Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-02-28
He Caught 1t Up Quickly.

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 a
horrible trail, which, burdened as he
was, would have been impossible to
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 he seemed to
fill 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 he
so quick to remove the picture from
her gaze? Thoughts rushed tumultu-
ously through her brain, but she real
lied at once that she lacked time to
indulge them. She could hear him
moving about in the other room. She
threw aside the blanket with which
she had draped herself, changed the
bandage on her foot, drew on the
heavy wooden stocking which, of
course, was miles too big for her, but
which easily took in her foot and
ankle encountered as they were by
the rude, heavy but effective wrapping.
Thereafter she hobbled to the door
and stood for a moment almost aghast
at the splendor and magnificence be-
fore her.
He had built his cabin on a level
shelf Of rock perhaps fifty by hundred
eet in area. 1t was backed up against an
overtowering cliff, otherwise the rock
fell away in every direction. She di-
vined that the descent from the shelf
into the pocket or valley spread before
her was sheer, except off to the
right, where a somewhat gentler &C
clivity Of huge and broken boulders
gave a practicable ascent-a sort of
titanic stairs-to the place perched
on the mountain side The shelf was
absolutely bare save for the cabin
and few huge boulders. There were
few sparse, Stunted trees further up
on the mountain side above; a few
hundred feet beyond them, however,
came the timber line, after which
there was nothing but the naked
rock.
Below several hundred feet lay a
clear, emerald pool, whose edges were
bordered by pines, where it was not
dominated by high cliffs. Already the
lakelet was trimmed with ice on the
shaded side. This enchanting little
body of water was fed by the melting
snow from the crest and peaks, which
in the clear, pure sunshine and rari-
fed air Of the mountains seemed to
rise and confront her within a stones
throw Of The place where she stood.
On one side Of the pretty lake in
the valley, or pocket, beneath, there
was a little grassy clearing, and there
the dweller in the wilderness had
built a rude corral for the burros. On
a rough bench by the side of the door
she saw the primitive conveniences to
which he had alluded. The water
was delightfully."- soft and as it had
stood exposed to the suns direct rays
for some time, although the air was
exceedingly crisp and cold, it was
tempered sufficiently to be merely
cool and agreeable. She luxuriated
i'll it for a few moments, and while
she had her face buried in the towel,