Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-16
dlncult to get within airing distanc. OF

difncult to get within firing distance OF
any sort Of game.
Az they were riding homeward one
evening after q hunt In the foothills
Barney noticed that his sister was IN.
usually quiet and apparently depressed.
whats the matter. vicT' he asked.
"Dead tired. chr
The girl looked up with q bright
smile, which was Immediately follow.
ed by an expxession Of puzzled Devil.
derment.
Barney" she sa1d, after a moment
Of silence. ''thers Il something about
those hills back there that fills me
with the strangest sensation Of terror
Imaginable. Today ] passed an out
cropping Of volcanic rock that gave
evidence Of frightful convulsion Of
nature In some bygone age. At sight
Of 1t I commenced to tremble from
head to foot cold Precipitation break.
ing out an over me.
"But that part y not 30 strange
you know have always been subject
to these same silly attacks Of unreal
soning terror at sight Of any evidence
>f the mighty forces that have wrought
CT >nges in the earth's crust or Of the
slig. >est tremor Of an earthquake.
But day the feeling Of unutterable
per1y41al loss which overwhelmed me
was almost unbeatable. 1t was as
though one whom loved above all
others had been taken from me.
"And yet" she continued. through
all my inexplicable sorrow there shone
q ray of brilliant hope as remarkable
and unfathomable as the deeper and
depressing emotion which still stirred
me-"
For some time neither spoke. but
rode silently strrup to stirrup as their
ponies picked their ways through the
knee high grass The girl was think.
ing. trying to puzzle out an explana-
ton of the rather weird sensations
which had so recently claimed her.
Barney Custer was one of those
unusual and delightful people who do
not scon at whatever they cannot I'M
derstand-the reason. doubtless. that
his sister as well a. others chose him
as the recipient Of their confidencea
Not understanding her emotion, he had
nothing to offer. and SO remained ID.
lent
He was, however. not little pus-
xled. AZ he had always been. at each
new manifestation Of victoria's nm
canny reaction Of every indication OF
the great npheaval which marked the
physical changes in the conformation
Of the earth's crust
He recalled former occasions upon
which his sister had confided In him
something Of similar terrors.
Once In the Garden Of the Gods and
again during trip through the G!and
Canyon in Arizona, and very vivid In
deed was the recollection Of Victoria's
nervous collapse following the reading
Of the press dispatches describing the
San Francisco earthquake. In all 9th.
er respects his sister was an exception
ally normal. well balanced young
American woman-which fact, doubt
less. rendered her one weakness the
more apparent
But Victoria Clusters terror OF earth
quakes was not her only peculiarly
The other was her strange contempt
for the men who had sued for hel
hand-and Of these there had beer
many. Her brother had thought sev
eral Of them tho salt Of the earth and
Victoria herself had liked them too
But as for loving them-perish thu
thought
oddly enough. recollection Of thil
other phase Of her character obtruded
itself upon Barney's memory 40 the
two rode on toward the Clayton bun
galow, and with it he recalled per
sistent dream which Victoria had said
required after each reminder Of &
great CONFUSION of nature. At the
thought he broke the silence.
HAS your-ah!-avatar made BID
customary appearance?" he asked
smiling.
The girl extended her hand toward
her brother and laid it on his, where Il
rested upon his thigh as he rode. look
ing up at him with half frightened
half longing eyes.
"Oh. Barney" she cried. .'you arr
such dear never to have laughed al
my silly dreams! I'm sure should "a
quite mad did not have you In whom
to confide, but lately have hesitated
to speak Of it even to you-he has been
coming SO ofteni
Every night since we first hunted
in the vicinity of the hills have walk
ed hand In hand with him beneath q
great equatorial moon beside rest
less sea, and more clearly than ever In
| tho past have I seen his form and fea