Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-02-18
CHAPTER XII.
Only the Hunted Know.

1
For a long time the Pearlhunter lay
wondering why the gorge didn't fall
in. While he lay and wondered. an
other strange thing happened-the
very strangest of all.
The top of the gorge began to open
opened and let in two little patches
of sky. He kept his eyes on them
two little spots of blue set between
clouds Of pink and gold. The gorge
| top opened wider He came back to
the two patches of sky. smiled oddly
they had TRANSPORTED; had become
the eyes of the Wild Rose.
The shooting had brought her. Her
arm was under his head, and she was
saying something. A tinge of crimson
deepened 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 long time; trying to compre-
bend it 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, or the thirst that parched him,
he took no thought, but it was the
sweetest drink that ever passed his
! lips. She eased him back upon the
ledge, her arm still under his head. A
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.
81 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 we're low and thought
full. 'Ive wondered If it could have
been he that hurt Daddy?"
sit 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 two of
tattered shirt; 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.
''Can you spare me for minute?"
For answer he lifted his head She
took away hey 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 num-
Der Of strips-bandages- white
cloth. Where she got them-well,
that's her secret.
The bullet had cut 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 suave individual in frock
coat would come to feed 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 sugges-
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
dare at last, laid his wounded arm
acrosE his breast and slung it there by
strip CT cloth passed up around his
neck, ard helped him to his feet.
1t shamed G'm that he was abso-
lutely compelled &c cling fast to her,
to lean heavy upon hoe~ or go back to
the rock. His face was Ger 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 TAX
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 beamfng 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 it than
he could help leaning upon her. She
laughed-a heartening little laugh