The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-20
Lost on the
Mountain Side
BY ETHEL. HOLMES

|
Not finding 1t, he dived down into hi
bag and pulled out its contents, which
he examined carefully.
"Well, now, that knocks me out" hi
said, with troubled and puzzled ex
preston on his face. when | sorted
the letters for my route at the post
office sure saw one for you
"And it's gomez" cried the girl in q
frightened tone.
"Wait till look 'em over again."
He examined every letter again and
with the same result as before He
scratched his head in thought.
~ stopped at the tavern for some
thing to warm me and threw my bag
down ON chair"
"Oh. Sam! Was there any one In
the room with you?"
Let me see There was lean. hun
CRY looking man in spectacles"-
"And a red beard?"
Pears to me he had red beard"
The girl turned and ran away from
the postman, who followed her with
his eyes till she was out of sight.
Susie Barker the girl In question,
| ran till she came to the tavern There
she stopped and asked the landlord
which way the man with red beard
had gone. He had departed immediate
ly after the postman had gone In the
! direction of the Cumberland plateau,
| the base of which was but a mile dis.
| tant. Susie set out at a 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 a
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
'Well, | dunno. | come up hyer to
find a gal know. and thort she lived
purity nigh this place. but 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 mebhe you're a stranger in
these parts yerself."
The man looked uneasy. He had
good reason to shake the girl, but did
not exactly know how TO go about it.
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
go on.
Yer not goin to leave a pore gal
out hyer on this lonely hillside. air
VI" she said. looking at him reproach-
fully.
II don't see how l can help it." said
the man. II don't know where you
want to go. and I've got to get on my
SELF
ID y mind my goin' on with y'T
she asked pitifully.
well, don't see how can do that"
was the reply, 'seein' that I'll have to
walk 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.
II haven't time to bother with you" |
he said crabbedly IAN 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-
slvely.
There is no weapon so powerful as a
tears. The man turned and
went back to. the girl. He did not get
away from her for an hour. First he
spent a good deal of time soothing her.
Then she told him that she had
;prained her ankle and could not walk.
Finally footsteps were heard coming
rom above, and young man ap-
1eared on the trail He started on see
ng the girl and the man.
II reckon" said the girl to the man
With the red beard. that this Teller
will take me down. Much obleeged to
'ou all the same"
The man addressed looked the other
'ver and without a word started up
he trail. The two watched him till he
vas out of sight, then the girl threw
Ter arm around the newcomer.
Hes got the letter you wrote me.
eckoned it had the way TO find you
aid down purity clear. hadn't itT'
Yes. it had
"He TUX IL from the postman. fol-
owed him and have been delayin' him
var. hopin' to find some way to warn
ou."
well. he'll get the still. but be won't
ct me-"
Clasped in each others arms. they
ejoiced that the delay she had caused
ad saved him from arrest and per-
aps a term Of Imprisonment
sRetter give up maxim whisky. Ben"