The daily Alaskan., 1920-11-20

arm was ullutT HIS Htslu, tl4u SIII was saying something. A tlnge of crimson deepCned the pink in her cheeks when his eyes came open. What If he had heard! But she met his eyes with frank directneSS. He lay looking up at her a long time; trying to cOmpre- hend lt all; the wonder of it!-that she was there.
 She helped him edge a little nearer the brink of the ledge, raised him, and he drank out of her cupped palm. Whether it was the cup he drank from, ur the thirst that parched him, he took no thought, but 1t was the sweetest drink that ever passed his lips. She eaSed him back upon tEe ledge. her arm still under his head. A strand of her hair fell upon hIs face. She tried to shake It of. He put up hIS hand and covered 1t.
 Her eyes dropped to his wounded side.
 T 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 ful. i've wondered if 1t could have been he that hurt DadGyf"
 Tt was hIu.'
 The girls breath Quickened. He saw her fingers Clrnch.
 But there was much to do. Her eyes turned again to his blood-stained gar meutS, and she set about uncoveriDg the wounded side. There was little enough 10 rcmuve-a shred or two. of tattercd shirt; laying back of the torn blouse After the first start at sight of the wound she became Curi- ously thuugh,fUl The color mounted to her face: hc trtcI to meet her eyes, but they turned away.
 "ran you spare wc for q minu'e?'
 For answer he lifted his head. She took away her arm, cascd him back upon the rock, and he heard her light step as she spuug around an angle Of the CliI.
 SEa was gonc barely more than the minute asked for. When she retuCnrd she was carrying in her hands a num- hrr of str.ps-h&udagcS-of white cloth. Whrr, Shr got them-wcll that's her secret.
 The buIlc, had cut a deep, ragged ga~h just hc'ow the arm9it. T. had gra2nG r1h. hut seemingly had not broken it With that encouraging fact established, and the sting of the wound much a'layoa. tho mind of the man began reaching forward to the night; rhr a'I-imr .rtout ui-ht-whcn certain Suayr Individual in a frock coat would cnmc to feed a certain horse. lIr said no word of this to the girl already binding the handages around rhp cleau-washcd wound. She would have secuted the bare Sugges- tiou of the things lr was planning to do the moment rhe dark was sufficient ly dense 10 hide him.
 She drew wNa; was left of his tat tered ~'trf a"I hlousc over he ban da-a at Inst la'G his wrundcd arm acro.s his '~roS' ur' slung it there by sur0 of rfr'h ra ssrd m around his neck and nolred him 10 his feet.
 II shmwr1 him that he was ahso- lurcly cauis..G to cling fast to her. 10 lean hray. .r1n her, ur gn back tP tlu rnch. His iarr was far too white to slow the mortifcafion hc felt. hut she saw it fn 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 on toll of every bit If sunshine that ever Strurl; -ne Flatwoods. That was the distinguishing feature of her per s0nality That and her good, sound | sense. Her f#re was hOamiug full nF both right ruw-the sunshine and the sense. She was smiling tip at him. he knew. He wGS staring away above her hcaI-hut he knew. The smile grad unlly drew his eyes down out of the trees. He could no more help 1t than he could help leaning upon her. She Iaughed-a Ntargcn.ng little laugh Ike 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-tae blood spots or bits of cloth were left. A needless rrecautiOn-her wOodcraft was as fine as his own.
 How she managed to lead him, half carry him. out of the rocky and brOk- en gulchcs of Fox Den and down the rough banks Of Wolf Run to the cabin of the three gables she never knew. Neither did he IL always remained q matter Of wonder 10 him. Who does know the source of pOwer-that myS- terious augmentation of strength-that | comes to n woman in a criSts2
 She led him into the house and to the sofa in lhe main room; the queer little leather-COvered bed that had stirred his curiosity the afternoon of his first visit two days before