Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1915-01-30

--NN bAO"h Oul Vi IIb LTl1lS and
hardships they had of late suffered
IN common. 1t was undeniable-but
even In his most private thoughts
Alan denied it fiercely. Judith on
the other hand, not only Acknowledged
1t freely to herself, but secretly de-
rived a strangely sweet and poignant
pleasure from the knowledge that she
> Ioved so madly and hopelessly.
mat her love was hopeless she
knew but too well. Even though Alan
might not be altogether Indifferent to
ner, after all that had passed between
them, his loyalty to Rose was I'M
shaKable. And not for worlds would
Roses rival have had 1t otherwise
ohe could not have loved him as she
did had he not been so unmoyablv
true AS 1t was, since she could not
nope her love might be returned. she
was content to love and to promise
herself that. If opportunity ever Of
fered, she would not prove unready TO
sacrifice herself for her love.
! And at times she caught herself
praying that such opportunity would
De accorded her. and quickly. and
that the sacrifice it should demand
would be complete.
Now prayers are sometimes an
! sWered when the boon craved is good
for the soul
SLOWLY and painfully these four
tolled along an obscure trail that fol |
lowed the windings of the little river. |
until hro pah Ct,
stream and so discovered to them yet |
another trail leading into the west
ward canyon.
linen again slowly and painfully
they plodded On following blindly an
other trail blazed by Fates as blind as
they.
Above them, on the road they had
abandoned, the crimson racer doubled
BACK to the point where it had passed
Judith and Barcus; its occupants de-
scended, explored, and came present
ly upon the trail of the fugitives.
Bloodhounds could not have set
tied down upon a scent with more
good will and eagerness than Mr.. Mar.
rophat and his faithful aide.
The sun was high and blazing above
the canyon when the pursuit came
within rifle shot of the chase
spiteful shot reused the quar-
tet from pause Of lethargic dismay
due to tardy appreciation of the fact
that they had penetrated witlessly al
most to the end of a blind alley. !
A nasty council of war armed Alan
with Judith's revolver and posted him |
behind a bOwlder commanding the ap- a
to the Chasm. The weapon, L
4 powerful As, had a range sufficient '
10 numb the impetuosity of the as L
Sassins and keep them under cover c
ana out of sight of the desperate es-
says the fugitives were making to I
compass an escape. b
For in the shed behind an abandoned u
og cabin-souvenir, no doubt, OF some e
orgotten prospector-Barcus had I'M u
9arthed length OF stout hempen rope. o
With the aid OF a rusty shovel he
lad hacked this into two equal lengths. Il
)ne of these lengths he proceeded to n
make fast around his own waist, then o.
round Roses. The other he left to ii
e similarly employed by Alan and
Judith. For it was agreed that they c.
1ust climb, and while the cliff offered III
o problem to daunt a mountain climb W
r of any pretensions, it was consid- III
red best that the fugitives should be ia
itched up in pairs against any pos
Utility Of slip. The pairing had w
cen determined by the fact that II
ARGUS boosted some slight experience IN
mountaineering, while Rose was ne
lainly the most exhausted of the two or
omen, the least able to help herself
an emergency. tn
He had worked his cautious way, IN
18th the girl in tow. to a point mid an
ay up the face of the cliff, following all
long diagonal that provided the cas- en-
st climbing, when Alan stole back
Judith and reported that, on the 70
-idence of observation and belief, he the
as convinced that the pursuit had WI
rned back-perhaps for want of am the
unition. perhaps to execute some yol
So hazardous attempt upon the lives
the fugitives. int
Without delay, then, he made the ulI
ee end of the rope fast around his INT
IN waist. and following the way Bar Oh
s had chosen, began the ascent. cal
Twothirds Of the climb had been VIII
and Rose and Barcus ior
d arrived in safety at the top, be- Oh
e the temptation to look down
owed irresistible. roa
Immediately beneath his heels the the
,e of the cliff was deeply followed act
t, leaving a drop of so feet to a ing
Giving ledge Of shale as steep as a
Of, whose eaves-perhaps another eal
y feet below-jutted out over an zie
Ter fall of hundred feet. pen
Alan shuddered and swallowed hard +
ore resuming the ascent. cer'
Another 20 feet brought him to TAX
edge quite six feet wide, Offering a uou
'ad and easy path to the summit. ing
gained this with prayer of heart WIN
relief and was On tho noin, =, last
Do