The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-12-10

nad none DeyOn0 luntlng Knl1e pelV'
ed at the small of his back. All else
had been either consumed in the for
est fire or stolen by his Indian guide
who had subsequently died while at
tempting to murder his employer.
Since that event, the man had sue
ceeded in losing himself completely.
In seeking shelter from the thunder
storm, he had lost touch with his only
known and none too clearly located
landmarks. Then, after night passed
without fire in the lee Of ragged
bluff, he had walked to discover the
sun rising in the west and the rest Of
the universe alphabetically upside
down; and aimlessly ever since he had
stumbled and Numbered in the maze
of those grimly reticent Businesses, for
the last few hours haunted by a fear
of failing reason-possessed by no
ton that he was logged by furtive
enemies-and within the last hour the
puppet of blind, witless panic.
But even as he strove to calm him
self and rest, the feeling that some
thing was peering at him from behind
q mask Of underground grew intoler-
ably acute.
At length he jumped up, glared wild
ly at the spot where that something
no longer was, flung himself fran.
tically through the brush in pursuit Of
It, and-found nothing.
With a great effort he pulled him
self together, clamped his teeth upon
the promise not again to give way to
hallucinations, and turned back to the
clearing.
There, upon the log on which he
had rested, he fouud-but refused to
believe he saw-a playing card, q
trey Of hearts. face up in the sum
glare.
with a gesture Of horror. Alan Law
lied the place.
While the sounds Of his flight were
still loud, grinning halfbreed guide
stole like shadow to the log, laughed
derisively after the fugitive, picked up
and pocketed the card, and set out
in tireless, cat-footed pursuit.
An hour later, topping a ridge Of
rising ground, Alan caught from the
hollow on It's 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 COW
cred with waist-deep brush and car
peted with leaf-mold, grew swiftly
more declivitous. a messy hillside. as
steep as q root, bare of underbrush.
and sparely sown with small cedars
through whose ranks cool blue water
twinkled far below.
The shelving moss-beds afforded
treacherous footing; Alan was glad
now and then Of the support Of CO.
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 cliff
and precisely then the hillside seemed
to slip from under him.
His heels fourished in the air, his
back thumped q bed Of pebbles thinly
overgrown with MOSS The stones
gave, the moss-skin broke, he began to
grasped at random youngish
cedar which stayed him imperceptibly'
coming away with Ill its puny roots
caught Ut another, no more substan'
tial-and amid q shower Of loose stone
shot out over the edge and down 4
drop Of more than thirty feet.
He vas instantaneous aware q
the sun, q molten BAN wheeling mad
ly in the cup Of the turquoise sky
Then dark waters closed over him.
He came up struggling and easping
and struck out for something dark
that rode the waters near at hand
something vaguely resembling q
canoe.
But his strength was largely spent
his breath had been driven out Of hin
by the force Of the fall, and he had
swallowed much wate-while the nelc
OF his consciousness was stricken will
confusion.
Within a stroke Of an outstretche<
paddle, he flung up hand and wen
down again.
Instantly ono occupant Of thu
canoe, young and very beautiful wo
man In . mans hunting clothes, epok'
sharp word of command and, a
her guide steadied the vessel with hi
paddle. rose in her place so surel!
that she scarcely disturbed the MIC
balance Of the little craft, and curve
her 1.-the body over the bow, head
foremost into the pool.
Mr.. Law had, in point Of fact, er
dured more than he knew; more thai
even q weathered woodsman coul
have borne without suffering. Forty
eight hours Of such heavy woods
walking as he had put in to escap
the forest fire. would have served t
PROSTATE almost any man; add to thi