Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-06
CHAPTER XII.
A Tour Of Inspection,

The first thing necessary. she de- |
cided, when she had satisfied her hun |
ger and finished her meal, was to get !
word of her plight and her resting |
place to her uncle and the men Of the |
party, and the next thing was to get |
away, where she would never see this |
man again, and perhaps be able to for
get what had transpired-yet there
was a strange pang Of pain in her
heart at that thought,
No man on earth had ever SO slim
ulated her curiosity as this one. Who
was he? Why was he there? Who
vas the woman whose picture he had
so quickly taken from her gaze? Why
had so splendid man buried himself
alone in that wilderness? These re-
Elections were presently interrupted by
the temperance Of the man him
self
Have you finished?" he asked, un-
tremendously standing in the door
way as he spoke.
Yes, thank you, and it was very
good indeed
Diminishing this politeness with a
notice, he spoke again.
"If you will tell me your name"
Maitland, Enid Maitland"
Miss Maitland?"
The girl nodded.
And where you came from, I will
endeavor to find your party and see
what can be done to restore you to
them"
I'VE were camped down that canon
at a place where another brook
large one, flows into 1t, several miles,
l should think, below the place
where"
She was going to say where you
found me-" but the thought Of the way
in which he had found her rushed
over her again; and this time, with
his glance directly upon her, although
1t was as cold and dispassionate and
Indifferent as a mans look could well
be, the recollection of the meeting
to which she had been about to allude
rushed over her with an accompany
ing wave of color which heightened
her beauty as it covered her with
shame.
She could not realize that beneath
his mask Of Indifference so deliber-
ately worn, the man was as agitated
as she, not SO much at the remem-
brance of anything that had trans
pired, but at the sight, the splendid
picture, of the woman as she stood
there in the little cabin then. 1t seem
ed to him as if she gathered up in
her own person all the radiance and
light and beauty, all the purity and
freshness and splendor of the morn
ing, to shine and dazzle in his face
AS she hesitated in confusion, perhaps
comprehending its cause, he helped
out her lame and hating sentence.
81 know the canon WE'LL" he said
81 think I know the place to which
you refer. Is it just above where the
river makes an enormous bend upoI
itself?"
Yes, that is it. In that clearing
: we have been camped for two weeks
My uncle must be crazy with anxiety
to know what has become of me
and"
The man interposed.
81 will go there directly" he said
, ut is now half after ten. That plac,
is about seven miles or more from
here acrpss the range, fifteen or TWEEN
r W by the river l shall be back b!
} nightfall. The cabin is your own"
He turned away without anothe
/ word.
Wait" said the woman 81 al
5 afraid to stay here"
5 She had been fearle7s enough befor
in those mountains, but her recent e.
4 perience had somehow unsettled ne
g nerves.
!, There is nothing on earth to hui
a you, / think" returned the mai
e There isn't human being. SO far g
a / know, in these mountains"
e Except my unele's party"
d He nodded.
e But there might be another-bear
If she added desperately, forcing hersel
q Not likely; and they wouldn't com
d here If there were any. That's ii
IL first grizzly have seen in years
II he went on. unconcernedly, studious
1t looking away from her, not to add
N her confusion at the remembrance
'e that awful episode which would o
1t trude itself on every occasion. "YC
o. can use rife or gun?"
She nodded. He stepped over
n the wall and took down the Winche
ID ter which he handed her.
e. This one is ready for service, al
It you will find a revolver on the she
o. There is only one possible way of a
Q, cess to this cabin; that's down tho
T, rock stairs. One man, one woman,
ID child even. with these weapons cou