Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1917-04-27

SUSIE said the man, looking over
bundle of letters he carried in his hand.
Not finding it, he diyed down into his
bag and pulled out its contents, which
he examined carefully.
well. 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
office | sure SAW one for you"
And it's gone?' cried the girl. in a
frightened tone. s....
"Wait till | look 'em over again."
He examined every letter again and
with the same result as before. He
scratched his head in thought. ~.
II stopped at the tavern for sepEe-
thing 10 warm me and threw ny bag
down on a chair
oh Sam! Was there any one in
the room with you?'
Let me see There was lean, huns
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,
ho hac Of txrIio It1. mill lie
tant Susie set out at run, but she
| could not keep such a 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 y'?'
"Well, l dunno. l come up hyer to
find a gal l know, and | thort she lived
| purity nigh this place, but | don't find
her somehow l amt used to these
mountings I 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 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. l 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
W she said, looking at him reproach-
| fully.
Il don't see how l can help 1t, said
the man. Il don't know where you
want to go, and I've got to get on N.Y.
self"
ID Y mind my goin' on with W"
she asked pitifully.
well, | don't see how l 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 it
without getting rid of her.
II 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 conyul-
sively
There is no weapon.so powerful as a,
'womans tears The man turned and
went back to the girl. He did not get
| away from her for an hour. First he
spent good deal Of time soothing her.
Then she told him that she had
| sprsined her ankle and could not walk;
Finally footsteps We're heard coming
from above, and young man APP
peaied on the trail. He started on see
ing 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
you all the same
The man addressed looked the other
over and without a word started up
the trail. The two watched him till lie
was out of sight, then the girl threw
her arm around the newcomer
Hes got the letter you wrote me. ]
reckoned it had the way to find you
laid down purity clear, hadn't it?''
Yes, it had
HE TUX it from the postman. | fol-
lowed him and have been delayin' him
hyar bopin' to find some way to warn
| YOU