The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1915-03-09

She thought for moment of rush
ing into the thicket and hiding until
the man should pass. Or should she
run back to the house? No. That
would be absurd and undignified. This
might be one of the house party for
all she knew, and they would never
stop laughing at her. So she walked
on, a little TREMENDOUSLY
AS the figure Of the man appeared
around the bend, her fears vanished.
He was mountaineer, grizzled and
ugly, but limped so heavily on a cane,
that he seemed almost helpless
When he saw her he stopped abrupt
ly in the middle of the road His
whole frame was aquiver. The can
fell to the ground as he held out his
trembling hands to Pauline.
"Oh, lady! Heaven has sent you.
You will help us?"
She drew back, but she noted for
the first time that in one of his ex-
tended hands he held slip of pager.
This he now pressed toward her with
an appealing look She took the note
and read the faint scrawl
'To any woman:
/ Please come at once, | need a
womans help MARY GARVIN."
The mountaineer watched her breath
lessly. He was painting and dropping
as if from a long journey
You will come, lady? You will save
my poor wife
Il will run back to the bungalow
and get some one to drive us to your
house Wait just a minute
But as she turned, his sharp cry of
protest stopped her
"Oh, no. no, lady. No one can drive
us. It is one the mountain We can
only go by paths in the woods Be
sides there is ON time to lose My
wife is dying-all alone
He commenced to sob piteously.
For an instant Pauline hesitated
But II there was apprehension in her
heart. the sense of charity and duty
quickly conquered it.
Very well; lead the way" she said
briefly.
He babbled his JOY and gratitude as
he stumped back up the road, Pauline
following
About quarter of mile from the
McCallan bungalow the crippled noun
taineer turned off the road into a
path so overgrown and overturned
with verudre that it was scarcely dis
cernible.
The path led up the mountain, but it
soon seemed to become no path at all
and Pauline marvelled how the man
could find his way.
How do you know the path?" she
asked curiousIy.
BY the b1azed trees-see," he an
swered, pointing with his stock to a
Clipped trunk beside them.
They went on. 1t was remarkable
with what speed the mountaineer, Grip
pied as he was, could force his pro-
gress through impending bushes over
fallen trees and around the huge rocks
that dotted the mountainside.
Pauline herself was already nearly
exhausted. Her dress was torn and
face and hands scratched by the sting
ing l2shes of the branches But she
would not give up now Her errand
of mercy was to be fulfilled
Suddenly the mountaineer uttered a
cry of pain and fell heavily to the
ground. His foot had caught in an
exposed root. He lay groaning and
clasping one of his ankles in evident
pain.
rs it broken? Are you badly hurt 2"
cried Pauline.
"Sprained," he answered, wincing.
But | can't go any farther Go on,
lady; go on and help my wife for the
love of pity"
How shall l go on?' she questioned,
feafully II do not know the way"
Follow the blazed trees. You can't
miss them. They will take you to the
cabin. Co. lady, CO.
But | cannot leave you injured
here"
But you cant carry me, either. |
VIII wait until you come back or send
some one to get me- I'm no good, any
way. It's my wife ] went to save"
You are brave and kind" she said.
i Will do my best to reach your wife"
God bless you," he answered fer
vently as she moved away through
the tangle of underground, watching
with alert eyes for the Clipped tree
trunks.
She did not find it difficult. They
were plain and near together. What
surprised her was that they seemed to
be freshly cut. From several the sap
was oozing
He probably made the trail this
morning on the way down the noun
tain, she said to herself "How
terribly he must be suffering"
But Mr.. Garvin, if that was his name,
was not suffering so severely as Pau
line supposed. She was only a little
while out Of his sight when he rose
from the ground, threw away his cane
and, chuckling to himself started back
down the montain
The end came suddenly. She press
ed her hand over her heart and fell to
the ground. The last strength she pos
sessed she had given-and had failed.
She was so exhausted that sharp
cracking in the underbrush and a
swish Of leaves hardly drew her at
tention. She looked up to see Bal
thazar, the gypsy, standing before her
with two Of his men,
He lifted his cap with courtly ges-
ture"
You do not remember me-" he ask
ed. II once had the honor to save
your life. | ask If ! may do so
again."
"The gypsy" she gasped, ''the gypsy