The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1912-11-22

and forced to wander on finally to
starve and freeze and die In one mo-
ment her nearness caused his heart to
throb with joyful anticipation. The
certainty that at the first flush of day
he should seek her again sent the
warm blood to his cheeks But those
thoughts would be succeeded by the
knowledge that she was with his en-
envy. Was this man to rob him Of the
latest love as he had robbed him of
the first? Perhaps the hardest task
that was ever laid upon Armstrong
was to lie quietly in his sleeping bag
and wait until the morning.
So soon as the first indication Of
dawn showed over the crack Of the
door. he slipped quietly out of his
sleeping bag and without disturbing
the others drew on his boots, put on
his heavy fur coat and cap and gloves,
slung his Winchester and his snow
shoes over his shoulder, and without
stopping for bite to eat, softly open
ed the door, stepped out and closed it
after him. 1t was quite dark in the
bottom of the canon, although few
pale CLEANS overhead indicated the
near approach Of day. 1t was quite
still, too. There were clouds on the
mountain top heavy with threat Of
wind and snow.
The way was not difficult, the direc-
ton of 1t. that is. Nor was the going
very difficult at first; the snow was
frozen and the crust was strong enough
to bear him. He did not need his
snow shoes, and, indeed, would have
had little chance to use them In the
narrow, broken, rocky pass. He had
slipped away from the others because
he wanted to be first to see the man
and the woman. He did not want any
witnesses to that meeting. They
would have come on later, of course;
but he wanted an hour or two in pri-
vate with Enid and Newbold without
any interruption. His conscience was
not clear. Nor could he settle upon a
course Of action.
How much Newbold knew of his
former attempt to win away his wife.
how much Of what he knew he had
told Enid Maitland, Armstrong could
not surmise. Putting himself into
Newbold's place and imagining that
the engineer had possessed entire in
formation, he decided that he must
have told everything to Enid Matt
land as soon as he had found out the
quasi relation between her and Arm
strong. And Armstrong did not believe
the woman he loved could be IN any.
body's presence month without tell
ing something about him. Still. it was
possible that Newbold knew nothing
and that he told nothing therefore.
The situation was paralyzing to a
man Of Armstrong; decided, determin.
ed temperament. He could not decide
upon the line Of conduct he should
pursue. His course in this. the most
critical emergency he had ever faced
must be determined by circumstances
of which he felt with savage resent
ment he was In some measure the
sport. He would have to leave tc
chance what ought to be subject to his
will. OF only one thing he was sure
he would stop at nothing, murder, ~
ing; nothing, to win the woman, and
to settle his score with that man.
There was really only one thing he
could do. and that was to press or
up the canon. He had no idea how
far 1t might be or how long a journey
he would have to make before hi
reached that shelf on the high bill
where stood that hut in which she
dwelt. AS the crow flies, it could mo-
be a great distance, but the cano1
zigzagged through the mountains will
as many curves and angles as light
ming fash. He plodded on, therefore
with furious haste, recklessly speed
ing over places where a misstep il
the snow or slip on the icy rock!
would have meant death or disaster t,
him.
He had gone about an hour, and hat
perhaps made four miles from tn,
camp when the storm burst upon him
It was now broad day, but the sky wa.
filled with clouds and the air will
driving snow. The wind whistled dowl
the canon with terrific forceSIt was will
difficulty that he made any Roadway a
all against 1t. 1t was a local storm
II he could have looked through th,
snow he would have discovered calm
ness on the top of the peaks. 1t wa,
one of those sudden squalls of win,
and snow which rage with terrific
force while they last, but whose rag,
was limited, and whose violent dura
ton would be short.
A less determined man than h,
would have bowed to the inevitable
and sought some shelter behind
rock until the fury of the tempes
was spent, but there was no storm
that blew that could stop this mai
sd long as he had strength to driv
against it. So he bent his head to tn,
fierce blast and struggled on Their,
was something titanic and msgnifcen
about this iron determination and per
sistence Of Armstrong. The two mos