The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1914-12-30
it, BY Louis Josera vaaos


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 f1ourisbed in the air, his
back thumped bed of pebbles thinly
overgrown with moss. The stones
gave, the mess-skin broke, he began 10
slide-grasped at random youngish
cedar which stayed him imperceptibly,
coming away with all its puny roots
caught at another, no more substan-
tial-and amid shower of loose stone
shot out over the edge and down
drop of more than thirty feet.
He was instantaneously aware of
tie sun, molten II 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
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 weatherdd 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
PROSTATE almost any man; add to this
r 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
q face by turns an angels, flowers,
q fiend's, and a dear woman's, trou.
bled him even less materially. He
was already sane enough 10 allow he
had probably been bit out of his
head, and since it seemed he had been
saved and cared for, he found no rea-
son to quarrel with present ciroum.
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
woman's presence in that darkened
room-things manifestly absurd j.
With some difficulty, from a dry
throat. he spoke, or rather wits.
pered: "Water!"
In response he heard someone move
over creaking floor. A sulphur
match spluttered UNANIMOUSLY. A can.
die caught fire, silhouetting-illus
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 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 womans
soft accents:
You are better, Alan%
He sighed incredulously: "Rose!"
The voice responded "Yes," Then
the perfume of roses grew still more |
strong, seeming to fan his cheek like |
woman's warm breath. And mir. |
acle came to pass; for Mr.. Law, who |
realized poignantly that all this was |
sheer, downright nonsense, distinct |
ly felt lips like velvet caress his fore
head.
He closed his eyes, frightened his |
grasp on that hand of phantasy, and |
muttered rather inartieulately.
The voice asked: What is II, /
dear?"
He responded: "Delirium /
But / like it Let me raveis