Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-04-15
CHAPTER xv-continusd.

Twenty-Five miles and over a very
rough mountain road. Did | not conf
IDENTIFY expect to find Oliver there. l
should not let you undertake this ride.
But the inquiries | have Just made
lead me to hope for the best results"
Whats that?"
That's the cry of a loon"
How awful! Do they often cry like
that?"
Not often in the nighttime"
Reuther s%huddered.
Mr.. Black regarded her a~nxiously.
Had he done wrong to let her join him
in this strange ride?
Shall we go back and wait for
broad daylight" he asked.
mo, no. l could not bear the sus-
pense Of wondering whether all was
going well and the opportunity being
given you Of seeing and speaking to
him. We have taken such precautions
chosen SO late Cor should ! say SO
early) a start-that I'm sure we have
outwitted the man who is SO watchful
of us, But if we go back, we cannot
slip away from him again; and Oliver
will have to submit to a humiliation
it is our duty to spare him. And the
good judge, too. | don't care If the
looms do cry; the night is beautiful"
And it was, had their hearts been in
tune to enjoy it. A gibbous moon had
risen, and, inefficient as it was to light
up the recesses Of the forest, it IL
lumined the treetops and brought out
the difference between earth and sky.
The road, known to the horses, il not
to themselves, extended like a black
ribbon under their eyes, but the
patches of light which fell across it at
intervals took from it the uninter-
rupted gloom it must have otherwise
had. Mr.. Sloan, who was at once
their guide and host, promised that
dawn would be upon them before they
reached the huge gully which was the
one dangerous feature of the road.
Their guide had prophesied truly
Heralded by that long cry of the loon,
the dawn began to reveal itself and
the everyday world of the mighty for
est was upon them with its night
mystery gone.
But net the romance of their errand,
or the anxiety which both felt as to
its ful6llment. Full sight brought full
realization. However they might seek
to cloak the fact, they could no longer
disguise from themselves that the OBJ
ject of their journey might not be &C
.ceptable to the man in hiding at Tenn
pest lodge. Reuther,s faithsi in him was
strong, but even her courage faltered
as she thought of the disgrace await
ing him whatever the circumstances
or however he might look upon his
fathers imperative command to re
turn.
But she did not draw rein, and the
three continued to ride up and on
Suddenly, however, Mr.. Sloan was
seen to turn his head sharply, and il
another moment his two companions
heard him say:
"We are followed. Ride on and leav'
me to take a look"
Instinctiyely they also glanced bacl
before obeying. They were just round
ing the top of an abrupt hill, and ex
pected to have an uninterrupted viev
of the road behind. But the masse
Of foliage were as yet too thick TO
them to see much but the autumna
red and yellow spread out below them
81 hear them; l do not see them,
remarked their guide. Two horse
are approaching"
How far are we o from tn
lodge?"
"A half-hour's ride. We are just a
the opening of the gully"
you will Join us soon?"
las quickly as | make out who ar
on the horses behind us"
Reuther and the lawyer rode OF
Her cheeks had gained a slight fiusf
but otherwise she looked unmoved. H
was less at ease than she; for he ha
less to sustain him.
The gully, when they came to, Il
proved to be a formidable mi 1t wa
not only deep but precipitous, and 70
the two miles they rode along its edg
they saw no let-up in the s~teepness o
one side or Of the almost equal
abrupt rise Of towering rock on tn
other. 1t was Reuther's first exper
ence of so ~precipitous a climb. and III
der other circumstances she Nigh
have been timid; but in her preser
heroic mood, 1t was all a part Of he
great adventure, and as such accepted
The lawyer eyed her with GROWN
admiration. He had not m~iscalculate
her pluck.
AS they we're making a turn to gal
the summit, they heard Mr.. Sloan
H 49,