The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-02-27

OF savage foes. Her heart beat fast
and her cheeks flushed In memory
Of what had 50 swiftly occurred be-
tween them Without thought, or
struggle. she gave herself unreserved-
ly to his guidance, serenely confident
in his power to succeed. He was q
man SO strong so resourceful, SO fitted
to the environment, that her trust in
him was unquestoned. She needed
to ask nothing; was content to follow
in silence. Even as she realized the
completeness Of her surrender. the
Sergeant, relaxing none OF his watch
fulness, checked his pony SO that they
could ride onward side by side.
we will follow the trail back" ha
explained. glancing aside at her face
1T is easier to follow than to strike
out for ourselves across the open"
where does 1t lead?"
ITO an old cow-camp on the Cimar
ron. There Is trooper there waiting.
Shall tell you the story?"
Il wish you would"
And then I am to have yours In
return STyluiuS
Yes" she said, and their eyes met.
There is nothing to conceal-from
you"
He told his tale simply, and in few
words: how ne had missed, and sought
after her in Dodge; how that search
ing had led directly to the discovery
Of crime, and finally the revealment
Of Major McDonald's body. He told
Of his efforts at organizing party to
follow the fugltiVes, inspired by be-
lief that she was prisoner, Of the
trip through the blizzard, and Of how
he had succeeded in outstripping Du-
| pont in the race.
The girl listened silently, able from
her own experience to fill in the de-
tails OF that relentless pursuit, which
could not be halted either by storm
or bullets. The strength, the deter
mination OF the man, appealed to her
with new force, and tears welled into
her eyes.
why, you are crying" he e1-
claimed in surprise.
THAT is nothing" her lips smiling.
as she loosened one hand from tho
blanket and reached across to clasp
his. You must know, dear, how hap
py I am to have found you. No ono
else could have done this"
''Oh, yes, little girl" soberly. Was
son would have gone on, if had been
the one to go down. The hardest part
of 1t all was waiting for the storm to
cease, not knowing where you were
hidden-that nearly drove me insane
Il understand; uncertainty is harder
to bear than anything else Shall I
tell you now what happened to me?'
Yes" tenderly, "as much, or as lit
tie as you please"
Then it shall be everything DEAR"
her hand-clasp Tightening. A moment
she hesitated, looking out across the
snow plains. and then back into his
eyes. From their expression she
gained courage to proceed, her voice
low, yet clear enough to make every
syllable distinctly audible.
81 was frightened when you left
me alone on the balcony, and went In
to confront Mrs. Dupont. knew the
woman and suspected that she would
only be too glad to find some indiscre-
ton she could use against me. 10
occurred to me that possibly she had
seen me enter the parlor and was
there herself to make sure. If so, she
would hesitate at no trick to verify
her suspicious. This thought so took
possession OF me that I determined
to escape if possible. And it appeared
easy Of accomplishment. There was,
but short drop to the ground, while
few steps around the end OF the
hotel would bring me safely to the
front entrance. The temptation to
try was irresistible 1 heard your
voices within and thought understood
her game 1t was dark below, yet
l knew how close the earth was, and
there was no sign of any one about
/ clambered over the railing, let my
self down as far as I could, and drop
ped. The slight fall did not even Jar
me, yet I was none too soon. AS I
crouched there in the darkness, she
flung open the curtains, and looked
out to the vacant balcony. / saw the
flash of light, and heard her laugh
it was not pleasant laughter; for she
was disappointed not to find me there
After the curtains fell again l could
no longer hear your voices, and my
sole desire was to get back into the
hotel unobserved. I was not afraid.
only dreaded to meet any one who
might recognize me-"
She paused in her recital, as though
to recall more clearly the exact facts,
the two riding forward, Hamlin lean
ing over toward her, occasionally
glancing watchfully behind.
~