The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1915-03-24
t., cloud the countenance Of Alan's


betrothed
Nor, indeed, was Rose altogether
destitute of plausible excuse for this
feeling. 1t was undeniable that be. |
tween Alan and Judith bond Of sym
pathy had grown out of the trials 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
| it freely to herself, but secretly de-
| rived a strangely sweet and poignant
| pleasure from the knowledge that she
| loved so madly and hopelessly.
!, That her love was hopeless she
knew but too we'll. Even though Alan
| might not be altogether Indifferent to
| her, after all that had passed between
them, his loyalty to Rose was un-
shakable And not for worlds would
Roses rival have had it otherwise.
She could not have loved him as she
did had he not been so unmovably
true AS it was, since she could not
hope 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
be accorded her, and quickly, and
that the sacrifice it should demand
would be complete.
J Now prayers are sometimes an
, swered when the boon craved is good
for the soul
Slowly and painfully these four
toiled along an obscure trail that fol-
t lowed the windings of the little river.
until a branch struck into the main
] stream and so discovered to them yet
] another trail leading into the west
ward canyon.
! Then again slowly and painfully
. they plodded on following blindly an
other trail blazed by Fates as blind as
3 they.
b Above them, on the road they had
= abandoned, the crimson racer doubled
r back to the point where it had passed
c Judith and Barcus; it's occupants de-
scended, explored, and came present
e ly upon the trail of the fugitives.
+ Bloodhounds could not have set
l. tied down upon a scent with more
It good will and eagerness than Mr.. Mar
9 rophat and his faithful aide.
It The sun was high and blazing above
s the canyon when the pursuit came
Y. within rifle shot of the chase.
a A spiteful shot reused the quar-
= tet from a pause of lethargic dismay
g due to tardy appreciation of the fact
t. that they had penetrated witlessly al
e most to the end of a blind alley
d A hasty council of war armed Alar
d with Judith's revolver and posted hin
'e behind a bowlder commanding the ap
proaches to the chasm. The weapon
"a a powerful As, had range suff1clen
to numb the impetuosity of the as
IS sassins and keep them under cove
and out of sight of the desperate es
al says the fugitives were making t.
| compass an escape.
| For in the shed behind an abandone
| log cabin souvenir, no doubt, of som
/ forgotten prospector-Barcus had uT
4 earthed length of stout hempen rope
i With the aid of rusty shovel h
i had hacked this into two equal lengths
i One of these lengths he proceeded {
III make fast around his own waist, the
III around Roses. The other he left t
ii be similarly employed by Alan an
81 Judith For it was agreed that the
Il must climb, and while the cliff offere
81 no problem to daunt mountain clint
81 er of any pretensions, it was consl6
81 cred best that the fugitives should b
4 hitched up in pairs against any pc:
ri sibility of slip. The pairing ha
Ri been determined by the fact tina
@l Barcus boosted some slight experienc
ri in mountaineering, while Rose wa
81 plainly the most exhausted of the tw
#I women. the least able to help herse
n in an emergency.
81 He had worked his cautious wa.
@l with the girl in tow, to point NIL
81 way up the face Of the cliff, tolloWln
IL long diagonal that provided the ca
ST lest climbing, when Alan stole bac
#i to Judith and reported that, on tn
&l evidence of observation and belief, b
was convinced that the pursuit ma
#I turned back-perhaps for want OF an
#l munition, perhaps to execute SON
Sl less hazardous attempt upon the live
#l of the fugitives.
&I Without delay, then, he made tt
free end of the rope fast around
own waist, and, following the way Ba
Gus had chosen, began the ascent.
y Twothirds of the climb had bee
accomplished, and Rose and Barc'
had arrived in safety at the top, b
fore the temptation to look dow
~ proved, irresistible.
49, Immediately beneath his heels II
face of the cliff was deeply holloWt
3. out, leaving a drop of SO feet to
~, shelving ledge of shale as steep as
roof whose eaves-perhaps anotn
~ fifty feet below-jutted out over a
|