The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-10-19

could scarcely mark her coming
across the narrow streak OF moon
light, moving toward me as a fright
ened bird might startled at every.
thing, and passing as far from the
llfeless mass on the floor as the small
space would allow. AS she bent
anxiously over me her face was so in
shadow that could distinguish moth
ing of its features.
What is It? Are you indeed severe
ly hurt?"
mot seriously, think, yet l have
lost some blood, and am in great pain
There is brandy in the inner pocket
of my jacket, but | am unable to
move my arm in order to reach IL.
Would you endeavor to draw the flask
out?"
| felt her bend over me, her soft
breath coming almost in sobs upon my
ace, as with trembling fingers she
undid the buttons of my troopers
Jacket and extracted the small flat
flask | had been thoughtful enough
to store away there.
The fiery liquid seemed to put new
blood into my veins. and with II there
returned all my old-time audacity,
with that intense hopefulness in which
| had been trained by years of war
and self-reliance.
81 trust you realize" | said, that
| am neither thoughtless nor migrate
lul. Years of war service make one
careless of life, but know 1t was
your shot that saved me. You are
brave girl"
Her overtaxed nerves gave way at
my words, and | knew she was crying
softly. The sobbing was in her voice
as she strove to speak.
"C', no, / am not; you do not
guess how great a coward / am. l
scarcely knew what ! was doing when
fired. That horrid thing-what was
it?"
"A huge mastiff. / imagine; one of
the largest of his breed. But what
ever 1t may have been, the beast
is dead, and we have nothing more
to fear from him"
yet / tremble So" she confessed,
almost Historically. Every shadow
frightens me" --..---...-----..
| realized that no amount OF con-
versation would quiet her nerves so
effectively. as some positive action; be-
sides, | felt the hot blood constantly
trickling down my arm, and realized
that something needed TO be done at
once to stanch its flow, before weak
ness should render me equally useless.
do you think you could build a
fire on the hearth yonder?" / asked
Il am afraid / am hardly capable of
helping you as yet; but we must
have light in this gloomy old hole,
or 1t is bound to craze us both. Take
those broken chairs If you find moth,
ing better sDas.'o'sssAs,,--7ii'.a.
She Instantly did as bade her,
moving here and there about the room
until she gathered together the ma
terials necessary, but keeping care
fully away from where the dead dog
lay until in a brief space OF time the
welcome flame leaped up in the wide
black chimney, and cast its red glare
all over the little room The activity
did her good, the light flooding the
gloomy apartment yielded renewed
courage, and there was a cheerier
sound in her voice as she came back
to me. .....-----.------,.,. .~,..-...--.-.---
The great ugly brute!" she ex-
claimed, looking at the form in the
centre of the floor.
He was certainly heavy enough
to have been a bear l replied,
clinching my teeth in pain, "and suf-
ficiently savage"
/ viewed her now for the first
time clearly, and the memory will re-
main with me till die. How dis
tinctly that entire picture stands forth
with the mist of all these years be
tween! The low.celed room, devoid
of all furniture save of the rudest and