slept Lydia, with
her own hands, unsaddled his weary
pony and fed him bountifully from her
little store of grain. Later she re-sad-
died and left him to Craze in the door
yard. And ever. as she passed and re-
passed that inert figure. that sleeping
face on little Norah's pillow, the strong
woman's heart in her slight girlish
body yearned over it.
John had slept four hours when sud
denly the child being at her post above
and Lydia sitting near the door, he
wakened rested and renewed, and
called her name. She came instantly.
| He was sitting on the edge of the bed
| and she would scarce have known the
| haggard, hunted, disheveled fugitive in
! the figure before her
Pursued, famished. exhausted. almost
| desperate as he had been, with the elias
! ITCHY of youth, John Broughton's spirit
sprang up within him once more. AS
he had sat at his food, waited upon,