The Little River news., 1918-01-23
4 Where she got them-wen,


 ght; the all-important night-when
 certain suave individual in frock
 at would come to feed certain
 erse. He said no word of this to the
 Hl already binding the bandages around the clean-washed wound. She would have secuted the bare sugges- { ton of the things he was planning to X do the moment the dark was sufficient ly dense to hide him.
 She drew what was left of his tat tered shirt and blouse over the ban dage at last, laid his wounded arm across his breast and slung 1t there by a strip of cloth passed up around his neck, and helped him to his feet. It shamed him that he was abso- lutely compelled to cling fast to her, to lean heavy upon her, or go back to the rock. His face was far too white to show the modification he felt, but she saw 1t in his eyes. Lifting his well arm and laying 1t across her shoulders, she caught her left arm about his blouse waist and steadied him.
 The Wild Rose seemed to have talk en toll of every bit of sunshine that ever. struck the Flatwoods. That was the distinguishing feature of her per sonality. That and her good, sound sense. Her face was beaming full of both right now-the sunshine and the sense. She was smiling up at him, he knew. He was staring away above her head-but he knew. The smile grad ually drew his eyes down out of the trees. He could no more help 1t than he could help leaning upon her. She laughed-a heartening little laugh like the happy water curling against the ledge. He laughed back, He couldn't help 1t. The restraint was broken; the smart gone.
 He glanced down at the ledge before leaving to see that no tell-tale blood spots or bits of cloth were left. A needless precaution-her woodcraft 2 was as fine as his own.
 How she managed to lead him, half carry him, out of the rocky and brok- en gulches of Fox Den and down the rough banks of Wolf Run to the cabin ] of the three gables she never knew. Neither did he. It always remained matter of wonder to him. Who does know the source of power-that mys. terious augmentation of strength-that comes to a woman in crisis?
 She led him into the house and to the sofa in the main room; the queer little leather-covered bed that had stirred his curiosity the afternoon of his first visit two days before.
 The old man was not in the room. She must have caught his eyes search ing for him.
 l "Daddy?' she answered to the eyes. "He often spends hoursaw There'H be little pass in the woods today that he won't see. though nobody will see him. Poor Daddy"
 4 "We'll send for that surgeon tomor- row." he said.
 She was back in a moment, carrying pan of water fresh bandages. and formidable-Iooking brown bottle-cam- phor, the universal first aid in the Flatwoods. The blood-soaked ban dages were deftly removed and the wound re-washed. She picked up tie brown bottle
 am sorry to hurt you." she said. "But it will keep the fever down." Z 'You're the doctor" was his slow answer
 She uncorked the bottle and applied some of its contents to the wound with bit of cotton. Hurt! It hurt so that he laughed.
 Anything to get ready for tonight" he grinned, under the bite of the pow erful antiseptic.
 ''Tonightp P she repeated blankly. 'Why, you mustn't think" T must though. Big things depend on tonight She saw a sternness gather in his eyes. Hell think I've left the Flatwoods," he muttered on, more to himself than to her. Its what he's been waiting for. His gamel tonight l-and-l"
 The girl saw the fingers of his right hand clench against his palm--doubt- less quite uncOnsciously-while the knotted ridges of his great forearm punched and swelled; but the full meaning of the muttered words hap oily missed her.
 "Can you stand more camphorf" she asked
 ''I'll swim in 1t, If it will get me up."
 The girl laughed. moistened the cot ton and laid it on the wound. He did not even vince The sting of it had become to him necessity, the grate- ful means to an end that must be &C., complished. Without tonight there could be no tomorrow. She saturated more of the cotton laid it on the gssh and bandaged it there, drew the blouse back into place, smoothed the pillow under his head and went to the kitchen.
 He heard the rattle of the stove, and . knew that she was preparing him something to eat It moved him, for he knew how pitiful little that kitchen held, and yet she was going to share it with him--the best of it-share it