Las Vegas optic., 1914-11-25
Copyright, 1914, By Louis Joseph Vance

| 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, lis
back thumped q 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 a
drop of more than thirty feet.
He was instantaneously aware Of
the sun, a molten ball wheeling mad
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 a
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 stroke of an outstretched
paddle, he flung up hand and went
down again.
Instantly one occupant of the
canoe, 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 weathered woodsman could
have borne without suffering Forty
eight hours of such heavy woods
walking as he had put in to escape
the forest fire, would have served to
prostrate 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.
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 a
drowsy mind. Other memories, more
vague. of gentle ministering hands, of
a face by turns an angels, a flowers,
a 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 been
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-such
as faint, elusive scent of roses with
a vague but importunate sense of a
woman's presence in that darkened
room-things manifestly absurd
With some difficulty, from dry
throat, he spoke, or rather whis-
pered: "Water!"
In response he heard someone move
over ereaking floor A sulphur
match spluttered UNANIMOUSLY. A can
die caught fire, silhouetting Illusion
of course!-the figure of 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 his
thanks and sank back, retaining his
grasp on the wrist Of that unreal
hand. 1t suffered him without re-
sistance. The hallucination even
went so far as to say. in a woman's
soft accents:
'You are better. Alan?'
He sighed incredulously: "Rose!"
The voice responded 'Yesl" Then
the perfume of roses grew still more
strong, seeming to fan his cheek like
woman's warm breath. And a mir.
acle came to pass; for Mr.. Law, who
realized poignantly that all this was
sheer, downright nonsense, distinct
Iy felt lips like velvet caress his fore
head
He closed his eyes. tightened his
grasp on that hand of phantasy, and
muttered rather inarticulately.
The voice asked What is it
dear?'
He responded: eDelirium
But like 1t Let me ravel"
Then again he slept.