The Delta independent., 1914-08-28

An hour later, topping a ridge OF
rising ground, Alan caught from the
hollow on its farther side the music OF
clashing waters. Tortured by thirst
he began at once to descend in reck
less haste.
What was at first q gentle slope GOV.
cred with waist-deep brush and car
peted with leaf-mold, grew swiftly
more declivitous, a mossy hillside, as
steep as q roof, bare of underbrush.
and sparely sown with small cedars
through whose ranks cool blue water
twinkled far below.
The shelving moss-beds afforded
treaeherops footing; Alan was glad
now and then Of the support of q ce-
dar, but these grew ever smaller, and
more widely spaced and were not al
ways convenient to his hand He
came abruptly and at headlong pace
within sight of the caves of a cliff
and precisely then the hillside seemed
to slip from under him.
His heels hourished in the air, HE
back thumped bed Of pebbles thinly
overgrown with moss. The stones
gave, the moss-skin broke. he began to
slide-grasped at random a youngish
cedar which stayed him imperceptibly,
coming away with all its puny roots
caught at another, no more substan
tial-and amid a shower of loose stone
shot out over the edge and down q
drop of more than thirty feet.
He was instantaneouely aware OF
the sun, a molten Dali wneenng mao
ly in the cup Of the turquoise sky.
Then dark waters closed over him.
He came up struggling and gasping.
and struck out for something dark
that rode the waters near at hand
something vaguely resembling
canoe.
But his strength was largely spent.
his breath had been driven out OF him
by the force Of the fall, and he had
swallowed much water-while the field
of his consciousness was stricken with
confusion.
Within a stroke of an outstretched
paddle, he flung up a hand and went
down again.
Instantly one occupant of the
canoe. a young and very beautiful wo-
man in mans hunting clothes, spoke
sharp word of command and. as
her guide steadied the vessel with his
paddle. rose in her place so surely
that she scarcely disturbed the nice
balance of the little craft, and curved
her 1.-the body over the bow, head
foremost into the pool.
Mr.. Law had. in point of fact en-.
dured more than he knew; more than
even q weathered woodsman could
have borne without suffering. Forty.
eight hours of such heavy woods
walking as he had put in to escape
the forest 6re. would have served to
PROSTATE almost any man; add to this
ignoring a dozen other mental, nerv.
Gus and physical strains) merely the
fact that he had been half-drowned.
He experienced little fever, little
delirium, then blank slumbers OF ex-
haustion-
i He awoke in dark OF night. wholly
unaware that thirty-six hours had
passed since his fall. This last, how
ever, and events that had gone before
he recalled with tolerable clearness-
allowing for the sluggishness of
drowsy mind. Other memories, more
vague. Of gentle ministering hands. OF
face by turns an angels. a flowers
fiend's. and dear woman's. trou
bled him even less materially. He
was already sane enough to allow he
had probably been a bit out OF his
head, and since 1t seemed he had beer
saved and cared for. he found no rea
son to quarrel with present circum
stances.
Still, he would have been grateful
for some explanation OF certain phe
nomena which still haunted him-eucb
as q faint, elusive scent OF roses with
vague but importunate sense OF o
woman's presence in that darkened
room-things manifestly absurd
With some difficulty, from a dry
throat, he spoke. or rather whis
pered: "Water!"
In response he heard someone move
over creaking floor. A sulphur
match spluttered UNANIMOUSLY. A can
die caught fire. Observation-Disclosures
OF course!-the figure of q woman in
hunting shirt and skirt. Water
splashed noisily. Alan became aware
OF someone who stood at his side, one
hand offering a glass to his lips. the
other gently raising his head that he
might drink with ease.
Draining the glass, he breathed HE
thanks and sank back. retaining his
grasp on the wrist OF that unreal
hand. 1t suffered him without re
sistance. The hallucination even
went go far as to say, In woman's
soft accents
you are better, Alan?"
He sighed incredulously: "Rose!"
The voice responded "Yes!" Then
the perfume of roses grew still more