The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-04

was seriously hurt. Recovering
from the shock and being assured of
Patricia's Wilderness and his own,
Blount spramg out to see what the
collision had done to the car. The in
spection was brief. With the front
axle bent, the radiator crushed and
one cylinder of the engine broken, the
little car was safely out of commission.
"We're done for,'' he said shortly,
helping his companion down from the
driving seat.
Patricia was stf1lAtremb1ing and pale
and he thought& that the accident was
accountable.
''Do you mean-that we can't-go on
to the city ?" She >quavered.
mot unless weswalk, and it is ex-
actly fifteen miles. Happened to no
tice the speedometer record on the
roadster when wes turnedFaround here
last Sunday
"What shall we dos?'' She asked when
the 1mprobabtlity OF any timely rescue
made itself apparent
Blount looked at his watch. It was
already few minutesgpast 8 O'Clock.
"We'I1 sit down and wait for some
body to come along and rescue u.s.
he said, striving to say it lightly.
I'm sure we ought to be glad and
thankful that it is no worse. We
stood a good chance sof being killed,
both of u.s.
She shuddered and said: ''I might
have stopped sooner. There-there
was time, don't you thtnk?''
Evan had thought SO, and he was
regarding her curiously. There had
been many motoring experiences in
their acquaintance of a year and not
few hazards, and he had more than
once rejoiced in her cool presence of
mind in the face of sudden danger.
at wondered little ,that you didn't
he ventured to say. +I never saw
you hesitate before
The look that she gave him was pa
thetically pleading.
az stopped-just one little instant to
think-of your father-and-and those
terrible papers in your pocket and
what was going to happen if you
should reach Judge Hemingway in
time Evan,' she contested brokenly.
''Can you ever forgive me?"
It was a moment for the brushing
aside of obstacles once and for all,
and he took her in his arms-would
have done it if the lonely Quaretaro
road had been the busiest street in the
capital.
''You are my brave, loyal darling"
it and hid the face, from which the
cold pallor had suddenly fed, on his
shoulder the political struggle and
everything pertaining to it became as
things of naught and the lonely road
the way to paradise.
The silence of the immensideS held
them for a moment-a golden silence
| for the lover, but a moment Of keen
self reproachings for the maiden sob
bling on his shoulder.
ooh, 1 don't know how could have
done it-but I did!' she wept. IL
was ac-actually glad when saw the
tree. I didn't have the courage to-to
upset the car in the ditch
Again he comforted her, and the po
1itical vena1ities withdrew into a still
renoter region.
at was to be-" he said. '"That is
what the tree was put here for-to
stop u.s.
She looked up at that.
''Why, that is so, isn't it? There are
no trees growing around here-none
at ell. Who did it, Evan?'
B1ount shook his head sadly. "There
is only one person in the world who
could have any strong reason for stop
ping u.s. he asserted. ST can't imagine
how my father managed it in the short
time at his disposal. That tree has
been dragged down out of the little
| canyon since we passed going north.
| You can see the trail of it in the road -
Please, Evan,' she pleaded, "don't
ask me to believe that your father
| planned it! Why, we might have been
| killed outright, both of usr'
81 know" he returned gloomily, ''but
hello, here comes our rescuep'
1t was rather a figure of speech than
| an assurance. Around a turn in the
canyon road came three horsemen
pointing for the main highway and
ambling gently. They were hardly
within hailing distance before Blount
recognized his three way1ayers of the
night of mysteries in the Lost River
mountains. with Barto in the lead.