Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-01-02

Sccu her SLICE L was leu. Suc all
American. Eleven years ago she Wis
tied US in Ireland"
'Tm glad you know someone" he
said. "You'll not be so lonesome with
some of your people living there"
"Are you going to live at Kusiak?"
"No; I'll be stationed in the terri
tory for several months. I'll be in and
out of the town a good deal. I hope
you'll let me see something of you"
The fine Irish coloring deepened in
her cheeks. He had way of taking
in his stride the barriers between
them, but it was impossible for her
to feel offended at this CHEEKY, vigor-
GUS young fellow with the winning
smile and the firm-set jaw. She liked
the warmth in his honest brown eyes.
She liked the play of muscular grace
beneath his well-fitting clothes. Sheba
did not know, as her resilient muscles
carried her forward joyfully, that she
was answering the call of youth to
youth.
Gordon respected her shyness and
moved warily to establish his con-
tact. He let the talk drift to imper-
sonal topics as they picked their way
out from the town along the messy
trail.
They We're ascending steadily now
along pathway almost too indistinct
to follow. The air was aromatic with
pine from grove that came struggling
down the side of gulch to the brook.
do you know, I have a queer feel
ing that I've seen all this before" the
Irish girl said. "Of course haven't
unless it was in my dreams. Natu-
rally I've thought about Alaska great
deal because my father lived here"
II didn't know that"
eyes. He came in with the KlOn-
like stampeders." She added quietly:
"He died on Bonanza creek two years
later"
"Was he a miner?" ..........
'Not until he came north. He had
an interest in claim. 1t later turned
out worthless"
A bit of stiff climbing brought them
to boulder field back of which rose
mountain ridge.
Beyond the boulder field the ridge
rose sharply. Gordon looked little
obviously at Sheba. .,..s
"Are you good climber?"
'I'm sure must be-" she answered
with smile adorable. II believe I
could do the Matterhorn today"
Well up on the shoulder Of the ridge
they stopped to breathe. The distant
noise of falling water came family to
them.
"We're too far to the left-must
have followed the wrong spur" Elliot
explained. Probably we can cut
across the face of the mountain"
Presently they came to an impasse.
The gulch between the two spurs ter
minated in q rock wall that fell almost
sheer for two hundred feet.
The color in the cheeks beneath the
eager eyes Of the girl was warm.
Lets try it," she begged.
The young man had noticed that she
was as sure-footed as mountain goat
and that she could stand on the edge
Of precipice without dizziness. The
surface of the wall was broken. What
1t might be beyond he could not tell,
but the first fifty feet was bit Of
attractive and not too difficult rock
traverse.
They had been following ledge
that narrowed till it ran out. Jutting
knobs of feldspar and stunted shrubs
growing from crevices offered toe
grips instead Of the even foothold of
the rock itself. AS Gordon looked
down at the dizzy fall beneath them
his judgment told him they had better
90 back. He said as much to his COM
panion.
The smile she flashed at him was de-
lightfully provocative. $50 you think
I'm 'fraid-cat, Mr.. Elliott"
His inclination marched with hers.
It was their first adventure together
and he did not want to spoil it by un.
due caution. There really was not
much danger yet so long as they were
careful.
Gordon abandoned the traverse and
followed an ascending crack in the
wall. The going was hard. He looked
down at the girl wedged between the
slopes of the granite trough.
She read his thought. 1.-THE Old
Guard never surrenders, sir" was her
quick answer as she brushed in salute
with the tips Of her fingers stray lock
Of hair.
The trough was worse than Eliot
had expected. 1t had in it good deal
of loose rubble that started in small
slides at the least pressure.
'Be very careful Of your footing" he
called back anxiOusly.
A small grassy platform lay above
the upper end Of the trough, but the
last dozen feet Of the approach was
very difficult bit. Gordon fought his
way up with his back against one wall
and his knees pressed to the other.
Three feet short of the platform the
rock walls became absolutely smooth.
The climber could reach within foot
of the top.
care you stopped?" asked Sheba.
"Looks that way"
A small pine projected from the
edge of the shelf out over the preci-
pice. It might be strong enough to
L L a-xl