The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-06-03
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The Finding of Fingall
By GILBERT PARKER
Copyright, by Short stories CO.. Ltd.)


out, and her finger was on the trigger.
She seemed to be in a dream. There
were only six chambers in the gun,
and, of course, one chamber was
empty. Fem had it's bullet in his
lungs, as we thought. Some one be-
side Cynthie touched her arm, push
ing it down. But there was another
shot; and this time, because of the
push, the bullet lodged in Fingall's
skull"
Pierre paused now, but waved his
hand toward the mist which now hung
high up like a canopy between the
hills.
But" said Lawless, not needing
the scene, what about that sixth bull
let?"
mon Dieu, it is plain! Fingall did
not fire the shot. His revolver was
full, every chamber, when Cynthie
first took it,
Who killed the lad?"
Can you not guess?' There had
been words between the father and
the boy; both had fierce blood; the
father in bad minute fred. The
boy wanted revenge on Fingall, and.
to save his father, laid it on the
other. The old man? Well, 1 do not
know whether he was coward or
stupid or ashamed-he let Fingall
take it,
And Fingall took it to spare the
girl, eh?"
For the girl. He knew it wasn't
good for her to think that her father
killed his own son.
And what came after?"
"The worst. That night the girls
father killed himself, and the two
were buried in the same grave, Gym
THE"
''Fingall! Fingall! Oh, Fingall!"
you hear? Yes. like that all the
time as she sat on the floor, her hair
about her like cloud, and the dead
bodies in the next room. She thought
that she had killed Fingall, and she
knew now that he was innocent. The
two were buried. Then we told her
that F1ngall was not dead. She used
to come and sit outside the door and
listen to his breathing and ask If he
ever spoke Of her. What was the
good of lynn? If we said he did she'd
have come into him, and that would
do no good, for he wasn't right in his
mind. BY and by we told her he
was getting well, and then she didn't
come, but stayed at home, just say
ing his name over to herself. ;,Aaors,3
things take hold of woman-it is so
strange. When he was strong enough
to go out I went with him the first
time. He was all thin and handsome
as you can think, but he had no men,
DRY and his eyes we're like a child's.
She saw him and came out to meet
him. What does woman care for
the world when she loves altogether?
Well, he just looked at her as if he'd
never seen her before and passed by
without sign, though afterward
there came trouble in his face. Three
days later he was gone, no one knew
where. That is two years ago. Ever
since she has been looking for him."
rs she mad?"
Mad? 1t is not good to have one
thing in the head all the time Whs1
do you think? So much all at once.
And then"
Hush, Pierre. There she is" Law
less said, pointing to a ledge Of rock
not far away.
Without looking at them she slowly
side, her eyes scanning the valley as
before.
Good Lord, deliver u.s." again said
Lawless. where did she get it,"
From book which Fingall left
behind"
They watched her till she rounded
a cliff and was gone, then they
shouldered their kits and passed up
the river on the trail of the wapiti.
One month later, when a fine white
surf of frost lay on the ground, and
the sky was darkened often by the
flight of the wild geese southwark,
they came upon hut perched on a
bluff at the edge of clump of pines
They knocked at the hut door, and
in answer to a voice entered. The
sunlight streamed in over a woman
lying upon a heap of dried flowers in
a corner and man kneeling beside
her. They came near, and saw that
the woman was Cynthie.
Then Pierre broke out suddenly,
'Fingall!" and caught the kneeling
man by the shoulder. At the sound of
his voice the woman's eyes opened.
"Fingall! Oh, Fingall!" she said,
and reached up a hand.
The bearded man stopped and
caught her to his breast.
"Cynthie! Poor girl! Oh, my poor
Cynthie!" he said.
In his eyes, as in hers, was a sane
light; and his voice, as hers, said in.
describable things.
Her head sank upon his shoulder,
her eyes closed. She was asleep.
Fingall laid her down with sob in
his throat, then he sat up and
clutched Pierre's hand.
I'm the east, where the doctors
cured me, heard" he said, pointing
to her, land I came to find her. l
was just in time. l found her yester-
day."
And she knew you?" whispered
Pierre.
Eyes; but the fever came hard
after" He turned and looked at her,
and, kneeling, smoothed away the
hair from the smiling, pathetic face
Poor girl!" he said. Poor grill"