The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-03-23

desperate dCSs
he fred again and again Satisfied at
last that the bear was dead, and OBJ
serving that he had fallen upon the
clothes OF the bather, he turned, de
scended the stream for a few yards
until he came to place where 1t was
easily Tordable, stepped through 1t
without a glance toward the woman
shivering In the water, whose sensa-
ton SO far as a mere man could, he
thoroughly understood and appreciat-
ed, and whose modesty he fain would
spare, having not forgotten to be a
gentleman in five years Of his own so
ciety-high test of quality, that.
He climbed out upon the bank, up
rooted a small tree, rolled the bear
clear of the heap Of woman's clothing
and marched straight ahead of him up
the canon and around the bend
Thereafter, being a man, he did not
faint or fall, but completely unnerved
he leaned against the canon wall,
dropped his gun at his feet and stood
there trembling nightly, sweat be-
dewing his forehead, and the sweat
had not come from his exertions.a In
one moment the whole even tenor OF
his life was changed. The one
glimpse he had got of those white
shoulders, that pallid face, that golden
head raised from the water, had swept
him back five years. He had seen
once more in the solitude woman.
Other women he had seen at dis
lance and avoided in his yearly visits
to the settlements. OF course, these
had passed him by remotely, but here
he was brought in touch intimately
with humanity. He who had taken
life had saved 1t. A woman had sent
him forth; was a woman to call him
back?
He cursed himself for his weakness
He shut his eyes and summoned Other
memories. How long he stood there
he could not have told. He was fight
ing battle and 1t seemed to him al
last that he triumphed. Presently the
consciousness came to him that per
haps he had no right to stand there
idle; 1t may be that the woman need
ed him; perhaps she had tainted II
the water; perhaps. He turned to
ward the bend which concealed him
from her and then he stopped. Had
he any right to intrude upon hel
privacy? He must Of necessity be ar
unwelcome visitor to her; he had sur
prised her at frightful disadvantage
he knew instinctively, although the
fault was none Of his, although he
had saved her life thereby, that sht
| would hold him and him alone re
sponsible for the outrage to her mod
esty, and although he had seen dttl.
at first glance and had resolutely KEEP
| his eyes away, the mere conscious
| ness Of her absolute he1plessness ap
| pealed to him-to what was best AMI
| noblest In him, too. He must go tt
her; yet stay, she might not yet b.
| clothed, In which event. But no
she must be dressed, or dead, by thi'
time. and in either case he woult
have q duty to discharge.
It devolved upon him to make sur
OF her safety; he was in certain
sense responsible for It, until she go
back to her friends, wherever the.
might be; but he persuaded himsel
that otherwise he did not want to SCI
her again, that he did not wish t
know anything about her future; tina
he did not care whether 1t was well o
Ill with her; and 1t was only sterl
| obligation which drove him towar,
her-oh, fond and foolish man!
He compromised with himself a
last by climbing the ridge that ha,
shut OF a view Of the pool, and look
ing down at the place 30 memorable
| to him. He was prepared to with
draw instantly should circumstance
warrant, and he was careful so to cor
| ceal himself as to give no possible or
| portunity for her to discover hi
scrutiny.
With a beating heart and cage
| eyes he searched the spot There la
| the bear and little distance ava
prone on the grass, clothed but whett
| er in her right mind or not he coult
not tell, lay the woman. For momen
as he bent concentrated, eager gaze
upon her he thought she might hav.
| tainted or that she might have died
In any event he reflected that she hat
strength and nerve and viii to hav.
dressed herself before either OF thes,