The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-11-04
BREAKING THE SPELL
BY JANE OSBORN.

tue evening SKY II fCuecleu. EHClI-
cling and overwhelming. lowered the
great fir-covered mountains. Dance
music tempered by the ceaseless
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 we're engaged just
good friends"
Yes he said, "only really was in
love with you then
Il think you really were.' she re-
tiected. And was absolutely in love
with you. II 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. | was lonesome for you when
| first came here and gradually |
just stopped caring. And now that
you have been here a 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.
can make my way up to the cabin
alone. / would rather"
The next morning was the day for
Roderick's 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, hfs 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 fiimsy 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.
"As long as you have decided to
stay, sir" said Martin, Il think | will
start out and look for them. / am
sure they have lost their way. There
is no great harm could come to them,
but it's dark in the woods even on
clear nights
III go with you" was Rodericks
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 rs their
anxiety grew they separated and each
took up a 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
He felt himself rehelling with all his
soul against the spell of the hills that
Sylvia had described to him the night
before.
Hello, hellol" he called at meas
ured intervals, and the roar of the
stream seemed to try to drown him
out. Hello, hellol' he called, trying
to outdo the stream.
All at once he heard very family
cry in the distance that came upon
him with startling force. 1t was halt
a cry and half wall, impatient and
distressed. For a second he stood
still. She-SylFia-was 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 a 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 I
the sound OF her voice. Now it was
pleading, now almost angry. now fos {
giving and then at last by the light I
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
find me, Jane and | left the road
and thought we could follow the trail,