The Springfield herald., 1912-07-12

ohe place ana one QlreCtlOn 10 seArCn
for you"
And that VAST"
Down the canon?"
"What did you do then?"
81 went down the canon myself. l
think ! saw evidence that some one
had preceded me. too"
did you overtake them?"
Certainly not, they Travelled as
rapidly as I; they must have started
| early in the morning and they had
several hours the advantage of me-"
But they must have stopped some
where for the night and"
YES" answered the man: ''if had
only myself to consider. I should have
pressed on through the night and
overtaken them when they camped."
only yourself?"
You made me promise to return
here by nightfall. l don't know wheth-
er should have obeyed you or not
kept on as long as l dared and still
leave myself time to get back to you
by dark"
She had no idea OF the desperate
speed he had made to reach her while
1t was still daylight.
"If you hadn't come when you did,
I should have died." cried the girl i'm
petuously. You did perfectly right.
don't think l am n coward; l hope
not never was afraid before. but"
Don't apologize or explain to me.
it's not necessary; l understand ev-
! erything you feel. 1t was only because
l had given you my word to be back
by sunset that left off following their
trail. was afraid that you might
think me dead or that something had
happened and"
II should, did," admitted the girl.
at wasn't so bad during the day time.
but when the sun went down and you
did not come l began to imagine ev-
erything. saw myself left alone hero
in these mountains. helpless. wound
ed, without human being to speak
to. could not bear It."
But / have been here alone FOR
five years." said the man grimly.
That's different. don't know why
you have chosen solitude. but l."
You are woman" returned the
other gently, land you have suffered.
that accounts for everything"
Thank you." said Enid, gratefully.
"And l am SO glad you came back to
me-"
Back to you," reiterated the man,
and then he stopped. II he had al
lowed his heart to speak he would
have said, Back to you from the very
ends of the world. But l want you to
believe that / honestly did not leave
| the trail until the ultimate moment"
he added.
81 do believe IT." she extended her
hand to him. You have been very
good to me, trust you absolutely"
And for the second time he took
that graceful, dainty. aristocratic
hand in his own larger, stronger, firm
er grasp. His face flushed again; un-
der other circumstances and in other
days perhaps he might have kissed
that hand. AS 1t was he only held
1t for a moment and then gently re-
leased 1t.
And you think they are searching
for me?" she asked.
81 know it. am sure of what l
myself would do for one I love-I
loved. mean, and they"
And they will find me?"
The man shook his head.
81 am afraid they will be convinced
that you have gone down with the
flood. Didn't you have a cap or"
"Yes," said the woman, land a
sweater The bear you shot covered
the sweater with blood. could not
put 1t on again"
AS she spoke she flushed glorious
| ~ .
| meeting, but the man was looking
away with studied care. She thanked
him In her heart for such generous
and kindly consideration.
"They will have gone down the
stream with the rest, and it's Just pos
sible that the searchers may find
them, the body of the bear, too This
river ends in a deep mountain lake
and ! think 1t Is going to snow; 1t
will be frozen hard tomorrow"
And they will think me-there %
81 am afraid So"
And they won't come up here?"
"It Is scarcely possible"
"Oh!" exclaimed the woman family
at the dire possibility that she might
not be found.
81 took an empty bottle with me-
said the man, breaking the silence, 'in
which l had enclosed paper saying
that you were here and safe, save
for your wounded foot. and giving
direction how to reach the place
l built a cairn of rocks in shell
tered nook in the valley where
your camp had been pitched and left
the tightly corked bottle wedged on
top of 1t. II they return to the camp
they could scarcely fail to see It,"
But II they don't go back there"
We'll. 1t was just chance"
And II they don't find me?"
You will have to stay here for q
while: until your foot gets well
enough to travel. anyway" returned
the man. evasively.
But winter Is coming on; you said
the lake would freeze tonight and II II
snows?"
ut will snow"
The woman stared at him appalled,
And In that case"
81 am afraid" was the slow reply
that you will have to stay here"
He hesitated in the face OF her white
still facial winter" he added, des
perately.