Middletown transcript., 1912-03-23

he fred again and again. Satisfied at
| last that the bear was dead, and OBJ.
serving that he had fallen upon the.
| clothes of the bather, he turned, de-
scended the stream for a few yards
until he came to place where it was
easily fordable, stepped through it
without a glance toward the woman,
Bhivering in the water, whose sensa-.
ton SO far as a mere man could, he.
thoroughly understood and apprecist-
ed, and whose modesty he fain would
spare, having not forgotten to be
gentleman in five years Of his own So
ciety-high test Of quality, that.
He climbed out upon the bank, up
rooted small tree, rolled the bear
clear of the heap of woman's clothing
and marched straight ahead Of him up
the canon and around the bend.
Thereafter, being a man, he did not
faint or fall, but completely unnerVed
he leaned against the canon wall,
dropped his gun at his feet and stood
there trembling nightly, sweat be-
dewing his forehead, and the sweat
had not come from his exertions. In
one moment the whole even tenor Of
his life was changed, The one
glimpse he had got Of those white
shoulders, that pallid face, that golden
head raised from the water, had swept
him back five years. He had seen
once more in the solitude a woman.
Other women he had seen at a dis.
lance and avoided in his yearly visits
to the settlements. OF course, these
had passed him by remotely, but here
he was brought in touch intimately
with humanity. He who had taken
life had saved It. A woman had sent
him forth; was a woman to call him
back?
He cursed himself for his weakness.
He shut his eyes and summoned other
memories. How long he stood there
he could not have told. He was fight
ing battle and it seemed to him at
last that he triumphed. Presently the
consciousness came to him that per-
haps he had no right to stand there
Idle; it may be that the woman need
ed him; perhaps she had tainted in
the water; perhaps. He turned to-
ward the bend which concealed him.
from her and then he stopped. Had
he any right to intrude upon her
privacy? He must Of necessity be an
unwelcome visitor to her; he had. sur.
prised her at frightful disadvantage, |
he knew instipctively, although the
fault was none Of his, although he |
had saved her life thereby, that she
would hold him and him alone re- |
sponsible for the outrage to her mod
esty, and although he had seen little
at first glance and had resolutely kept |
his eyes away, the mere conscious
ness Of her absolute helplessness ap-
pealed to him-to what was best and
noblest in him, too. He must go to
her; yet stay, she might not yet be
clothed, in which event. But no,
she must be dressed, or dead, by this
tine, and In either case be would
have duty to discharge.
It deVolved upon him to make sure
of her safety; he was In a certain
sense responsible for it, until she got
back to her friends, wherever they
might be; but he persuaded himself
that otherwise he did not want to see
her again, that he did not wish to
know anything about her future; that
he did not care whether it was well or
Ill with her; and It was only stern
obligation which drove him toward
her-oh, fond and foolish man!
He compromised with himself at
last by climbing the ridge that had
shut of a view Of the pool, and look
ing down at the place so memorable
to him: He was prepared to with.
draw instantly should circumstances
warrant, and he was careful so to con-
ceal himself as to give no possible op-
portunity for her to discover his
scrutiny.
With a beating heart and eager
eyes he searched the spot. There lay
the bear and a little distance away
prone on the grass, clothed but wheth.
eF in her right mind or not he could ;
not tell, lay the woman. For a moment
as he bent concentrated, eager gaze
upon her he thought she might have
tainted or that she might have died.
In any event he reflected that she had
strength and nerve and win to havS
dressed herself before either Of these
things happened. She lay motionloss
Under his gaze for 20 long that he
anally made up his mind that COM
mon humanity required him to so to
her assistance. I
He rose to his feet on the instant 4
md saw the woman also lift herself I
rom the grass as II moved by a simi1 {
ar impulse. In his intense preoccu- !
nation, he had forgot to observe the
Iigns Of the times. A sense Of the Z
overcast sky came to him suddenly Rs I
{ did to her, but with q difference. ]