The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-09-23

him back five years. He had seen
once more in the solitude a woman.
Other women he had seen at DIS
lance and avoided in his yearly VISITS
to the settlements. Of course, these
had passed him by remotely, but mere
he was brought in touch intimately
with humanity. He who mad 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 nght-
Ing a battle and 1t seemed to him az
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 MIN
from her and then he stopped. HAD
he any right to intrude upon ner
privacy? He must Of necessity be an
unwelcome visitor to her; ne had sur
prised her at frightful disadvantage,
he knew instinctively, although the
fault was none Of his, although ne
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 nttle
at first glance and had resolutely KEPT
his ewes away, the mere conscious
ness of her absolute holplessness ap-
nealed to him-to what was best ana
noblest In him, too He must go 70
her; yet stay, she might not yet pc
clothed, in which event. But no.
she must be dressed, or dead, by THIS
time. and in either case he would
have q duty to discharge.
It devolved upon him to make sure
Of her safety; he was in a certain
sense responsible for it, until she go'
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 tt
| know anything about her future; tha'
| ne did not care whether it was well OF
| III with her; and It was only sterl
obligation which drove him toWarl
her-oh, fond and foolish man!
He compromised with himself a
last by climbing the ridge that hat
! shut off a view of the pool. and LOOK
Ing down at the place SO memorao!
}, to him. He was prepared to Wit
draw instantly should circumstance
warrant, and he Was careful 50 10 COZ
= coal himself as to give no possible o.
:. portunity for her 10 discover al
: scrutiny
! With a beating hear; and cage
: ewes he searched the snot Ihere =
:. the bear and little distance ava
= prone on the grass, clothed but Whet
= or in her ,i.ht mind or not he cou
. not tell lay the woman. FOR molhei
- az he hcnt a concentrated, ca ger ga
=, upon her he thought she might ha'
tainted or that she might have ole
In any event he reelected that she n;
: strength and nerve and Will TO ma
dressed herself before either Of the
" things happened She lay motIonle
d under his gaze for SO long that
W finally made up his mind that co
W mon humanity required him to go
her assistance.
". He rose to his feet on the insta
w =, and saw the woman also nlt hers
~, from the grass as il moved by sll
w lar impulse. In his intense preoc'
We ration he had forgot to observe !
"a. signs of the times. A sense OF
~ overcast sky came to him suddenly
u It did to her. but with q dlfferen
'no He knew what was about to happ
i'o his experience told him much mt
len as to the awful potertialitles OF
= tempest than she could possibly I'M
inc. She must be warned at on
~ she must leave the canon and get
on the higher ground without del
His duty was plain and yet he die
not He could not. The press
upon him was not yet strong enoug
A half dozen times as he watcl
her deliberately sitting there eat
he opened his mouth to cry TO
vet he could not bring himself 10
A strange timidity oppressed n
halted him, held him back. A
\ cannot stay away Ave years from I
and women and be himself with II
in the twinkling of an eye. And W
IN that instructive End acquired re
lance against which he struggled
vain he added the assurance
whatever his message he would
unwelcome o. account of what
- gone before: he could not force
self to go to her or even TO cal
her. not yet. He would keep her
der surveillance, however ana II
worst came he could intervene In
70 rescue her. He counted VII
his cost, his usual Judgment o'
dered So he followed her thrt
the trees and down the bank.
Now he was SO engrossed IN
and so agitated that his caution
his experience was forgotten.
storm in his own breast was SO
that It overshadowed the storm
ing above. Her way was easier
his and he had fallen some dist
,aS -hnn cudda p1y there I'll