Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-21
" Escape me?
Never
RelOVedl
CHAPTER XI.
An Accident.

"Halloo!" Through a wet blanket
of fog, Hume's voice was blown back
to his own ears in depressing echo.
"Halloo yourself!" replied Jack Har-
old, at a distance.
Il say, Jack how long is this sort of
thing to continue?" shouted Hume
Where the deuce are your birds?"
Blessed if l know" replied Jack
dejectedly, as he appeared on the rocks
beside his friend there's not feath-
er fiuttering anywhere. And now a
man cannot see the length of his own
nose in this vapor. We may as well
give it up and go home"
For hours the two men had been
tramping about the cliffs and the
wastes of sand and poverty grass
searching for sea fowl, and finding
none.
The winged tribe had forsaken their
favorite haunts today. Moreover a
mighty fog was falling sullenly on
everything. Only a round, blurred
speck of yellow light, moving westward
through the sky, marked the declining
sun.
Come on" said Harold; "this is the
way back to the village" and he drew
his friend into a narrow path-a gen.
uine sheep track, winding along the
cliffs. by Jove! you should walk here
of a dark night when the wind is on
a lark You couldn't hear your own
voice then, even if it was pitched to a
shrek Thousands of miles Of white
caps laundering in on these cliffs, tear
ing and Outlying a track into their
brown Sides
And what would a sane man be do
ing here of dark nights?" interrupted
Hume, in disgust You don't mean
to insinuate, Jack. that you go philan-
dering about a place like this at any
unholy hour?"
This, sir" replied Jack. calmly, sis
the nearest path to Hillyer's Cove.
often go there to spend an evening
with old Caleb, and it sometimes hap
pens that the wind is blowing great
guns. Observe in what strange shapes
the few cape trees grow, and you can
get some idea of it's force!-and the
sea is a tremendous but invisible pres
ence. Look sharp. Hume. and keep
your gun ready. We may meet birds
on the cliffs"
Even as he spoke both men heard a
soft swish. as of tried wings moving
near in the fog. Hume raised his fowl
ing piece, just as the white glancing
breast of a bird took shape and color a
few misty yards ahead Bang! went
the weapon. A human voice answered
it. oh"
That small. frightened cry struck to
Hume's heart like a knife. He dropped
his gun.
Great God" he cried lit was not a
bird, but a wCman."
AS he burst upon her, out of the fog
she was standing in the cliff path hold
ing to one arm, in a daZed way, and
he saw a thin stream of blood making
it's way through the sleeve Of her jack
et down over the fingers Of the sup
porting hand. Harold, following on the
heels of his friend, uttered a shout OF
Mortified recognition.
"Bess!-Miss Hillyer! Heaven above!
are you hurt?"
do not be frightened" she answer
ed calmly. Il dare say it is nothing"
Il saw that wing in your hat" SAID
Hume, in an agony of shame and re-
morse. "and mistook you. for a bird
Could anything have been more idi'
otto? I'll never touch fowling piece
again-at.least. in fog! Lend hand
| Harold. Is there any house on these
devilish cliffs? l mean, can we ge
Miss Hillyer under shelter? l ought t(
be shot myself, and in dead earnest
too, for making such a monstrou:
| blunder."
Miss Hillyer smiled. She alone haC
retained her compOsure. The faces o.
the two men We're pale with apprehen'
sion-her own. bright, dark. beautiful
had not changed a whit
Don't reproach yourself" she sait
to Hume. Your mistake was pardon
able-in this mist. OF course the gull!
breast in my hat made the mischief
Fortunately for me. your aim wa
bad
With a professional hand Hume haC
already drawn the jacket from her arm
ripped up her dress sleeve, ant
stanched the flowing blood. To his un
speakable relief he found that the bon'
was uninjured. and the wound, afte
all, but a scratch.
present me in due form, Jack" h