The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-23
THE WAY
 OF A MAN
By EMERSON HOUGH
Copyright, I0O7. by the Outing Publishing
 Company

my arms. I felt her grasp tighten about my neck and her firm body crowd against me as we both sank down for an instant. Then I caught my feet and strengthened and was real Iy the steadier for the added weight, as any one knows who has waded in fast water.
 Get up. Auberry," I said to him as he approached and motioned to the long. overhanging branches from the driftwood. He swung up. breaking off the more insecure boughs, and was of the belief that we could get across in that way. As he reached down l swung the young woman up to him. and she clambered on as best she could. Thus, I scarce know how, we all managed to reach the solid drift and so presently found ourselves ashore on narrow sandy beach hedged on the back by a heavy growth of willows.
 'Now then, you men," ordered Mandy McGovern. "get some wood out and start fire right away. This here girl is shaking the teeth plumb out'n her head" Mandy drew forth two f1asks. each stoppered with bit of corncob. The one held sulphur matches. thus kept quite dry. and this she passed to me. The other she handed to the young woman.
 Here said she, "take a drink of that. It'll do you good"
 I heard the girl gasp and choke as she obeyed this injunction, and then Mandy applied the bottle gurglingly to her own lips.
 Presently we had a roaring blaze started, and Mandy, seating herself comfortably upon a log and producing a corncob pipe and a quantity of nat ural leaf tobacco, proceeded to enjoy herself in her own fashion. ''This here's all right" she remarked. we might be heap worse off'n we air.''
 could not help pitying the young woman who crouched near her at the nreside. still shivering. She seemed so young and helpless and so out of place in such surroundings. The irelight showed in silhouette the outlines of her face. It seemed to me had never seen one more beautiful. Perhaps she felt my gaze, for presently she turned and said: Indeed it might be worse. 4 lAdHh yOu SO muCA. 4I was fCAJ brave of you.'
 We had waited perhaps not over an hour. undecided what to do, when Au- berry raised a hand. Listen" he said. ''There's a boat coming" and presently we all heard the splash of oars. Our fire had been seen by one of the boats of the River Belle, out pick ing up such stragglers as could be found. So our little bivouac on the beach came to an end.
 I did not get the name of the girl had seen there in the firelight. What did remain-and that not wholly to my pleasure. so distinct it seemed-was the picture of her high bred profile. shown fin chiaroscuro at the freside, the line of her chin and neck, the tumbled masses of her hair. These were things I did not care to remember. and hat ed myself as a soft hearted fool, see ing that I did so.
 Son. said old Auberry to me after a time as we trudged along up the bank. stumbling over roots and braided grasses. ''that was almighty fine look in gal we brun< along with US there.''
 ''I didn't notice,'' said I.
 "No." said Auberry solemnly. 'I no. ticed you di5n't take no notice"
 "I suppose you're married" I sug- gested.
 Some" said Auberry, chuckling. 'In fact, a good deal, reckon. My present woman's a Shoshone-we're twin up Horse creek, below Laramie. Them Shoshones make about the best dressers of 'em all.''
 'I don't quite understand"-
 ''I meant hides. They can make the best buckskin of any tribe I know" He walked on ahead in the dark for some time before he added irrelevantly, E'Well, after all. in some ways women is women, my son, and men is men. that bein' the way this world is made just at these here present times. As was sayin'. that's a powerful nice Iookin' gal-''
 It seemed to me that saw gazing down directly at ne one cold. bright, reproving star, staring straight into my soul and accusing me of being nothing more than a savage, nothing better than a man.