The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-14
Lost on the
Mountain Side
BY ETHEL HOLMES

Dag and pulled out its contents. which
he examined carefully.
Wen, now. that knocks me out. he
said, with troubled and puzzled ex.
preston on his face. When | sorted
the letters for my route at the post
ofi1ce | sure saw one for YOU
And it's gomez" cried the girl I'm a
frightened tone.
Wait till look EN- over again"
tie examined every letter again and
with. the same result as before. He
scratched his head in thought.
i stopped at the tavern for some
thing TO warm me and threw nv bag
down on n chair"
"oh. Sam, Was there any one in
the room with you:"
Let NE see. There was lean, hun.
cry looking man in spcctaclcs"-
And red beard:"
Pears To me he had a red beard. 6"
The girl turned and ran away from
the postman. who followed her with
Ills eyes till she was out OF sight
Susie Barker, the girl In question.
ran till she came 10 the tavern. There
she stopped and asked the landlord
which way the man with a red beard
had gone. lie had departed Immediate.
" after the poStman had gone i'm the
direction of the Cumberland plateau.
the base of which was but a mile dis
tant. Susie set out at n run, but she
could not keep such pace and soon
settled into hurried walk. A short
distance from the foothills she saw the
man she was after ascending the hill.
She knew the trails leading up to the
plateau and struck into one that was
shorter than that the man was taking.
She had not gone far before the two
paths crossed Sitting down on
stone. she waited for him to come to
her.
"Howdy," she said to the stranger
when he came up.
"Howdy," replied the man. scrutiniz-
ing the girl. "Y're not lost, are W"
We'll, l dunno | come up hyer to
find gal know. and thort she lived
purity nigh this place. but I don't find
her somehow | amt used to these
mountings. | never come up this way"
She looked exhausted and troubled.
She was very plainly dressed, but was
rather comely for rough country girl.
rs there anything | can do for your"
he asked
"Nothin, unless you can put me on
the track To find my friend I'm lookin'
for. But mebbe you're stranger IN
these parts yerself'
The man looked uneasy. He had
good reason to shake the girl, but did
not exactly know how to 20 about IL.
You're right there | don't see how
| can help you, since I'm not familiar
with the country about here"
The girl looked about her with trou.
bled glances The man started TO
60 on.
Yer not goin to leave pore gal
out hyer on this lonely hillside. air
"" she said, looking at him reproach-
fully.
II don't see how ! can help 1t, said
the man. II don't know where you
want TO go. and I've got to get on my
self"
ID v mind my goin' on with ""
she asked pitifully.
well, don't see how can do that"
was the reply, "seein that I'll have to
walk a great deal faster than you can"
TRY me-
The man looked perplexed. He
couldn't very well leave girl who was
lost on the mountain side. and In the
business in which he was engaged she
would be an obstacle to him. Indeed,
he could not very well accomplish 1t
without getting rid of her.
Il haven't time to bother with you"
/ he said crabbedly "All you got to do
is to go down the mountain and you'll
! find plenty Of persons TO tell you how
to get home"
With that he started on. but, hearing
a sob turned and saw the girl with her
hands to her face. shaking convul-
sively.
/ There is no weapon so powerful as a
woman's tears. The man turned and
away from her for an hour. First he
spent a good deal Of time soothing her.
! Then she told him that she had
! sprained her ankle and could not walk.
| Finally footsteps we're heard coming
/ from above. and young man APP
peared on the trail He started on see
i ing the girl and the man.
II reckon" said the girl to the man
with the red beard. that this teller
will take m. down. Much obleeged to
! you all the same"
! The man addressed looked the other
over and without word started up
the trail. The two watched him till he
was out OF sight, then the girl threw
/ her arm around the newcomer.
] Hes got the letter you wrote me |
reckoned ii had the way to find you
/ laid down purity clear. hadn't it.'
YES, it had
4 fol