Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-01-12

| how she was taking it, she looked so
| tired and thin and woebegone that he
almost let the better part of him get
the upper hand. That made him sur
Her than ever when he finally recov-
cred his string of fish from the stream
and said: well, come on, if you're
| comm"
He told himself, hypocritically. that
1t was only to show her what hard
ships she would have to face il she
should try to tag him, that he dragged
her such weary round over the hills
and through the worst brier patches
and across and across the creek doub-
ling and circling until the easy mile
was spun out into three uncommonly
difficult ones. But at bottom the mo-
tive was purely wicked. In all the
| range of sentient creatures there is
none so innately and barbarously cruel
as the human boy child and this was
the first time Thomas Jefferson had
ever had helplessly pllable subject
The better she kept up, the more de-
termined he became to break her
down; but at tn very last, when she
stumbled and fell in an old leaf bed
| and cried for sheer WEAKNESS, he re-
Tented enough to say: II reckon you'll
know better than to go projectin' round
| III the WOODS the next time. Come on
we're most there, now"
But Ardea's troubles were not yet at
an end. She stopped crying and got
up to follow him blindly over more
hills and through other brier tangles;
and when they finally emerged in the
cleared lands. they were still on the
wrong side of the creek
IT'S only about up to your chin;
| reckon Won can wa 10 aSlfad TbOr,-
as Jefferson, in a sudden access of
Mountaineering. But II softened him
little to see her gather her torn frock
and stumble down to the waters edge
without a word, and he added: Hold
on; maybe we can find a log, some
where
There was foot log just around the
next bend above, as he very well knew,
and thither he led the way. The dog
made the crossing first and stood wag-
ginE his tail encouragingly on the bank
OF safety. Then Thomas Jefferson
passed his trembling victim out on the
log.
you go first" he directed; $50 t 1
can catch you If you slip"
"Oh, you please go first, so l won't
have to look down at the wateri"
mo; I'm coming behind-then can
catch you If you get dizzy and go to
fall" he said, stubbornly.
will you walk right up close, so I
can know you are there?"
Thomas Jefferson's smile was cruelty
misleading, as were his words. "All
you'll have to do will be to reach your
hand back and grab me-" he assured
her; and thereupon she began in inch
her way out over the swirling pool.
| ha hot CHI
possibility turn to look back, Thomas
Jefferson deliberately sat down on the
bank to watch her. There had never
, been anything In his life so tigerishly
delightful as this game Of playing on
the feelings and fears of the girl whose
coming had spoiled the solitudes.
For the first few feet Ardea went
steadily forward, keeping her eyes fixed
on the Great Dane sitting motionless
at the farther end of the bridge of peril
Then, suddenly the dog grew impatient
and began to leap and bark like fool
ish puppy. 1t was too much for Ardea
to have her eye-anchor thus trans
formed into a dizzying whirlwind OF
gray monsters. She reached backward
for the reassuring hand it was not
there, and the next instant the hungry
pool rose up to engulf her.
| III all MS years InOmaS JenerSOr
had never had such a stab as tha'
which an instantly awakened con
science gave him when she slipped and
fell. Now he was her murderer, be-
= yong any hope of future mercies Fol
a a moment the horror of it held hin
= vise-like. Then the sight of the grea
e Dane plunging to the rescue freed him
e Good dogl" he screamed, divin,
n headlong from his own side of tn,
/. pool; and between them Ardea wal
y dragged ashore, a limp little heap o
o saturation. conscious, but with hei
teeth chattering and great, dark cir
v cles around the big blue eyes.
!. I'm awfully sorryl" he stammered
9 IF you can't make out to forgive me
: I'm going to have miser'ble time of 1
e after l get home"
n 1T will serve you quite right. Nov
h you'd better get me home as quick a
g ever you can. l expect I'll be sicl
r again, after this
d He held his peace and walked her a
fast as he could across the fields an
p out on the pike. But at the Dabne
gates he paused. 1t was not in human
e courage to face the Major under exist
S ing conditions.
81 reckon you'll go and tell you
i. gran'paw on me-" he said, hopelessly
why should l not tell him? And
u never want to see you or hear of 20
h again. you cruel, hateful boyl"
d Thomas Jefferson hung about tn
: gate while she went stumbling up tn
It driveway. leaving heavily on the grea
It dog. When she had safely reached tn
house he went slowly homeward, wad
e ing in trouble even as he waded in tn
k white dust of the pike. For when on