Gunnison news-champion., 1908-08-21

& AHAi hfftP6 - fihoAi
wanted his scheme to succeed and to
avoid hindraHces. aud was therefore
very cautious.
They selected Friday evening foI
their departure. Notwithstanding ths
evil devil that presides over that day
because Miss Van Wyck would not be
inquired for till Monday morning
s'ihool. and that would give them q
big start. She told the horse owner
0f the village from whom she hired the
horses that she vas going riding down
The river To Balierton with a friend
who would call for her at the house
where she dwelt-tbst she had time
to make the proper arrangements
while he had not-and accordingly
tie horses were left at her door.
The owls were hooting in the shad
ovs wnen she reached the rendezvous
az the grade-foot, and the river was
erowling among the willows. Her
nerves were on razor edge when kel
lens train went by. and back among
the trees. she jerked her restless
horses bobbing head with aimless and
unreasoning viciousness
But kellen did not get on as the
train skurried along putting and flash
inr its lights. Miss Van Wyck sat
waiting on her horse a long time. star
ing after the train and biting her lips
while her heart yariously huttered and
sank and stood still. The gloom oi
hx N.nnIS inlrsascI nd inn tod
to her soul. She waited stoically foI
an hour. hopeiessly and wonderingly
and then turned toward Nesqualmie.
A quarter of . mile above the tryst
ing spot the Rogue runs between mar
roe shores Hike . mad river and
railroad bridge crosses II there. Al
the train drew near the bridge, Kellen
was seen to go out on the platform and
look ahead. according to q custom OF
his. Later the forward brakeman
missed him. and he was found no more
upon the train.
Down the river q mile from where
he should have dropped OF to join
Miss Van Wyck with an eager smile
on his face. the river spreads out sud.
uthiN oNti . udt II eualiOWS, anu mere
there was a ford leading back TO Mes
qualmie. Miss Van Wyck rode through
the fir trees under the moonlight to
this spot. and there she saw something
in the river close to the bank. half in
and half out Of the willow shadows
Il was going round and round slowly
in an eddy, and its white face was
turned up to the moon. No doubt it
looked CHASTITY. for when she galloped
into Nesqualmie half an hour later. she
was raving and wringing her hands in
a state Of hysteria. Her nerves had
been seriously shocked and as she
/ swayed and shook in the saddle II was
gathered out of her incoherent moan
ings and selfrerrosches that some
thing was wrong at the ford
Some men went Out there. and there
they recovered Kellen's body from the
river; and they picked up the horse
that had been led for him. browsing
along the road. Afterward, 1t was
found that . siGnboard On 4 post that
stood close to the railroad track at the
bridge where he disappeared had been
twisted half around. II Was thought
that he leaned too far out and struck
that. which was criminally close to the
track; and It IL probable that at the
ing for him in the grisly timber with
parted lips and heaving breast, he was
washing heedlessly by, his ears deaf
and hts eyes blind. In the current of
the Rogue.
The horse owner and the nurse who
attended Miss van wyck through the
fever that followed the hysteria, and
listened to her delirious babble. fur.
niahel iAformatisa that patched out
her story. KeiIsa vas buried At No.
kuhlteno. where his wife lived. and no
one Whispered anything TO his wife
ahost Miss Van Wyck; no the fading
little woman. with the pathos.
chares1 eyes of blue grieved over him
sincerely. The funeral took place
while Miss Wan Wyck vas delirious,
and Kellen wae some time in his grave
when she recovered. This saved her
pain. because she could not have gone
to the funesofAaA she bsen we'll. being
unknown to his wife. and having no
recognised ground Of acquaintance
with him that would have justified it
As soon ~ she vas well she resigned
her school and hurried away from
NesquAlmie. She nov teaches SCHOOL
in the south Of California in a bare
nat region where the sun shines ali
the time. She cannot endure rain, nor
clouds. nor mountains. nor woods
and running water in the moonligh+
tcrns hn sick and shuddering.