The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1919-08-14

1alter B little. k--l--dm Eeduy w "
when you say the word"
"You poor girl! Hang It all, per
haps you. are right and not ]. Sit still
and I will reconnoiter a bit. # I can
find a place where we can hide among
these rocks, we'll stay here till the sky
begins to tighten. Sit"
"No! shall not let you leave me
for a second. Where you 60, I CO."
She struggled to her feet, s~uppressing
groan, and thrust determined arm
through his.
"That's worth remembering" said
he, and whether it was a muscular
necessity or an emotional exaction
that caused his arm to tighten on hers,
none save he would " know.
After q few minutes prowling among
the rocks they came to the face OF
what subsequently proved to be q
sheer wall Of stone. He flashed the
light, and, with an exclamation, start
ca back. Not six feet ahead Of them
the earth seemed to end; a yawning
black gulf lay beyond. Apparently
they were on the very edge Of a cliff.
"Good Lord, that was a close CALL"
he gasped. He explained in a few
words and then, commanding her to
stand perfectly still, dropped to the
ground and carefully felt his way for
ward. Again he flashed the light. In
an instant he understood. They were
on the brink Of a shallow quarry.
Lying there, he made swift calcula-
lions. The quarry, no longer Of use to
the builder, was reasonably sure to be
abandoned. In all probability some
sort Of q stone-cutter's shed would be
found nearby. It would provide shelter
from the fine rain that was falling and
from the chill night air. he remem-
bered that O'Dowd, in discussing the
erection Of Green Fancy the night be-
fore, had said that the stone came
from a pit two miles away, where a
fine quality Of granite had been found.
Two miles, according to Barnes quick
calculations, would bring the pit close
to the northern boundary Of the Curtis
property and almost directly on a line
With the point where he and Sprouse
entered the meadow at the. beginning
of their advance upon Green Fancy.
That being the case, they were now
quite close to the stake and rider fence
separating the Curtis land from that
Of the farmer on the north.
Good" he said, more to himself
than to her. II begin to see light. Are
you, afraid to remain here while I 80
down there for a look around2 I
sha'n't be gone more than q couple Of
minutes" .
'.4The way I feel at present" she
said, jerkily, II shall never, never from
this instant till the hour in which I
die. let 60 Of your c%oat-tails, Mr..
Barnes" :Suiting the action to the
word, her fingers resolutely fastened,
not upon the tail Of his coat but upon
his sturdy arm. II wouldn't stay here
alone for anything in the world"
"Heaven bless you" he exclaimed,
suddenly exalted. "And, since you put
It that way. I shall always contrive to
be within arms length"
And so, together, they ventured
along the edge Of the pit until they
reached the wagon road at the bottom.
As he had expected, there was a ram
shackle shed hard by. It was not
much OF q place, but it was deserted
and a safe shelter for the moment.
A workman's bench lay on its side in
the middle of the earthen floor. He
righted It and drew it over to the
boarding. She laid her head
against his shoulder and sighed deeply.
i. . He kept his eyes glued on the
door and listened for the first ominous
sound outside. A long time afterward
she stirred.
care you cold7 You are wet"
1T was the excitement, the nervous
ness, MI. Barnes" she said, drawing
slightly away from him. isn't It near
" ~dAybreak?"
He looked at his watch. ''Three
o'clock" he said.
There ensued another period Of ST.
lence. She remained slightly aloof.
"You'd better lean against me-" he
said at last. II am softer than the
beastly boards, you know, and quite as
harmless"
thank you" she said, and promptly
settled herself against his shoulder.
ut iss shelter" che sighed.
would ayou mind telling mt some
thing about, yourself, Miss Cameron?
should like to know whether I am to
address you aslprincess, duchess, Or
Just plain Miss"
:" am more accustomed to plain
Miss, Mr.. Barnes, than to either OF
the titles youzwould give me-"
saaDon,t lyonafeel that / 1msdeservine
of ailitt1s embellishments .he,asked- q
Fam working literally % well as fg'
tnratiYely in the dark. are iyoui
Why were you q prisoner at Green
Eancy1 Where and what Is your ma,
l tive landt.'
MI. Barnes, I cannot answer any
one Of your questions without jeopars
dizing q cause that. IL dearer to me