Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-09


and splashed her feet in the shallow
creek water, wading persistently up
and down. Her shyness was forgotten.
The groan was a groan of q human
creature In distress, and she must find
and succor the person from whom 1t
came.
Certain sounds are battling as to d.
rection. A voice from overhead or
broken by echoing obstacles does not
readily betray its source. Finally b
stood up and listened once more In
Itently-her attitude full of tense ear
~nestness.
I'm shore a fool" she announced,
half aloud. I'm shore a plumb fool
Then she turned and disappeared in
the deep cleft between the gigantic
bowlder 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 1t, and from a cash in the fore
head trickled a thin stream OF blood.
Also, 1t was the body of such a man
as she had not seen before.
Although from the man came a low
groan mingled with his breathing, 1t
was not such a sound as comes from
fully conscious lips, but rather that
of a 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 n 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 a broken bone. But uncon-
seriousness must have come from the
blow on the head, where a bruise was
already blackening, and a cash still
trickled blood.
She lifted her skirt and tore a long
strip of cotton from her single petit
coat. Then she picked her bare-footed
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 fluttered and
his lips moved. Then he opened his
eyes.
"Hello!" 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 hev fell often the rock"
she enlightened.
81 think I might have fallen into
worse circumstances" replied the un-
known.
81 reckon you kin set up after a
little"
YES, of course" The man suddenly
realized that although he was quite
comfortable as he was he could
scarcely expect to remain permanently
In the support of her bent arm. He
attempted to prop himself on his hurt
hand and relaxed with a twinge of ex
IRENE pain. The color, which had be-
gun to creep back into his cheeks, left
them again, and his lips compressed
themselves tightly to bite off an ex-
clamation of suffering.
Tibet air left arm air busted" an
nounced the young woman, quietly.
we've got ter be heedful."
Had n of her own men hurt him.
self and behaved stoically it would
have been mere matter Of course; but
her eyes mirrored a pleased surprise
at the strangers good-natured nod and
his quiet refusal to give expression
to pain. 1t relieved her Of the neces-
sity for contempt.
I'm afraid" apologized the painter,
that I've been a great deal of trouble
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
of a brown mule?"
She shook her head.
He must have wandered of. May
l ask to whom l am indebted for this
first aid to the injured?"
81 don't know what We means"
She had propped him against the
rocks and sat neal by, looking into his
face with almost d~isconcerting steadi.
ness; her solemn-pupiled eyes were
~unblinking, unsmiling.
why, l mean who are your" he
laughed.
81 hain't nobody much. I Jest lives
over yon."
"Ruf " inaiafad the man 0o,roIv x,o,,