Middletown transcript., 1912-04-27

room and looked about her again.
There was nothing that demanded
careful scrutiny. She wasn't quite
sure whether she was within the pro-
prieties or not, but she seized the old
est and most worn Of the volumes on
the shelf. 1t was text book on min
ing and metallurgy, she observed, and
opening it to the fly leaf, across the
page she saw written in firm, Wig
Orous masculine hand name, evil
liam Berkeley Newbold," and be-
meath these words, "Thayer Hall, Har-
vard," and a date some seven years
back.
The owner Of that book, whether the
present possessor or not, had been a
college man. Say that he had gradu-
ated at twenty-one or twenty-five, he
would be twenty-eight or twenty-nine
years old now, but if SO, why that
white hair? Perhaps, though, the
book did not belong to the man Of the
cabin.
She turned to other books on the
shelf. Many of them were technical
books, which she had sufficient gen.
eral culture to realize could be only
available to a man highly educated,
and special student Of mines and
mining-a mining engineer, she de-
cided, with a glance at those instru-
ments and appliances Of a scientific
character plainly, but Of whose actual
use she was ignorant.
A rapid inspection Of the other
books confirmed her in the conclusion
that the man of the mountains was
indeed the owner of the collection
There were few well worn volumes
Of poetry and essays, Shakespeare, a
Bible, Bacon, Marcus Aurelius, Epicte-
tus, Keats, small dictionary, a COM
pendious encyclopedia, just the books,
she thought, smiling at her conceit,
that man of education and culture
would want to have upon desert IS
land where his supply Of literature
would be limited.
The old ones were autographed as
the first book she had looked in; 9TH
ers, newer additions to the little IL
brary, If she could judge their condi-
ton, were unsigned.
Into the corner cupboard and the
drawers, Of course, she did not look.
There was nothing else in the room
TO attract her attention, save some
piles Of manuscript neatly arranged
on one Of the shelves, each one cover
ed with a square of board and kept
in place by pieces Of glistening quartz.
There were four Of these piles and an
other half the size of the first four
on the table. These, of course, she did
not examine, further than to note that
the writing was in the same bold,
free hand as the signature in the
books. If she had been an expert she
might have deduced much from the
writing; as it was, she fancied it was
strong, direct. manly.
Having completed her inspection Of
this room, she opened the door and
went into the other. It was smaller
and less inviting. 1t had only one
window, and a door opened outside.
There was cook stove here, and
shelves with cooking utensils and
graniteware, and more rude box re-
ceptacles on the walls which were fill
ed with bountiful and well selected
store Of canned goods and provisions
Of various kinds. This was evident
ly the kitchen, supply. room, china
closet. She saw no sign Of bed in
it, and wondered where and how the
man had scent the night.
By rights, her mind should have
been filed with her uncle and his
party, and in their alarm she should
have shared, but she was so extremely
comfortable, except for her foot, which
did not greatly trouble her SO long as
she kept it quiet, that she felt a GER
tain degree of contentment, not to say
happiness. The adventure was so ro-
mantle and thrilling-save for those
awful moments In the pool-especially
to the soul of a conventional woman
who had been brought up in the most
humdrum and stereotyped fashion of
the earth's ways, and with never an
opportunity for the development Of
the spirit Of romance which ali Of US
exhibited some time In our life, and
which, thank God, some Of US never
lose, that she found herself reVelling
in it,
She lost herself In pleasing imagina-
tions Of tales OF her adventures that