The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1912-05-24


looking after him."
What happened them"
Il went back to the camp" said
Maitland. I'VE loaded Newbold on a
mule and took him with us; he was
80 crazy he didn't know what was
happening; he went over the shooting
again and again In his delirium. 1t
was awful"
did he die?"
Il don't think So" was the answer.
but really l know nothing further
about him. There were some good
women in that camp; we put him In
their hands and l left shortly after.
wards"
Il kin tell the rest" said old Kirk
by. KNOWN more about the noun
tains than most people hereabouts
led the men that didn't go back with
Bob an Newbold to the place Were
he said his woman fell, an there we
found her. her body leastways."
But the wolves?" queried the girl
He'd drug her into a kind of a
boiler and piled rocks over her. He'd
something frightful, an then climbed
up to Were she'd lodged. We had
plenty of rope. havin' brought it along
purpose, an we let ourselves down
to the shelf where she was a lynn
We wrapped her body up in blankets
an roped 1t an finally drug her up
on the old Injun trail, leastways l sup
~ A
Injuns. an brought her back to Ever
green camp, witch the only thing about
IL that was green was the swing doors
on the saloon. We got a parson out
from Denver an give her a Christian
burial"
rs that all?" asked Enid as the old
man paused again"
Nope"
"Oh. the MANI" exclaimed the wom-
an with quick intuition.
He recovered his senses so they
told us. an we'en We got back he'd
gone"
"Where?" was the instant question.
Old Kirkby stretched out his hands
Don't ak me-" he said, he'd Jest
him sence. Poor little Louise Rosser.
she did have hard time"
YES" said Enid, but | think the
man had a 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 II. But II is getting late.
In the mountains everybody gets up
at daybreak. Your sleeping bags are
in the tents, ladies: time to 60 to
bed"
As the party broke up. old Kirkby
rose slowly to his feet: he looked
meaningly 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 a 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 of together. They STOP
ped by the brink OF the rushing tor
rent a few yards away. The noise |
that 1T made drowned the low tones OF |
their voices and kept the others. busy
to retire. from hearing what
they said.
That amt quite all the story. Miss
Enid" said the old trapper meaningly.
There was another man."
What" exclaimed the girl
'Oh. there wasn't nothin' wrong
with Louise Rosser. witch she was
Louise Newbold. but there was an
other man: suspected II afore. that's
why she was sad. Wen We found her
body knowed It,"
Il don't understand"
''These1u explain" said Kirkby. He
drew out from his rough hunting coat
a package Of soiled letters: they were
enclosed In an oil skin and
lied with a faded ribbon. You see,"
he continued. holding them in his
hand yet carefully conceaiing them
rom the people at the tire. "W'en
she fell on the cliff-somehow the
mule lost his footin'. nobody never
how. leastways the mule was
lead an couldn't tell-she struck on
spur or shelf about a hundred feet
below the brink; evidently she was
'arryin' the letters In her dress Her
BOSOM was frightfully tore open an
he letters was lynn there. Newbold
iidn't see 'em. because he went down
INTO the canon an came up to the
'helf. or butte head. Were the body
vas lynn. but we dropped down.
vas the first man down an I got EN-
Nobody else seem me. an there amt
10 human eyes. not even my wife's.
hats ever looked on them letters, az
'ept mine and now yourn."
you are going to give them to
ne?"
Il am" said Kirkby.