Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-11-10


hands-'you see. there is the tempta-
ton. 1t is his unhappy weakness"
Jessica remembered the yellow.
smirky face now. She had passed him
on the day Tom Fielder had walked
with her from the Mountain Valley
House, and the lawyer had told her he
lived In the cabin just below the Knob,
where she SO often sat She felt
culver Of repulson.
He is not Intoxicated" she said
coldly. He Is i'll. You know him.
thenf"
Know him" he echoed and laugh
ed-a dry. cackling laugh. Il ought to.
And guess he knows me-" He shook
the inert arm. Get up. Hugh" he
said. Its P:endergast.'
There flashed through her mind the
phrase Of the surly hotel keeper. His
side partner. Prendergast!' Could it
be? Had Hugh really lived in the cab
in on which she had so often peered
down during those past weeks? And
| with this chosen crony!
She touched Prendergast's arm. He
is Ill. say she repeated. He must
be cared for at once Your cabin is on
the hillside, isn't it,"
His cabin" he corrected. "a rough
place, but it has sheltered us both.
am but guide. philosopher and friend"
She bit her lips. Lift him on my
horse" she said. She stopped and put
her hands under the twitching Shout
ders. 81 will help you. am quite
strong"
| With her aid he lifted the swaying
form on to the saddle and supported
it, while Jessica led the way.
Here is the cutoff" he said pres
entity. "Ah, you know it, for she had
turned into the side path that led
along the hill. under the gray, snake
like flume-the shortest route to the
grassy shelf on which the cabin stood
The byway was steep and rugged,
and rhododendron clumps caught at
her ankles, and once she heard q snake
slip over the dry rustic of leaves. but
she went on rapidly, dragging at the
bride, turning back now and then
anxiously to urge the horse to greater
speed. She scarcely heard the often
sively honeyed compliments which
Prendergast offered to her courage.
1t seemed an eternity they climbed.
In reality it was scarcely twenty min
utes before they reached the grassy
knoll and the cabin. whose crazy
swinging door stood wide to the night
air. She tied the horse. went In and
at Prendergasts direction found
matches and lit candle. The bare.
two room interior 1t revealed was I'm.
kempt and disordered. Rough hunks,
a table and couple of hewn chairs
were almost its only furniture. The
window was broken and the roof ad.
m1tted sun and rain. Prendergast laid
the man they had brought on one of
the hunks and threw over him a shah
by blanket.
my dear young lady" he said you
are u good Samaritan. How shall we
thank you. my poor friend here and
II"
Jessica had taken money from her
pocket. and now she held it out to
him. He must have DOCTOR" she
said. You must fetch one"
The yellow eyes fastened on the bill
even while his gesture protested. you
shame me"' he exclaimed. "And yet
you are right. 1t is for him" He
folded it and put. 1t into his pocket
LAS soon as have built fire l will
go for our local medico. He will not
| oil of no Of thn nj,
less miner. All are not so charitable
as you"
He united her horse and extended 9
hand. but she mounted without his
help. "He will thank you one day
this friend of mine." he said, "far bet
ter than | can do"
cit is not at all necessary to tel
him." she replied frigidly. The sicl
are always to be helped In every cir
cumstance."
She gave her horse the rein as sh,
spoke and turned him up the steel
path that climbed back of the cabin
past the Knob, and so by narrow
trail to the mountain road.
August Prendergast stood listening
to the dulling hoof beats moment
then re-entered the cabin. The man OF
the bunk had lifted to a sitting posi-
ton. His eyes were open, dazed ant
staring.
; THAT'S right" the older man said
you're coming round. How does
feel to be back in the old shebang
Can't guess how you got here, cal
you? You were towed on horseback b,
beauty. Hughey. my boy--a rip stav
ing beauty! I'll tell you about it in tn
morning II you're good
The man he addressed made no an
swer. His eyes were on the other, In
dustrious and bewildered.
II heard about the row." went OF
Prendergast. They didn't think 1
was In you, and neither did L." H,
looked at him cunningly. Neither die
Moreau. eh. Ell? You're clever one
Hugh, but the lost memory racke
won't stand you in anything. You
hadn't any call to get scared in tn,
first place. | don't tell all know"
> He showed the candle nearer on tn,
table. There's queer look in you
face, Hugh he said, with clumsy
attempt at kindness. THAT rock they