The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-07-12

man had harder time than she He
loved herr"
1T looked like it" answered Kirkby
IF you had seen him, his remorse
his anguish, his horror" said Matt
land, you wouldn't have had any
doubt about It, But it is getting late
In the mountains everybody gets up
at daybreak. Your sleeping bags are
in the tents, ladies'; time to go to
bed"
As the party broke up, old Kirkby
rose slowly to his feet; he looked
meaningy toward the young woman
upon whom the spell of the tragedy
still fingered. he nodded toward the
young brook, and then repeated his
speaking glance at her. His meaning
was patent, although no one else had
seen the covert invitation.
Come Kirkby,' said the girl in
quick response, you shall be my es-
cort. want drink before | turn in.
No. never mind" she said. as Brad
shaw and Philips both volunteered.
not this time
The old frontiersman and the young
girl strOlled off together They stop
ped by the brink of the rushing tor
rent a few yards away. The noise
that it made drowned the low tones OF
their voices and kept the others, busy
preparing to retire, from hearing what
they said.
THAT amt quite all the story, Miss
Enid" said the old trapper meaningIy
There was another man"
What" exclaimed the girl.
oh, there wasn't nothin' wrong
with Louise Rosser. w'ich she was
Louise Newbold. but there was an
other man; suspected it afore, that's
why she was sad Wen We found her
body knowed it."
81 don't understand"
"Thesell explain" said Kirkby. He
drew out from his rough hunting coat
package of soiled letters; they were
carefully enclosed in an oil skin and
tied with a faded ribbon. You see,
he continued, holding them in his
hand yet carefully concealing them
from the people at the fire. Wen
she fell off the cliff-somehow the
mule lost his footin', nobody never
knowed how, leastways the mule was
dead an couldn't tell-she struck on
a spur or shelf about a hundred feet
below the brink; evidently she was
carryin the letters in her dress. Her
bosom was frightfully tore open an
the letters was lyin' there. Newbold
didn't see 'em. because he went down
into the canon an came up to the
shelf, or butte head, Were the body
was lynn, but We dropped down. 1
was the first man down an got 'em.
Nobody else seem me, an there amt
no human eyes, not even my wife's,
that's ever looked on them letters, ex-
cept mine and now yourn."
You are going to give them to
me?"
Il am" said Kirkby.
But why?"
Il want you to know the hull story.
But why. again."
Il rather guess them letters'll tell,
answered the old man evasively, AN
! like you, and don't want to see
you throwed away"
What do you mean?" asked the girl
curiously, thrilling to the solemnity OF
the moment, the seriousness, the kind
affection of the old frontiersman, the
weird scene, the fire light, the tents
cleaning ghostlike, the black wall OF
the canon and the tops of the noun
tain range broadening out beneath the
stars in the clear sky where they
twinkled above her head, the strange
and terrible story, and now the letters
in her hand, which somehow seemed
to be imbued with human feeling,
Kirkby patted her on the shoulder.
Read the letters" he said; they'll
tell the story. Good night"