Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-11-11

He Leaped at the Falls and
Landed on the Flat Rock.
strand of her hair fell upon his face.
She tried to shake it off. He put up
his hand and covered it.
Her eyes dropped to his wounded
side.
II didn't know he was the Red
Mask" She said. as if in pursuance of
his first remark, "till those men came
this morning."
Her next words were low and thought
full. I've wondered if it could have
been he that hurt Daddy?'
ut was him."
The girls breath quickened. He saw
her fingers clench.
But there was much to do. Her eyes
turned again to his blOod-Stained gar
ments, and she set about %uncovering
the wounded side. There was little
enough to remove-a shred or w of
tattered shirt; a laying back of the
torn blouse. After the first start at
sight of the wound she became curl
ously thoughtful. The color mounted
to her face; he tried to meet her eyes
but they turned away.
Gar you spare me for a minute?"
For answer he lifted his head. She
took away her arm, eased him back
upon the rock, and he heard her light
step as she Sprang around an angle
of the cliff.
She was gone barely more than the
minute asked for. When she returned
she was carrying in her hands a num-
Der Of strips-bahdages-of white
cloth. Where she got them-well,
that's her secret.
The bullet had cut a deep, ragged
cash just below the armpit. 1t had
grazed a rib, but seemingly had not
broken it. With that encouraging fact
established, and the sting of the
wound much allayed, the mind of the
man began reaching forward to the
night; the all-important night-when
a certain a individual in a frock
coat would come to feed a certain
horse. He said no word of this to the
girl already binding the bandages
around the clean-washed wound. She
would have secuted the bare sugses-
ton of the things he was planning to
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 it there by
Il strip of cloth passed up around his
neck, and helped him to his feet.
1t shamed him that he was abso-
!utely 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 it in his eyes. Lifting his
well arm and laying it 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 be knew. The smile grad
ually drew his eyes down out of the
trees. He could no more help it 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 it. 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
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. 1t always remained a
matter of wonder to him. Who does
know the source of power-that mys-
ferrous augmentation of strength-that
comes to a woman in a 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.
Daddy? she answered to the eyes.
He often spends hours away. There'l
he. little. nGss, In the woods today that