Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-10
Go on with the Story

CHAPTER II
Slim and straight as a young boy
in her gray shirt and breeches,
Eve continued on lightly through the
woods, her rifle over her shoulder,
her eyes of gentian blue always alert.
The morning turned warm: she
pulled off her soft felt hat, shook out
her clipped curls, stripped open the
shirt at her snowy throat where
sweat glimmered like melted frost.
The forest was lovely in the morn
ing sunlight-lovely and still-save
for the blue jays-for the summer
birds had gone and only birds des-
tined to a long Northern winter now
remained.
Ewes tread was light on the moist
trail; her quick eyes missed nothing
not the dainty imprint of deer,
fresh made, nor the sprawling insig-
mia of rambling raccoons-nor the
big barred owl huddled on a pine
limb overhead, nor, where the swift
gravelly reaches of the brook caught
sunlight, did she miss the swirl and
furrowing and milling of painted
trout on the spawning beds.
In her cartridge pouch she carried
the fiat, sealed packet which Clinch
had trusted to her. The sack swayed
gently as she strobe on, slapping her
left hip at every step; and always
her s~ubconscious mind remained on
guard and aware of it; and 10Y and
then she dropped her hand to feel
of the pouch and strap.
From Star Peaks left flank an icy
stream clatters down to the level
floor of the woods. here; and 1t was
here that Eve had meant to quench
her thirst with a mouthful of swee.
water
But as she approached the tiny
ford. warily, she saw a saddled horse
tied to a sapling and a man seated
on a messy log.
The trappings of horse, the gray
green uniform of the man, left no
room for speculation; a trooper of
the State Constabulary was seated
there.
His cap was off; his head rested on
his palm. Elbow on knee. he sal
there gazing at the water-watching
the slim fish, perhaps, darting up
stream toward their bridal beds hid
den far away at the headwaters.
A detour was imperative. The girl,
from the shelter of a pine, looked
out cautiously at the trooper. The
sudden sight of him had merely
checked her; now the recognition of
his uniform startled her heart out OF
It's tranquil rhythm and Set the blood
burning in her cheeks.
There was a memory of such a
man scared into the girls very soul
"a man whose head and shoulders,
resembIed this man's-who had the
same bright hair. the same slim and
powerful body-and who moved, too,
as this young man moved.
The trooper stirred, lifted his head
to relight his pipe.
The girl knew him. Her heart
stood still; then heart and blood ran
riot and she felt her knees tremble-
felt weak as she rested against the
pines huge trunk and covered her
face with unsteady fingers.
Until the moment, Eve had never
dreamed what the memory of this
man really meant to her - never
dreamed that she had capacity for
emotion so utterly overwhelming.
Even now confusion, shame. fear
were paramount. All h wanted
was to get away-get away and still
strange tremor that possessed her,
recover mind and sense and breath.
She drew her hand from her eyes
md looked upon the man she had at
tempted to kill-upon the young
man who had wrestled her off her
feet and h~andcuffed her and who had
bathed her bleeding mouth with
sphagnum-and who had kissed her
hands
She was trembling so that she be-
came frightened. The racket of the
brook in his ears safeguarded her in
a measure. She bent over nearly
double, her rifle at a trail, and eau.
ticusly began the detour.
When at length the wire circle
through the woods had been safely
accomplished and Eve was moving