Tombstone epitaph., 1918-03-24

rescue her before night. he must take the shortest cut, and that was across the face of the sheer cliff. For the first time she understood how serious was their plight.
 The glance of the girl swept again the face of the wall he must cross. It could not be done without rope. Her fear-filied eyes came back to his. "It's my fault. made you come." she said in a low voice.
 Nonsense" he answered cheerfully. There's no harm done. If l can't reach the stairway I can come back and go down by the trough" Sheba assented doubtfuliy.
 It had come on to drizzle again. The rain was fine and cold. almost a mist. and already it was forming film of ice on the rocks.
 .I can't take time to go back by the trough. The point is that I don't want you camped up here after night. There has been no sun on this side of the spur and in the chill of the evening 1t must get cold even in summer" He was making his preparations as he talked. His coat he took of and threw down. His shoes he tied by the faces to his belt.
 .Tn try not to be very long," he promised.
 Its Gods will then. so it is," she sighed. relapsing into the vernacular. I steady. for the heart of the girl was heavy. She knew she must not pro test his decision. That was not the way to play the game. But somehow the salt had gone from their light. hearted adventure.
 Elliot took her little hard in a warm, strong s-jp. You're not going to be afraid. Wen work out all right, you know"
 "Yes."
 "Tt's not just the thing to leave a lady in the rain when you take her for walk. but 1t can't be helped. We'll laugh about it tomorrow" Would they? she wondered, answer ing his smile faintly. Her courage was sapped.
 He turned to the climb.
 "You've forgotten your coat" she re- minded.
 "rm travelling light this trip. You'd better slip 1t on before you get chilled" !" Sheba knew he had left 1t on pur- pose for her.
 Her fascinated eyes followed him while he moved out from the plateau across the face of the precipice. He had none of the tools for climbing no rope. no hatchet. none of the sup port of numbers. All the allies he could summon were his bare hands ard feet. his resilient muscles. and his stout heart. To make it worse. the ice film from the rain coated every jutting inch of quartz with danger. But he worked steadily forward. moving with the infinite caution of one who knows that there will he no A slight error in judgment. the failure in response of any one of fifty muscles, would send him plunging down. | Her eye left him for an instant to sweep the gulf below. She gave a little cry, ran to his coat. and began to wave 1t. For the first time since Elliot had begun to traverse she took the initiative in speech. | '1 see some people away over to the left. Mir. Elliot. I'm going to call to them" Her voice throbbed with hope. But 1t was not her shouts or his. which would not have carried one tenth the distance. that reached the group in the valley. One of them caught glimpse of the wildly wav- ing coat. There was a consultation and two or three fluttered handker. chiefs in response. Presently they moved on.
 Sheba could not believe her eyes They're not leaving us surelyT she gasped.
 That's what they're doing." an. swered Gordon grimly. '"They think we're calling to them out of vanity to show them where we climbed"
 "Oh" She strangled a sob.
 "Tm going to make it. think I see my way from here." her companion called across to her. "A fault runs to the foot of the stairway, if ' can only do the next yard or two"
 He did them, by throwing caution to the winds. An icy. rounded boulder projected above him ont of reach. He unfastened his belt again and put the shoes. tied by the laces, around his neck. There was one way to get aaross to the ledge of the fault. He took hold of the two ends of the belt crouched and leaned forward on tip. toes toward the knob. The loop of the belt slid over the ice-coated boss. There was no chance to draw bacA now, to test the hold he had gained
 IT the leather slipped he was lost. His body swung across the abyss and his feet landed on the little ledge beyond
 His shout of success came perhaps ten minutes later "rve reached the stairway. Miss O'Neill. I'll try not to be long. but you'd better exercise to keep up the circulation. Don't worry, please. I'll be back before night"
 "rm so glad" she cried joyfully. T was afraid for you. And I'll not worry . bit. Good-by."
 Elliot made his way up to the sam- nit and ran along a footpath which brought him to a bridge across the mountain stream just above the falls.