The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1917-09-06
Lost on the
Mountain Side
By ETHEL HOLMES

susie, Salu tuc man, LOOKING over Il
bundle OF letters he carried in his hand
Not finding 1t, lie divcd down into his
bag and pulled out its contents. which
he examined carefully.
wei, now, that knocks me out" he
said, with troubled and puzzled ex-
preston on his face. "When / sorted
the letters for my route ut the post
o1llce sure saw one for you
And it's gone?" cried the girl in
frightened tone
"Wait TIL I look en- over again."
He examined every letter again and
with tho same result as before. He
scratched his head in thought.
II 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 Il lean. hun.
CRY looking man in spcctaclcs"--
And red bcard!"
Pears to me he had q rcd beard"
The girl turned and ran away from
tue 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 mile dis.
tant. Susie set out at 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. .:ting down Oh a
stone. she waited Or him to come to
her.
"Howdy," she sad to the stranger
when he came up.
"Howdy," replied the man, scrutiniz
ing the girl. "Y're not lost, are W"
well, l dunno. come ND hycr to
find gal know, and thort she lived
purity nigh this place, but don't find
her somehow | ain't 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.
"ls there anything can do for you?"
he aslicds
"Nothin', unless you can put nc on
the track to find my friend I'm lookin'
for. But mcbbc you're stranger in
these parts ycrsclf."
The man looked uneasy. lie had
good reason to shake the girl, but did
not exactly know how to so about it,
You're right there don't sec how
| can help YOU, since I'm not familiar
with the country about here"
The girl looked about her with trou
bled glanccs The man started to
go on.
Eyer not goin to leave spore gal
out hycr OH this lonely hillside. air
w she said, looking at him rcpronch-
fully.
81 don't see how l can help it," said
the man. IL don't know where you
want to go, and I've got to set on my.
self"
"D' y mind my goin' on with y'?"
she asked pitifully.
"Well, I don't see how | can do that"
was the reply, "seein' that I'll have to
walk great deal faster than you can"
'"rry me-"
The man looked pcrplexcd. He
couldn't very we'll leave girl who was
lost OH the mountain side, and in the
business in which he was engaged she
would be an obstacle to him. Indeed,
licb 70
without getting rid Of her.
II haven't time to bother with YOU"
he said crnbbcdly. "AlI YOU, got to do
Is to SO down the mountnlnvand you'll
find plenty of persons to tell you how
to get home"
With that he started ON, but, hearing
sob. turned and saw the girl with her
hands to her face. shaking convu
sivcly.
There Is no weapon so powerful as Il
woman's tears. The man turned ana
went back to Tie 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
spraincd her ankle ana could not walk
| Finally footsteps were heard coming
from above. and n young man ap.
pcarcd on The trail He started on see
ing thc girl and the man.
IL reckon" said the girl to the man
with the rcd beard, that this fcllcr
will take nc down. Much dblccGcl 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. |
rcckoncd it had the way to find you