The Washington herald., 1912-08-11
CHAPTER xvI-continued.

i. .
Something happened last night" he
said. looking straight ahead of him.
that ! can't understand. / didn't tell
my wife. haven't told any one. But
i guess you ought to know. It's IN
teresting, anyway-and has made q
wreck of my nerves" He wiped his
face with blackened rag which he
drew from his hip pocket "We were
working hard to get out the living.
leaving the dead where they were for a
time, and had crawled under the
wreck of the sleeper. / was sure, that
had heard cry, and crawled in among
the debris. showing lantern ahead OF
me. About where berth No. 10 should
have been, the timbers had telescoped
upward, leaving an open space four or
five feet high. ] was on my hands and
knees, bareheaded, and my lantern
lighted up things as plain as day. AT
hrst. ! saw nothing, and was listening
again for the cry when / felt something
soft and light sweeping down over me,
and looked up Heavens
Billinger was hopping his face again,
leaving streaks of char-black where the
perspiration had started.
Pinned up there in the mass OF twist
ed steel and broken wood was a wom-
an" he went on. She was the most
beautiful thing have ever looked upon
Her arms were reaching down to me;
her face was turned little to one side,
but still looking at me-and all but her
face and part of her arms was smother
ed IN mass of red-gold hair that fell
down TO my shoulders. | could have
sworn that she was alive. Her lips
were red, and thought for moment
that she was going to speak to me. l
could have sworn, too, that there was
color in her face, but It must have been
something in the lantern light and the
red-gold of her hair, for when spoke,
and then reached up, she was cold"
Biliinger shiyered and urged his
horse into faster gait.
Il went out and helped with the in
jured then. guess il must have been
two hours later when / returned to
take out her body. But the place where
] had seen her was empty. She was
gone. At first / thought that some of
the others had carried her out, and
looked among the dead and injured. She
was not among them. / searched again
when day came, with the same result
No one has seen her. She has COM
ception of my shanty there isn't house
within ten miles of here where she
could have been taken. What do you
make of it, Steele"
Perhaps you didn't return to the
right place" he suggested: Her body
may still be IN the wreck"
Billinger glanced toward him with
nervous laugh.
Dee h.. .rf,t OLE Le
"She had evidently not gone to bed,
and was dressed. When l returned l
found a part of her skirt in the debris
above. A heavy tress of her hair had
caught around steel ribbing, and it was
cut off Some one had been there dur
ing my absence and had taken the body.
LIN almost ready to believe that
was mistaken, and that she was alive
found nothing there, nothing-that
could prove her. death.
Is il possible" began Philip, hold
ing ont the handkerchief
1t was not necessary for him to finish.
Billinger understood, and nodded his
head
That's what I'm thinking" he said.
as it possible? What in Gods name
would they want of her, unless"
Unless she was alive" added Philip.
"Unless one or more of the scoundrels
searching for valuables in there during
the excitement, saw her and carried her
off with their other booty. It's up to
US, Billinger"
Billinger lad reached inside his shirt.
and now he drew forth small paper
parcel
Il don't know why-but l kept the
tress of hair" he said See"
From between his fingers, as he turn
ed toward Philip, there streamed out
long silken tress that shone marvellous
gold in the sun. and in that same in
slant there fell from Philips lips cry
such as Billinger had not heard. even
from the lips of the wounded: and be-
fore he could recover from his aston
ishment, he had leaned over and snatch
ed the golden tress from him, and sat
in his saddle staring at it like a mad
man.