Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-02-14
CHAPTER TX.
rover the Hills and Far Away"
Perhaps


man drew back to give her freedom
of action, as she lifted herself on her
hands. 1t was moments before COM
plete consciousness of her situation
came to her The surprise was yet
too great, she saw things dimly
through a whirl Of driving rain, of
rushing mighty wind, of seething
sea of water, but presently it was all
plain to her again. She had caught
no fair view Of the man who had shot
the bear as he splashed through the
creek and tramped across the roo Ks
and trees down the canon, at least
she had rot seen him full face, but
she recognized him Immediately. The
thought tinged with color for no
ment her pallid cheek.
81 fell into the torrent" she said
feebly, putting her hand to her head
and striving by speech to put aside
that awful remembrance.
"You didn't fall in" was the an
swer, cit was a cloudburst, you were
caught in il"
Il didn't know"
"Of course not, how should your"
"And how came I here?"
81 was lucky enough to pull you
out"
did you jump into the flood for
me?"
The man nodded.
That's twice you have saved my
life this day." said the girl, forcing
herself, womanlike, to the topic that
she hated.
'Tt's nothing" deprecated the 9TH
err"
ct may be nothing to you, but it is
a great deal to me-" was the answer.
"And now what is to be done?"
1--WE must get out Of her at once"
said the man. ''You need shelter,
food, a fire. Can you walk?"
81 don't know"
''Let me help you" He rose tc
his feet, reached down to her, took
her hands in the strong grasp of his
own and raised her lightly to her feet
in an effortless way which showed his
great strength. She did not more
than put the weight of her body
slightly on her left foot when a spasm
of pain shot through her, she swerved
and would have fallen had he not
caught her. He sat her gently on the
rock
''My foot" she said piteousiy. Il
don't know what's the matter with it. ]"
Her high boots were tightly laced,
of course, but he could see that her
left foot had been badly mauled or
sprained; already the slender ankle
was swelling visibly. He examined it
swiftly a moment. 1t might be a
sprain, it might be the result Of some
violent thrust against the rocks, some
whirling tree trunks might have
caught and crushed her foot, but
there was no good in specializing as
to causes, the present patent fact was
that she could not walk; all the rest
was at that moment unimportant.
This unfortunate accident made him
the more anxious to get her to a
place Of shelter without delay. 1t
would be necessary to take off her
boot and give the wounded member
proper treatment. For the present
the tight shoe acted as a bandage,
which was well.
When the man had withdrawn him
self from the world, he had inwardly
resolved that no human being should
ever invade his domain or share his
solitude, and during his long sojourn
in the wilderness his determination
had not weakened. Now his coming
desire was to get this woman whom
fortune-good or ill!-had thrown
upon his hands to his house without
delay. There was nothing he could
do for her out there in the rain.
Every drop Of whiskey was gone, they
were just two haIf-drowned, sodden
bits OF humanity cast UP on that
rocky shore, and one was a helpless
woman.
"Do you know where your camp
is?" he asked at last.
He did not wish to take her to her
own camp, he had a strange instinct
Of possession in her. In some way he
felt he had obtained a right to deal
with her as he would, he had saved
her life twice, once by chan-e, the
other as the result Of deliberate and
heroic endeavor, and yet his honor
and his manhood obliged him to offer
to take her to her own people if he
could. Hence the question, the an
swer to which he waited so eagerly.
tits down the canon. [ am one Of
Mr.. Robert Maitland's party"
The man nodded, he didn't know
Robert Maitland from Adam, and he
cared nothing about him.
"How far DOWN." he asked.
81 don't know, how far is it from