The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-03-16
Lost on the
Mountain Side
By ETHEL HOLMES


asked girl OF ii rura puStman uA--
ing along a road in Tennessee.
Yes: reckon | =ot one for }"h-
Susie" said the man. hacking over
bundle of letters he carried Ia hi> hauH
Not finding it. lac discd down inl" ms
bag and pulled out its contents. "ii'h
he examined carefully.
We'll, now. that lnu Is NE "'ii, De-
said. with troubled and puzzled "N.
preston on his face. When ! sorted
the letters for my route at the POSI-
Office sure saw one for you.
Ind lis gone" cried the -iri Ia
frightened tone.
Wait till look en- over again..
lie examined every letter again ana
with the same result as before. lie
scratched his head in Thought
Il stopped AT the tavern for some
thing TO warm me and threw my ba:
down on chair"
"Oh. Sam. Was there any one IN
the room with your"
Let me see. There was lean. hun
cry lophili- man III Ni'' "a i'
And red beard
Pears To me he had red beard
The girl turned and ran away frum
the postman who followed her witt
his eyes till She was out 81 sight
Susie Barker. the 2ir 10 question.
ran till she came 10 ia, tavern There
she stopped ami a~ncd the landlord
which way the man with "a red beard
had gone lie had departed immediate
~ after tho Eastman had gone IN the
direction of tie Cumberland plateau,
the base of which was hut mic dis
tant. Susie sci out at run, hul She
could not keep such pace and soon
settled into n hurried walk, \ short
| distance from the foothills she saw the
man she was after Ascending the hill
She knew tl!e 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 Il
stone, she waited for him to come to
her
"Iowdy." she said to the stranger
when he came up
'IIowdy." replied the man. scrutinz.
ing the girl. "Y're not lost. are W
well, | dunno. | come up hyer 10
find gal know, and ! thort she lived
purity nigh this place, but | don't find
her somehow amt used TO these
p,oupt;prc 7 ,o,.n, oo,no IN th;c uco
She looked exhausted and troubled
she was very plainly dressed but was
rather comely for a rough country girl
rs there anything can do for you?''
he asked
'Nothin' unless you can put me on
the track Ia find my friend I'm loolin'
for But mebhc you're n stranger in
these parts yersclr,
The man looked uneasy He had
good reason 10 shake the girl, hut did
not exactly know how to 20 about 1t.
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 Chances The man started to
bon
Yer not goin' to leave pore gal
out hyer on this lonely hillside. aiI
W" she said looking at him rcproach
fully.
Il don't see how can help It," said
the man. Il don't know where you
want TO 20. and I've got to get on my
self"
ID y mind my goin' on with y'y
she asked pitifully.
, We'll. cont see how can do that.
was the reply, "Scein that I'll have &c
walk a great deal faster than you can
"Try me.
The man looked perpleXed He
couldn't very well leave girl who was
: lost OH the mountain side. and in the
business in which he was engaged she
would he an obstacle to him. Indeed
1 he could not very well accomplish II
/ without getting rid OF her.
! Il haven't time to bother with YOU.
lie said erabbedly. IAN you got to dc
Is TO 20 down the mountain and you'll
find plenty OF persons TO tell you how
10 gct home
With that he started on. but hearing
a sob turned and saw the girl with he
hands to her face. shaking convul
sively.
There Is no weapon so powerful as
woman's tears. The man turned anC
went back to the girl. lie did not &c
away from her for an hour First h,
spent good deal of time soothing her
Then she told him that she ha,
sprained her ankle and could not walk
Finally footsteps were heard comm,
from above. and a young man ap
peared on the trail He started on see
ing the girl and the man.
Il reckon" said the girl to the maj
with the red beard. that this felle
will take me down. Much obleeged t
you all the same"
The man addressed looked the othe
over and without word started N