Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-10-11
CHAPTER xI. Continued.

CHAPTER xI. (contlnued).
OF WIN 20 and cook you some break
fast while you get yourself ready. Ii
you have not washed, you'll ind
bucket Of water and basin and toWei
outside the door"
He went through the inner door as
suddenly as he had come through tne
outer one. He was man Of few words,
and whatever social grace he might
once have possessed, and in more Ia
vorable circumstances exhibited, was
not noticeable now. The tenderness
with which he had caressed her the
night before had also vanished.
His bearing had been cool. almost
harsh and forbidding, and his manner
was as grim as his appearance. Inc
conversation had been a brief one, and
her opportunity for inspection OF him
consequently limited. Yet she mad
taken him In. He was tall, SPLENDID
man. No longer young, perhaps. but In
the prime of life and vigor. His COM
plexion was dark and burned browner
by long exposure to sun and wind. win
ter aud summer In spite Of the brown,
there was a certain color, hue OF
health in his cheeks. His eyes were
hazel, sometimes brown, sometimes
gray, and sometimes blue, she after
ward learned. A short thick closely
cut beard and mustache covered the
lower part of his face disguised but
not hiding the squareness Of his Jaw
and the firmness Of his lips.
He had worn his cap when he enter
ed, and when he took It OF she no
ticed that his dark hair was tinged
with white. He was dressed in leath-
er hunting suit, somewhat the worse
for wear, but fitting him in a way to
give free play to all his muscles. His
movements were swift, energetic and
graceful. She did not wonder that he
had so easily hurled the bear to one
side and had managed to carry her-no
light weight, indeed!-over what she
dimly recognized must have been q
horrible trail. which. burdened as he
was, would have been impossible to a
man of less splendid vigor than he.
The cabin was low ceiled. and as
she sat looking up at him. he had tow
cred above her until be seemed to
Ill It. Naturally, she had scrutinized
his every action, as she had hung on
his every word His swift and some
what startled movement, his frowning
as he had seized the picture on which
she had gazed with such interest
aroused the liveliest surprise and Gu
riosity in her heart
Who was this woman? Why was ht
80 quick to remove the picture from
her gaze! Thoughts rushed tumultu
ously through her brain, but she real
ized at once that she lacked time Il
indulge them. She could hear hin
moving about in the other room. Sh,
threw aside the blanket with whicl
she had draped herself, changed tn
bandage on her foot, drew on tn
heavy wooden stocking which, O
course, was miles too big for her, bu
which easily took in her foot an,
ankle encountered as they we're b
the rude, heavy but effective wrapping
Thereafter she hobbled to the doc
and stood for a moment almost aghas
at the splendor and magnifcence be
fore her.
He had built his cabin on a leve
shelf of rock perhaps fifty by a hundre
Get in area. II was backed up against a
overtowering cliff, otherwise the roc
fell away in every direction She d
vined that the descent from the shel
into the pocket or valley spread befor
her was sheer, except of to tn
right, where a somewhat gentler a,
clivity OF huge and broken boulder
gave a practicable ascent--a sort {
titanic stairs-to the place perche
on the mountain side. The shelf wa
absolutely bare save for the cabi
and few huge boulders There wer
a few sparse. stunted trees further u
on the mountain side above; a fe'
hundred feet beyond them, howeve
came the timber line. after whic
there was nothing but the make
rock.
Below several hundred feet lay
clear. emerald pool. whose edges wer
bordered by pines. where 1t was nc
dominated by high cliffs. Already tn
lakelet was trimmed with ice on th
shaded side This enchanting littl
body Of water was fed by the meltin
snow from the crest and peaks, whic
in the clear. pure sunshine and rar
fed air of the mountains seemed
rise and confront her within stone
throw Of the place where she stood
On one side Of the pretty lake 1
the valley. or pocket beneath, Their
was little grassy clearing, and Their
the dweller IN the wilderness ha
built rude corral for the burros. o
a rough bench By the side OF the doc
shs saw the primitive conyeniences :
which hs had alluded. The waite