Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-05-26

MS 1eet again at once, ne Slunpleu auu
recovered himself. and running on found
he was in the midst of that grove near
which the light had shown for mo-
ment crouching fugitive and pale cap
tive borne away. He had to slacken pace
a little, for the tree trunks seemed to
oppose him everywhere like barrier to
hold him back, but at last he was
through them, and he was about to in
crease his speed and rush blindly on
when all at once he halted suddenly.
Why he did so he did not know, but
he stood still as abruptly as though a
hand had been laid upon him to re-
strain him.
He stopped down and picked up a
small stone his fingers touched and toss
cd it before him and listened. There was
an appreciabe intervai before the sound
of its fall came back TO him, and he
knew then where he was-on the edge
of steep. rocky hollow twenty or
thirty feet deep and with a precipitous
rocky sides. He remembered it well, for
the bottom of this hollow, thickly over
grown, had been searched with especial
care that afternoon during Captain
Wall9ces great drive through the wood
since it had seemed likely spot to be
chosen for hiding place. But nothing
had been found there, and Keith re
membered now that above the hollow,
at the spot where it fell away so precipi-
tously. he had noticed a grove of tall,
wide branched trees, evidently those by
which he was now standing.
Another step or two forward would
have hurled him over the edge to a
fall sheer twenty feet or more. and he
heard the heavy step of the sergeant
coming quickly behind
Careful, be careful" he called. Won
dering il it was in the hope of entrap:
ping them here that the fugitive had
led them this way: "therc is twenty
foot drop, mind where you are going
Here's the girl the sergeant an
swered.
What? Where?' Keith cried, and ran
voice seemed to come.
! In a moment or two he came to him
| and found him kueeling on the ground
by Esmc's unconscious form.
| Keith had some matches in his pocket
| and he struck one. She did not seem
! hurt in any way, but she was in deep
swoou. and though he rubbed her hands
gently between his and called her name
, he could not rouse her.
blow your WHISTLE he said to
Price; "blow your whistle again.
The sergeant obcycd.
They're coming he said. This
| is rum go. Wonder what's become
| of him? ! suppose he found her getting
! too heavy and us too close behind, and
so he dropped her TO be able TO get
away quicker
Yes" said Keith, yes, l expect
so. Yes. Perhaps he meant to como
back again"
Shouldn't WONDER agreed the scr
geant: lit was only good luck we came
across her, and if we had gone on with
out seeing her he might have slipped
back to get her again.
Yes" said Keith again. Yes"
lie was thinking quickly and deeply
It seemed strange to him that Esmt
had been abandoned just at the moment
when the failure of the sergcant's torch
had made escape SO much easier. Will
a shivcr of horror he reflected that il
they had hurried on in pursuit without
finding her she would have been lcf
lying on the ground quite unprotected
Suppose that namclcss, formlcss crca
turc he had seen now several times, bu
never clearly enough to identify. ha.
not continued its flight, but was lurking
somewhere near? Suppose this aban
donment of Esmc had behen n device
adopted in the hope that the pursuit
would pass on and that then there
would be opportunity to remove her tC