The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-08-07

Tue same nue when she heard TIE
iueompletca sentence; bdf 6he. too
checked the ppeB,luh tlatTose q Ser
llpa.
This q the way / figure Il. con.
tinued the man hntftediy 10 coxsf 6p
his epnfnsion. ss'They fahcS thtiS-
aeiyea Hlona IN theae mountain,
which, save for me. they are; they, be.
lieYe you 70 have gone down tie can.
on. Kirby With Mrs. Maitland; and
the others waited on the ridge until
Mr. Maitland and his party Joined
them. They couldn't have saved. very
much to eat or wear from The, camp.
they were miles from. q settlement:
they probably divided into two parties.
the larger with the woman and chill
dren, started for home, the second
went down the canon searching for
your dead bodyi'
"And had II not been for you," cried
the girl, impulslyely, they had found
1t" q 2,
if"God permitted me to be, Of service
10 sou,s answered the man. simply.
Il can follow their speculations exact.
~; M. or down. they believed you TO
have been in the canon when the
cloud burst, therefore there was only
one place and one direction to. search
for you"
"And that vast" go:
: Down the canonf" 800
%lNhat did you do then?" =
81 went down the canon myself. /
think / saw evidence that some one
had preceded me; too"
did YOU. oyertake themf"
Certainly not. they Travelled as
rapidly asjI they must have started
early in the morning and they had
several hours the advantage Of me"
But they must have stopped some.
where for the night and b. "a,
Yes" answered the man: ''lf I had
only myself to consider, should have
pressed on through the night and
oyertaken them when they, camped."
Only iyourself?"
You made me promise to return
here by nightfall. l don't know .wheth.
er ! should have obeyed You or not. ]
kept on as long as Isdared}anQ still
leave myasIf time to get back to you
by dark. "S .7p I'D,
I She had no idea Of the desperate
speed he had made to reach her while
1t was still daylight. y WI s.S
eff you hadn't come when you did,
/, should have died." cried the girl i'm.
petuously. you did perfectly right.
j don't think am coward; l ahope
not. / never was afraid before. but"
Don't apologize or explain to me,
it's not necessary; understand ev.
erything you feel. TWAS only.because
j had given you my word to be back
by sunset that left OF following their
trail. was afraid that you might
think me dead or that something had
happened and" - =.
! u should, did," admitted the girl.
at wasn't so bad during the day time,
but When the sun wefit down and you,
did not come I began to imagine9eyi'
erything. Isaw myself left alone here
in these mountains, helpless, wound.
ed, without a human being to speak
to. could not bear It" ai,'
But I have been here alone for.
five years" said the man grimly. ~
That's different. Idon't know why
you have chosen solitude, but I--n,:'''
=. You are woman" returned the
other gently, "and you have suffered,
that accounts for everything III
Thank you,". said Enid, gratefully.
And lam SO glad you came back to
me" iij'rh y @i,fF ebrtl 5alInjH
/, Back to YOU" reiterated the man,
and then he stopped. If7he had al!
lowed his heart to- speak he would
have said, Back to you from the very
ends Of the world. but want you to
believe that honestly did not leave
the trail until the ultimate moment"
he added.
II do believe IT," she extended her
hand 10 him. you have been very
good to me. trust you absolutely"
And for the second time he took
that graceful, dainty. aristocratic
hand in his own larger, stronger. firm
ler grasp. His face flushed again; un-
der other circumstances and in other
days perhaps he might have kissed
that hand. AS II was he only held
It. for q moment and then gently re-
leased 1t. s i
And you think they are searching
forsme?" she asked. US 80 II
j. e know 1t. l am sure OF what I
myself would do for one I1ove-I
loved, mean. and they-"'e, 3.
and they will find met"
The man shook his head.
II am afraid they will be convinced
that you have gone down with the
food. Didn't you have a cap or"
YES. said the woman, land a
sweater The bear you shot covered
the sweater with blood. ! could not
put 1t on again" ~.
! As she spoke she flushed glorious
crimson at the remembrance Of that
meeting, but the man was looking
x.,t4t,