The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-11-06
BREAKING THE SPELL
BY JANE OSBORN.

music tempered by the ceaseiess
sound of the mountain streams rush.
ing into the mountain lake drifted to
them.
Deliberately and carefully, the
young man lifted the paddle from
the water and laid it in the bottom
of the canoe.
So you want to talk it over" he
said, looking straight at the girl whose
downcast eyes followed the ripple of
her hand in the water.
Yes, Roderick,' she answered. Il
think we agree; don't we?'
The young man smiled family.
Probably"
Then it is off completely" she
said, before it was ever announced
or guessed, and we are just as we
were before we were engaged-just
good friends
Yes" he said, "only / really was in
love with you then"
Il think you really were," she re-
Elected. And | was absolutely in love
with you. 1t is funny what a differ
ence these mountains make. You Just
feel as if nothing mattered. 1t is the
spell of the hills that gets control of
you. l was lonesome for you when
first came here and gradually l
just stopped caring. And now that
you have been here week you have
stopped caring, too
For a minute Roderick padded on
in silence
you've nothing more to say" he
asked as he pushed the canoe in to
shore.
NO." she said Good night l
can make my way up to the cabin
alone. | would rather
The next morning was the day for
Rodericks departure. He had planned
to leave in the middle of the after
noon, but when two o'clock came and
he had seen nothing of Sylvia he
was inclined to hesitate. He learned
from Martin, his chauffeur. that Syl-
via, with her maid, Jennie, had start
ed out early in the morning for a
tramp down the mountains to the vii
lage on some flimsy pretext.
When nine o'clock came and the
young woman had not returned slight
anxiety was felt throughout the camp,
and Roderick had given up all hope
of starting out before morning.
las long as you have decided to
stay, SIR said Martin. Il think l will
start out and look for them. am
is no great harm could come to them,
but it's dark in the woods even on
clear nights
I'll go with YOU" was Roderick' s
reply, and without a word to any
members of the camp they started
out, guided only by two foresters' Ian
terms.
I'VE won't find them by keeping to
the road" said .Roderick as they hur.
ried along in the direction the young
women had taken.
So with only few words of explana.
tion the two men began to mount up
stream. For over an hour they
searched together and then as their
anxiety grew they separated and each
took up different stream.
AS Roderick went on he could hear
with ever-decreasing force the sound
OF Martins resounding calls through
the woods. Above it all he could
hear the rush of the streams, which
seemed to grow louder and more mo-
notonous. Gradually sickening dread
of the mountains come upon him.
soul against the spell of the hills that
Sylvia had described to him the night
before.
Hello. hello!" he called at meas
stream seemed to try to drown him
out. Hello, hello," he called, trying
to Guido the stream.
All at once he heard very family a
him with startling force. 1t was halt
a cry and half wall, impatient and
distressed. For second he stood
still. She-Sylyia calling to
him and her voice had come to him
above the roar of the stream and
through the darkness of the noun
tain side. Apparently she. too, was
trying to break the influence of the
mountain spell. The cry came again
and again. and, with every sense
alert. he struck out in the direction
from which it seemed to come.
1t was only few minutes before
he reached her. and as he hurried
through the darkness and stumbled
against the great stumps and under
growth he heard with new interest
the sound of her voice. Now it was
pleading, now almost angry. now for
giving and then at last by the light
of the lantern he saw through the
trees the girl reclining on time-worn
bowlder.
Worn with excitement and discour
agement, she threw herself into the
arms of her rescuer.
"Oh, Roderick, | knew you would
ind me, Jane and left the road
and thought we could follow the trail,
but it grew dark and we missed it
1t has been a year"
Roderick was holding the girl close
in his arms.
You do love me, don't you, Rod.
erick?" she begged. 1t has all come
back to me while waited for you
TO come, Roderick. you have broken
he spell of the mountains
Copyright. 1915 by the Mcclure Newspa