Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-30

man had a harder time than she. He
loved herr"
1T looked like it." answered Kjrkby.
IF you had seen him, his remorse,
his anguish, his horror" said Matt
land, you wouldn't have had any
doubt about It. But it is getting late.
In the mountains everybody gets up
at daybreak. Your sleeping bags are
in the tents, ladies'; time to go to
bed"
AS the party broke up, old Kirkby
rose slowly to his feet; he looked
meaningly toward the young woman
upon whom the spell of the tragedy
still fingered, he nodded toward the
young brook, and then repeated his
speaking glance at her. His meaning
was patent. although no one else had
seen the covert invitation.
Come Kirkby," said the girl in
quick response, you shall be my es
cort. | want a drink before l turn in
No, never mind" she said, as Brad,
shaw and Philips both volunteered
mot this time"
The old frOntiersman and the young
girl strolIed off together. They stop
ped by the brink of the rushing tor
rent a few yards away. The noise
that it made drowned the low tones of
their voices and kept the others, busy
preparing to retire, from hearing what
they said
That amt quite all the story, Miss
Enid said the old trapper meaningly.
There was another man."
What" exclaimed the girl.
oh. there wasn't nothin' wrong
with Louise Rosser, w'ich she was
Louise Newbold. but there was an
other man; I suspected it afore, that's
why she was sad. Wen We found her
body I knowed it,
Il don't understand"
'These'u explain" said K1rkby. He
drew out from his rough hunting coat
d package of soiled letters; they were
carefully enclosed in an oil skin and
tied with a faded ribbon. You see, p
he continued, holding them in his
hand yet carefully concealing them
from the people at the fire. 'W en-
she fell off the cliff-somehow the
mule lost his foOtin', nobody never
knowed how, Ieastways the mule was
dead an couldn't tell-she struck on
a spur or shelf about a hundred feet
below the brink; evidently she was
carryin' the letters in her dress. Her
bosom was frightfuIly tore open an
the letters was lynn there. NeWbOld
didn't see 'em, because he went down
into the canon an came up to the
shelf, or butte head, were the body
was lynn, but we dropped down.
was the first man down an l got 'em
Nobody else seem me, an there aim
no human eyes, not even my wife's
that's ever looked on them letters, ex
cept mine and now yOurn."
You are going to give them tt
me?"
II am said Kirkby.
But why?"
81 want you to know the hull story.
But why, again?"
81 rather guess them IettersIl tell,
answered the old man evasively, "ar
l like you, and ! don't want to Sc
you thrOwed away"
What do you mean?" asked the gil
curfously, thrilling to the solemnity c
the moment, the seriousness, the kin
affection of the old frontiersman, tn
weird scene, the fire light, the tent
cleaning ghostIike, the black wall c
the canon and the tops of the mouI
tain range broadening out beneath tn
stars in the clear sky where the
| twinkIed above her head, the strang
and terrible story, and now the letter
in her hand, which somehow SCENE
to be fmbued with human feeling
Kirkby patted her on the shoulder.
Read the letters" he said; they
tell the story. Good night"