The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-09

once. he saw the girl again, standing |
where he had seen her before, at the |
door of the cabin.
He approached her very courteous |
ly. raising his hat. This time she did |
not run from him, but stood still and /
smiled. He apologized for having
frightened her the night before. and
asked her II she could direct him to
his hotel.
He must have presented terrific
spectacle, all scratched. dirty and
bruised from his long tramp, and with
the wildness Of delirium still in his
eyes. But the girl only smiled again,
and stretched out her hand. indicating
q trail. Tarrant thanked her. but she
went back into the hut without word.
Afterward he remembered that she
had not spoken to him at all.
"Plunging heavily along the trail.
Tarrant walked till the sun came up.
Then, lifting up his eyes In amaze
ment. he saw. not half . mile away,
his own hotel.
"Fiftes1 minutes later he was back.
and ten minutes after that he was en-
Toying chicken broth in bed. After
that he slept the clock around.
when he awakened he told his 3D.
ventures to the hotelkeepee, Who had
formerly been one Of the local guides.
But when he aentioned the girl In the
cabin the man was silent TArfant
pressed him hard.
~'Who b she?' he insisted.
At hast the man raised his eyes
sullenly - his. She died . score Of
, years ago. b answered. She was the
wife of the old squire. before the land
was bought by the state. She died
when her baby was born. She was al.
ways kind to folks, and she loved
children
THAT was all Tarrant could get out
Of him. He tried to find the trail
through the woods many times, but
none of the guides admitted knowledge
of it, and the landlord fatty refused to
show him. And Tarrant thinking over
the matter, all at once understood why
he thought he had seen the woman
before.
1.-The look in her eyes was the look
that he used to see in Molly's eyes
long ago, when he courted her, before
the rubs and jars of married life had
worn away the sweetness of their love
"Tarrant was no fool. and after a
while he began to piece the warning
together. That look which had so al
lured him, that look which he had
seen in the dead woman's eyes and in
Mollys-what was it but the univer
sal, loving soul of woman, embodied
now here, now there. but always noble
and always sweet?
And Tarrant knew that in loving
Molly he was loving the spiritual quail
ity which Is given to all men in some
form, In life. but is SO often thrown
away and lost through misunderstood
ing.
That night he hurried home, ant
all the way in the train the wheel,
beat Molly He arrived, fearful tina
she had already taken some irrevoc
able step. He wanted chance to tel
her, to explain but when h.
reached the house 1t was alight, and
was Molly who met him within tn,
darkened hall.
"He flung his arms about her an,
stammered out acknowledgment o
his hideous mistake
HE felt her tears upon his face
Dearest she wills pered, I came home
I couldn't stay away from you Longer
was writing to you. What a mistak
We have made dear. And there l
something listen!
"Incredulously Tarrant heard tn
whispered story. while his heart bea
madly. When she had done he folde
her in his arms. We shall never par
. again, through all our lives he said.
And 1t was only afterward that
!, remembered how the woman Of tn
lonely cabin had died, and understoo
why she had come to him"