Daily Arizona silver belt., 1908-12-13
The Ways
 ...Of Fate.
By Zelia Margaret Walters.
Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated
 Literary Press.


 When it became an established fac that Daniel Forbes would never go wooing on his own account, his mother undertook to manage the delicate af. fair for him. She selected Lucy Will. son. capable girl.
 Now, you go over there tonight, she directed her son. 'Lucy's willing, and the old folk have given their con. sent. so there's nothing to be afraid of. Lucy's so lively and runs on so l guess you won't have to do much talk. ing"
 Although David turned pale under his tan. he prepared to obey. He drove past the Wilson farmhouse twice. but on approaching the third time. just as he was about to enter recklessly, he saw Lucy on the porch. and. turning his horse about, he fled.
 Thus abruptly ended David's first ad. vance toward matrimony. Indignant, Lucy quickly accepted another swain, and David settled down to what seemed hopeless bachelorhood.
 One morning In midsummer when the first luscious blueberries were ripe Mrs Forbes asked David to take a half day from the farm work and go to the mountain for blueberries. David agreed and started on with basket on either arm. Many berry picker, were at work on the lower sIopcs and near the path. but David, wbo had sui fered often from their rough wit. went farther on. circiing around ! to the wilder, sleeper side of the mountain.
 He found place yet unvisited and settled to picking where the bushes were loaded with fruit. But even In this lonely place he was disturbed by some one approaching through the brush.
 He caught glimpse of woman's gown and started to retreat nolseless ly. Then he noticed that it was 6 pink gown and paused. The farmers daughters and the village girls did not wear thin pink dresses when they went berrying on the mountain side.
 David had observed more than his friends gave him credit for. so he waited a moment to see who this girl was. Quite unexpectedly she stepped into full view. scarcely five yards from him. There was no retreating then. David bent over the bushes indus triously.
 The fair stranger dn the one brief glance David found that she was both fair and q. stranger) was picking too. She had hHlf filled fanciful little bas ket David wondered why she was alone so far from the frequented paths.
 The girl examined the big, handsome farmer through downcast lashes, and she was at once interested.
 ''Why doesn't he speak 2" she thought 'The others all do. wonder who he is. I haven't seen him anywhere I'll just stay until he does say some thing" she reflected as she watched him.
 David was chained to the spot, His difiidence urged him to fee, but some thing stronger held him almost within arms length of the girl. In his wild est daring. however, he never thought of doing more than glance in her di rection. Nothing less than a miracle would have made him change his at titude.
 Fate. which one time in a thousand is unexpectedly kind, interposed with something very like a miracle There was jarring and a rending of the earth, followed by muffled roar The ground yawned In an awful gulf at their feet
 Man and maid, clutching wildly at each other. slid down. down, blinded and choked by the flying dust Through it all David had kept his arm about the girl. whom he had seized when the nature of the calamity had burst upon him.
 Ills first thought when the uproai ceased was that he still held her. He moved cautiously to assure himself that he was yet fin the body and then opened his eyes and found that he was not buried, as he had expected to be At distance above his head he saw the branches of tree barring the blu of the sky. Then he looked at the lovely stranger lying in his arms. Hei eyes opened, fixed on his in terror
 To David's own everlasting surprise he found himself .stroking her haii soothingly. His tongue was unloosed.
 Don't be afraid" he said. "The danger is all over now"
 You saved my life" she said In hushed voice.
 Not at all," he answered briskly. "I only held you when I saw that we were going down. We're mighty lucky that We came out on top"
 For David knew that they had fall. en into an abandoned pocket of the coal mine. The supports had routed away. and the pocket had run too near the surface of the mountain side for safety.
 The girl weeping softly, clung to Da- vid. The surest way to win her grati. tude would be to get her out as soon as possible. He racked his brains for