New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-28

any event; for shall leave here the day post this letter
WIN tba, vill he | don't know. | want few days ior
reflection my immediate future
She hesitated over the subscription and at last wrote
s;mnlv "Cara" She then locked the misslvc IN niue
compartment Of the desk and buryng her hcad III hc,
arms wcpt as only the woman can weep VINO mas oVcu
and lost.
AT luncheon restored to a scmblancc Of tranquility
n she said to Frcda, a am going for long tramp
Won may serve dinner at seven Something very sim
nile will be sufficient You'd better go home and take care
of Chris and the children, and let Olga look after me
"Olga will STAY home answered Freda IN the decisive
manner Of one who knows her duty And was you,
Mrs Brant wouldn't 90 too far. 1t looks like snow
Clara assentcd but once ahcld her mind began 70
grind out the same dismal gris it had worked on Tor
months, and she pushed mechanically on and on OBJ
Ivious Of time distance, direction. Presently,
though she became conscious that her checks were "cC
from something besides tears and that the front OF her
coat was white with snow.
The storm predicted by Frcda had set in. The WhTl-
ing. eddving, dancing flakes botted out every land
mark and Clara was no more aware Of her whereabouts
than if she had been led blndfodcd to the spot an
oDcn wind swept space knee high with grasses, INTO
which the snow fell with soft hiss She was startled
too to discover by glance at her wrist watch tha u
was a Quarter Of four than an hour from sunset
There. was ample ground for sohcltude. In TINS
houses were few and far between. She could pass
within hundred yards Of one in the smother OF snow
and not know it, while north might well have been
south for aught she could tell without sun or compass
Hence her only was to walk until brought up
bv fence or a road, either OF which would ultimately
guide her to a human habtaon. Failing IN this 1t was
doubtful in view of the increasing cold whether she
could survive the night
Yet she was not frightened. On the contrary, her
peril seemed to strike responsive chord. The dcSoa-
ton of her environment only matched the deSolaton
of her heart The threat Of the clements was no worse
than what had already befalen her; for to quench the
flame of the body is less cruel than TO STAY the spirit
Nevertheless, that she was brought face TO iace
with the animal necessity Of fighting for her life, she
suddenly found herself tired and after ploddlng along
for the better part Of an hour she began to eye the snug
tight thckcts that she occasionally passed with their
thick floor Of whcrcd grasses and drltted leaves On
approaching one Of these fcd grouse launched itself
upon thundcrous wings and disappeared like an arrow
from the bow.
@Poor bird" she murmurcd q did not mean to
steal your bed
Finally she paused at the base Of a low, ovcrhangng
cliff whose face was tapcstrcd with intricate weave
of wild grape and Virginia crecpcr. Parting the vines,
she pccrcd into the dusy interior To one OF her sylvan
habits it was not an uninvting retreat and she knew
that she likely to find another good, especially
after nightfall Had she been warmly clad, she
would have crcpt in once; but her feet already
wet and cold, and after interval Of indecson she
slowly and YEARLY moved on. The best chance for life
seemed, yet, to keep going.
She paused on top Of a ridge and hallooed number
Of times with all her strength. The great feathery
clots OF mu1led her voice ike padded walls and
threw it back into her ears mocIngly. At the
next ridge where stumps and slashngs suggested the
possible proximity OF man, she again called But there
came no response save the ceaseless murmur OF the
frost-spritcs on dcsccatcd leaf and blade.
Chris, back home was probably organizing a search
ing party by this time; but the thought gave her little
cheer and for the first time she seriously began