The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1915-01-14

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this time moro distinctly. II was the
/ sound Of . mans voice, and It was
moaning as if in pain She rose and
searched vainly through the bushes OF
/ the hillside where the rock ran out
from the woods. She lifted her skirts
and splashed her feet in the shallow
creek water, wading persistently up
and down. Her shyness was forgotten.
| The groan was a groan of human
creature in distress, and she must find
and succor the person from whom it
came.
Certain sounds are battling as to d.
rection. A voice from overhead or
broken by echoing obstacles does not
readily betray it's source. Finally
she stood up and listened once more
intently-her attitude full Of tense
earnestness.
"Im shore a fool" she announced,
half aloud "1'm shore a plumb fool"
Then she turned and disappeared in
the deep cleft between the gigantic
boulder upon which she had been sit
ting and another-small only by com
parison. There, ten feet down, in a
narrow alley Uttered with ragged
stones, lay the crumpled body of a
man. 1t lay with the left arm doubled
under it, and from cash in the fore
head trickled a thin stream of blood.
Also, it was the body of such man
as she had not seen before.
Although from the man came low
groan mingled with his breathing, it
was not such a sound as comes from
fully conscious lips, but rather tina
of brain dulled into coma.
Freed from her lettering excess of
shyness by his condition, the girl
stepped surely from foothold to foot
hold until she reached his side. She
stood for a moment with one hand on
the dripping walls of rock, looking
down while her hair fell about her
face. Then, dropping to her knees
she shifted the doubled body into a.
leaning posture, Strengthened the
limbs, and began exploring with eff
cient fingers for broken bones.
She had found the left arm limp
above the wrist, and her fingers had
diagnosed broken bone. But uncon-
seriousness must have come from the
blow on the head, where bruise was
already blackening, and cash still
trickled blood.
She lifted her skirt and tore long
strip of cotton from her single petit
coat Then she picked her barefooted
way swiftly to the creek bed, where
she drenched the cloth for bathing and
bandaging the wound. When she had
done what she could by way of first
aid she sat supporting the mans
shoulders and shook her head dubi-
ously.
Finally the mans lids futtered and
his lips moved. Then he opened his
eyes.
"Hellol" said the stranger, vaguely
81 seem to have" He broke off and
his lips smiled. 1t was a friendly, un-
derstanding smile, and the girl, fight
ing hard the shy impulse to drop his
shoulders and flee into the kind mask
ing of the bushes, was in a measure
treasured.
"You must have fell often the rock"
she enlightened.
81 think 1 might have fallen into
worse circumstances" replied tie un
known.
81 reckon you kin set up after a
little"
"Yes, of course" The man suddenly
realized that although he was quite
as he was he could
scarcely expect to remain permanent
ly in the support of her bent arm. He
attempted to prop himself on his
hurt hand and relaxed with twinge
of extreme pain. The color, which
had begun to creep back into his
left them again, and his lips
compressed themselves tightly to bite
off an exclamation of suffering.
"Thet air left arm air busted" an
nounced the young woman, quietly
"Ye've got to be heedful."
Had one of her own men hurt him
self and behaved stoically it would
have been mere matter of course; but
her eyes mirrored pleased surprise
at the strangers good natured nod
and his quiet refusal to give expires
sion to pain. 1t relieved her of the
necessity for contempt.
I'm afraid" apologized the painter
shat I've been a great deal of trou
Die to you"
Her lips and eyes were sober as ;
she replied.
81 reckon thet's all right"
"And what's worse, I've got to be
more trouble, Did you see anything
If brown mule?"
She shook her head.
ssHa n,ust have wandered off Nav