Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-23


a man crossing below her and making
directly toward the body of the bear.
He was tall black bearded man, she
saw he carried-a rife, he looked neith-
er to the right nor to the left, ne did
not bestow a glance upon her. She
could have cried aloud in thanksgiving
for his apparent obliviousness to her
as she crouched now neck deep in the
benumbing cold. The man stepped on
the bank, shook himself like a great
dog might have done and marched
over to the bear. He uprooted a small
nearby pine, with the ease of a Her
cules-and she had time to mark and
marvel at it in spite of everything
and then with that as lever he I'M
concernedly and easily heaved the
body of the monster from off her
clothing. She was to learn later what
a feat of strength it was to move that
inert carcass weighing much more
than half ton.
Thereafter he dropped the pine tree
by the side of the dead grizzly and
without a backward look tramped
swiftly and steadily up the canon
3
/ of Ii and was instantly lost to sight.
His gentle and generous purpose were
| obvious even to the frightened. agi-
| tated, excited girl.
| The woman watched him until he
disappeared, few seconds longer.
and then she hurled herself through
the water and stepped out upon the
shore. Her sweater which the bear
had dragged forward in its advance
lay on top of the rest of her clothes
covered with blood. She threw 1t aside
and with nervous, frantic energy, wet
cold, though she was, she jerked on
in some fashion enough clothes tc
cover her nakedness and then with
more leisurely order and with neces
sary care she got the rest Of her ap
parel in its accustomed place upon hel
body, and then when it was all ovel
she sank down prone and PROSTATE
upon the grass by the carcass of the
now harmless monster which had 81
nearly caused her undoing, and shiv
cred, cried and sobbed as If her hear
would break.
motionless sojourn, albeit it had beer
for scarcely more than minute il
that icy water, and yet the bloot
rushed to her brow and face, to ever.
hidden part Of her in waves as sh,
thought of it. It was a good thinl
that she cried; she was not a weep
ing woman, her tears came slowly a
rule and then came hard. She ratt
er prided herself upon her stoicism
but in this instance the great depth
of her nature had been undermine
and the fountains thereof were fai
/, to break forth.
How long she lay there, warmt
coming gradually to her under the d
rect rays Of the sun, she did not know
and it was a strange thing tina
caused her to arise. 1t grew suddenl
dark over her head. She looked u
and a rim Of frightful black, dens
clouds had suddenly blotted out tn
4 sun. The clouds were lined with gol
and silver and the long rays she
! from behind the somber blind owe
!, the yet uncovered portions of I'll
heaven, but the clouds moved wit
the irresistible swiftness and stead
ness OF great deluge. The wall {
them lowered above her head viii
they extended steadily and rapid
across the sky toward the other sid
of the canon and the mountain wall.
A storm was brewing such as st
= had never seen, such as she had I
experience to enable her to realize il
malign possibilities. Nay, it was no
i, at hand. She had no clew, howeve
3 of what was toward, how terrible
danger overshadowed her. Frightene
but unconscious of all the menace
the hour, her thoughts flew down II
canon to the camp. She must haste
there. She looked for her watC
which she had lifted from the gra
=, and which she had not yet put o
- The grizzly had stepped upon 1t,
was irretrievably ruined. She judge
from her last glimpse of the sun tn
it must now be early afternoon. 81
rose to her feet and staggered wi
70 weakness; she haS eaten nothil
since morning, and the nervous sho
y, and strain through which she h,
gone had reduced her to a pitiab
!, condition.
Her luncheon had fortunately {
- capped unframed. In big pocket
=. her short skirt there was a smi
=. flask of whiskey, which her UnC
~ Robert had required her to take wi
% her. She felt sick and faint, but s
~ knew that she must eat if she was
make the journey, difficult as it mig
prove, back to the camp. She fore
herself to take the first mouthful
10 bread and meat she had brought WI
- her, but when she mad tasted s
needed no further incentive, she {
to the last crumb; she thought Il
- was the time she needed stimulan
81 too, and mingling the cold water FRI
the brook with a little of the ardt
spirit from the flask, she drank. Sol
-. of the chill had worn off, some of
fatigue had gone.
She rose to her feet and start
down the canon; her bloody sweat
"a still lay on the ground with OH
"a" things of which she was needless.
~ had grown colder, but she reali2
20. that the climb down the canon wor
put her stagnant blood In circulate
- and all would be well.
-, Before she began the descent of I