Western Kansas world., 1912-05-11

far side of the pits
Small looked after him; then mali
cious look crossed his eyes If-if Har-
well should get chilled, He sprang to
his feet.
Wait. waitr' he roared 'I want"
then Great heavensr' he cried. Then
there was silence.
Harwell did not turn his head at
Smalrs call. He grinned appreciative-
ly to himself. Cant work me that
way" he thought. "A chill for me
would be very valuable to Small,' and
he crossed the little meadow brook
with a careless bound. Then a vague
sense of apprehension entered his
mind. Smalrs roar had stopped very
suddenly. He wondered why. Per
haps he ought to go back, yet he kept
on.
But the sense of apprehension grew
and would not go. Finally, with a lit
tie groan at his own foolishness, Har-
well turned and retraced his course to
the sand pits, his stride never break
ing. At the brow of the slope he gave
a startled ejaculation. In springing to
his feet Small had dislodged a great
slice of the sand pit wall. To his arm
pits in sand, with face white and
senseless and the sand creeping con-
stantly down to sift higher and higher
about him, was Small
Harwell dashed toward him. AS he
ran he snatched up an old tin can half
| full of rainwater and dashed it in
| Smalls face Small opened his eyes.
I'm suffocating, Harwell,'' he said.
"Oh, no, you're not-not by a long
| chalk. Here, take this can and dig to
| beat the band. I'll use this piece of
| shovel
| He set to work feverishly. The bit
! of shovel proved very efficient welded
by Harwelfs sinewy arm, and the tin
can in Small's hands was not to be de-
spised. Harwell worked with one eye
on the edge of the PIP The sand lay
ers, one by one, We're loosening If he
! did not get Small free before they fell
well, there was no use in thinking of
that Now Small was free to his waist
| line, now to his thighs, now-silently,
| swiftly, a great wedge of sand gave
way and Small was again buried to
| his shoulders.
| HarwelI looked about. The pits had
| been so long deserted that there was
not a board in sight. Yes, half buried
and black with age, there was one. He
| pelted across the pit, gave a great
wrench and was back gain with the
board, which he placed as a bulwark
| against further sand Slides then to
i work again with the broken shovel,
feverishly, for Small was growing
faint and limp.
At last, painting, HarweI helped the
half unconscious Small to his feet
! Then he was suddenly conscious that
his hands were blistered, that his feet
| dragged, that his right thigh muscle
| ached wearily. But he put his arm
| about Small and led him slowly from
| the sand pit down to the turnpike road
| that was the straightest course to the
! college dormitory.
| There was the sound of hoof beats
behind them. The two weary figures
drew to the roadside and waited for
| the smart little dogcart to pass them
But it stopped.
What in the world is the matter? ?'
asked Alice Summer
"Small got caught in the sand pit"
| replied Harwell, both men staring up
into the beautiful, sensitive face. The
| girl gave a little cry of sympathy. "Oh,
get in here, Mr. Small, and I'll drive
you to the DOCTOR
In a few moments HarweIl was
watching the gay painted back of the
trap, now occupied by two figures, re-
treating into the dusk.
His lip quivered a little sensitfveIy.
''They never thought Of me-" he mutt
| tered "Small has got her, and 1--we
got the chill he wanted me to have"
That evening Harwell sat in the Iiv-
ing room of his fraternity house nurs-
ing his aching muscles and giving an
! occasional sneeZe- The hundred yard
dash was lost; but, since Alice, too,
was lost, he was strangely Indifferent.
Then he was called to the telephone
Miss Alice Summer, who was staying
at the hotel with her mother, would be
glad to have him call.
As Harwell, very cold and dignified.
stalked into the reception room Alice.
her winsome face eager, led him to
| quiet corner. Dick she said hesftat-
ingly, did I-act very brutal this after
| noonT'
Dick thought for a moment. ssYes.s
he replied firmly.
Alice caught her breath "But how
could 1 know that you had been 50
fine? You said nothing"
There was nothing to say. 1t was
Small's inning
"SmalI,' shifted Alice. Don't men
ton Billy Small to me, 1 think you are
fine, but 1 could get that from what
Billy said only by inference. Dick, did
you get chill?'' ~
Dick nodded, and Alice's face filed