Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-01
CHAPTER XIV.
A Voluntary Pupil.


Voluntary Pupil.
TOGETHER the girl and the mucler APP
i preached the entrance TO the amphi-
theater. From behind shoulder Of rock
they peered down into the forest below
them.
For several minutes neither saw any
cause for alarm.
"I guess youse must o. been seein' things"
said Byrne dryly.
yes" said the girl, "and see them
again. Look Quick Down thereto the
right !"
Byrne looked in the direction she indi-
Gated.
"Chinks," he commented. Gee, look at
'em comlnl Dere must be a hundred Of
'em !"
He turned rueful glance back into the
amphitheater.
II dunno as dis place looks as good to
me as Il did" he remarked Dose yaps
wild de toad stabbers could hike up on top
o. desc cliffs an make IL case o. thence
by carriages to Calvary for ours in about
two shakes"
Yes" said the girl, '1'm afraid its a
regular cul-de-sac."
81 dunno nothn' about dat" replied the
mucker; but l do know dat IL we wants
to get out o. here we gotta getta hump
on ourselves good an lively. Come ahead"
and with his words he ran quickly through
the entrance, and, turning squarely toward
the right, sklrted the perpendicular cliffs
that extended as far as they could see to
be lost to view in the forest that ran up
to meet them from below.
The trees and underbrush hid them from
those below. There had been danger OF
detection for only the brief instant that
they passed through the entrance OF the
hollow but at the time they had chosen
the enemy had been hidden in a clump of
thick brush far down the slope.
For hours the two fugitives continued
their fight, passing over the crest of a
ridge and downward toward another valley,
until by small brook they paused to rest,
hopeful that they had entirely eluded their
pursuers.
Again Byrne hshed. and again they sat
together at n one-course meal.
AS they ate, the man found himself look
ing at the girl more and more often. For
several days the wonder of her beauty had
been growing upon him, until now he found
II difficult to take his eyes from her. Thrice
she surprised him In the act of staring
intently at her. and each time he had
dropped his eyes guiltily
At length the girl became nervous. and
then frightened--was it coming soon?
The man had talked but little during this
meal, and for the life OF her Barbara
Harding could think of no topic with which
to distract his attention from his thoughts
Hadn't we better pe moving on?" she
asked at last,
Byrne gave little start as though sur
prised in some questionable act
Il suppose so," he said; this amt no
place to spend the night-it's too open.
We gotta find sort o. hiding place, IL we
can, dat fellow kin close up wit some-
ting"
Again they took UP their seemingly
hopeless march--an aimless wandering In
eat. f-.,,,
one danger to possible dangers many times
more terrible Barbaras heart was heavy,
for again she feared and mistrusted the
mucker.
They followed the little brook down to
where It emptled into river, and then
down the valley beside the river which grew
wider and more turbulent with every mile.
Well past midafternoon they came opposite
small. rocky island, and as Byrnes eyes
fell upon 1t he exclaimed with satisfaction:
"Jest de place I" he cried. I'VE orter
be able to hide dere forever"
But how are we to get there?" asked
the girl. looking fearfully at the turbulent
river.
at amt deep" Byrne assured her. Come
ahead I'll carry yeh acrost," and without
waiting for a reply he gathered her In his
arms and started down the bank.
What with the thoughts that had occupied
his mind off and on during the afternoon,
the sudden and close contact OF the girls
warm, young body to his took Billy Byrnes
breath away, and sent the hot blood cours-
ing through his veins. II was with the
utmost difficulty that he restrained a mad
desire to crush her to him and cover her
face with kisses.
And then the fatal thought came to him
why should he restrain himself?
What was this girl to him? Had he not
always hated her and her kind? Did she
not look with loathng and contempt upon
him? And TO whom did her life belong
anyway, but to hm-had he not saved it
twice?
What difference would 1t make? They'd
never come out of this savage world alive.
They were in the middle of the stream
now. Byrne's arms already had COM
menced to tighten upon the girl.
With a sudden tug he strove to pull her
face down to his, but she put both hands
upon his shoulders and held his lips at arms
length. Her wide eyes looked full into the