The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-07-24

didn't know when. had them fooled
all right. hear they called me the
Unknown-to be identified by the
scar"
Carter nodded
"rm-glad the old name shant be
: dragged in the dust-no one shall ever
know" went on the sufferer. And
/ I'll go down through history as the un.
known outlaw-who came to your
! quiet village-killed mani wish
they could know how he deserved kill
ing-and then killed another, and was
finally tracked to death-by dogs
Thank God my mothers dead-and
all the folks But what will she-she
will never know, never hear-My God!
what will she think"
Then through the trees, gladstone
and gay as the twitter of the birds,
came the sound Of woman's voice
singing. 1t startled the silence OF the
woods, and a greater contrast to the
tragedy which had just been enacted
there could not be imagined.
The outlaw had raised haggard
face.
DO you know what that means?" he
cried hoarsely. DO you know what
that means, man? 1t means that she
is coming-that am going to see her
once more-before 1t is too late!"
The trilling voice was becoming
louder Carter went from red to
white as he listened Then suspicion
became certainty, and he broke out;
1T can't be-because-th is my
sisters voice."
Then she is your sister 1t is the
song l taught her-over at Albany
where met her"
She visited there" murmured the
other duly my Cod" he cried as a
clearer understanding of the situation
was borne home to him.
The dying mans face had under
gone change Already lined from
the agony he was suffering, and damp
with the dew of death, it became an
awful sight to behold
DO you understand-dont you
see?" The words fell from his stiff
lips almost inaudibly. For the love
Of God, man." he broke off-"don't let
her know-keep 1t from her, and yet
and yet-let-me see her"
For moment Carter stared, then
the nearing voice warned him into
action.
she shall never know" he said.
answering the eyes which looked up
into his as trustingly as dog might;
and yet you shall see her"
A little later, in answer to whistle
from Carter, there burst into the cir
Gle formed Of fallen logs and under
growth, and hidden by trees, the fig
ure Of girl. She was bareheaded and
flushed, and the love of life burned
from her eyes. The concluding strains
of her song trembled for an instant on
her parted lips. then died there.
Don't be alarmed, but there has .
been an accident" her brother was
saying. See, dear he was coming to
you. But he carried a weapon-the |
man-hunt you know-and the weapon !
fell accidently to the ground. 1t went
off"
But even before he had finished !
speaking the girl had turned deaf
ear to him, and with the sublime cour.
age Of womanhood had pushed him
aside until she herself pillowed the
sufferers head. Her hands were busy
the hundred and one little
woman has at her COM
mand and Of which man knows moth.
Ing; only touch, caress, here and
there perhaps, but only those Of us
who have experienced know.
Carter, after receiving the lightning
look of gratitude from the dying
mans eyes, had turned away But frag-
nents Of the whispered colloquy
reached him.
Don't grieve, dear" murmured the
woman, though grief had already
burned its imprint in her own staring
eyes. ut might be worse. Yes, dear,
.hink, for instance, if you were dying
| death such as the poor outlaw you
we're tracking must die-think, too,
low much worse it would be for me.
fou die respected Of men, and loved !
loved always"
Carter never knew how long after.
ward it was-as time is counted-that
lie heard faint gasp, then a woman's
ry. But the sound told him that all
vas over and that to one more exis- :
ence there had been written "Fnis."
Copyright by Daily Story Pub Coz :