Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-07-18
cHAPrER II. lcontinuedl

CHAPTER Xl. (Contjnued).
fl viii go and cook you some break
fast while you get yourself ready. If
you have not washed, you'll find
bucket Of water and a basin and towel
outside the door"
He went through the inner door rs
suddenly as he had come through the
outer one. He was a man Of few words,
and whatever social grace he might
once have possessed, and in more ia
vorabIe circumstances exhibited, was
not noticeable now. The tenderness
with which he had caressed her the
night before had also vanished.
His bearing had been cool, almost
harsh and forbidding, and his manner
was as grim as his appearance. The
conversation had been a brief one. and
her opportunity for inspection Of him
consequently limited Yet she had
taken him in He was a tall, splendid
man. No longer young, perhaps, but in
the prime of life and vigOr. His com
plexi0n was dark and burned browner
by long exposure to sun and wind, win
ter and summer. In spite of the brown,
there was a certain color, a hue of
health in his cheeks. His eyes were
hazel, sometimes brown, sometimes
gray, and sometimes blue, she after
ward learned. A short thick closely
cut beard and mustache covered the
lower part Of his face disguised but
not hiding the squareness of his jaw
and the firmness of his lips.
He had worn his cap when he enter
ed, and when he took it off she no
ticed that his dark hair was tinged
with white. He was dressed in Ieath-
er hunting suit, somewhat the worse
for wear, but fitting him in way to
give free play to all his muscles. His
movements were swift, energetic and
graceful. She did not wonder that he
had so easily hurled the bear to one
side and had managed to carry her-nO
light weight, indeed!-OEer what she
dimIy recognized must have been a
horrible trail, which, burdened as he
was, would have been impossible to a
man Of less splendid vigor than he.
The cabin was low ceiled, and as
she sat looking up at him. he had tow
cred above her until he seemed to
fill it, Naturally, she had scrutinized
his every action, as she had hung on
his every word. His swift and some
what startled movement, his frowning
as he had seized the picture on which
she had gazed with such interest,
aroused the HveHest surprise and Gu
riosity in her heart.
Who was this woman? Why was ne
so quick to remove the picture from
her gaze? Thoughts rushed tumultu-
ously through her brain, but she real
lied at once that she lacked time to
indulge them. She could hear him
moving about in the other room. She
threw aside the blanket with which
she had draped herself changed the
bandage on her foot, drew on the
heavy wooden stocking which, oil
course. was miles too big for her but
which easily took in her foot and
ankle encumbered as they were by
the rude, heavy but effective wrapping
Thereafter she hobbled to the door
and stood for moment almost aghast
at the spleudOr. and magnificence be
fore her.
BE had built his cabin On a leve
shelf of rock perhaps fifty by hundred
eet in area. 1t was backed up against al
overtowering cliff, otherwise the rocl
fen away in every direction. She di
vined that the descent from the shell
into the pocket or valley spread before
her was sheer, except of to the
right, where a somewhat gentler &C
clivity OF huge and broken boulder.
gave q practicable ascent-a sort o
titanic stairs-to the place percheC
on the mountain side. The shelf wa.
absolutely bare save for the cabil
and a few huge bouIders. There wer,
q few sparse, stunted trees further III
on the mountain side above; q few
hundred feet beyond them, however
came the timber line, after whicl
there was nothing but the make,
rock.
Below several hundred feet lay
clear emerald pool, whose edges wer
bordered BY pines, where it was no
dominated by high cliffs. Already tn
Iakelet was trimmed with ice on tn
shaded side. This enchanting Iittl
body Of water was fed by the melting
snow from the crest and peaks, whicl
in the clear, pure sunshine and rar
fled air of the mountains seemed {
rise and confront her within a stone
throw Of the place where she stood.
On one side Of the pretty lake i
the valley. or pocket, beneath, Their
was a little grassy clearing, and Their
the dweller in the wilderness ha
built a rude corral for the burros. o,
d rough bench By the side of the doc
she saw the primitive conyeniences
which he had alluded. The waite