The Glenwood post., 1923-02-15
CANCELLED
BY MYRA A. WlNGATE
So.o.a.d~6lI6IeC1db16-
(Q by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.l


Jack Darrell laughed delightedly.
THAT must have been Cameron" he
said. "Botanys his hobby and litera-
ture his life work. He has a shack
up the lake and never leaves for the
city until snow flies. He's boon
companion of ours" with a glance
across at his wife,
"a friend Of yours" said Elizabeth,
dismayed. "Why, all but quarreled
with him this morning. l got duck
ing over there by the island and he
helped me ashore. He was perfect
savage about my being out in canoe
aud l told him so. His departure was
too abrupt to be polite"
Pm sorry you said that" remarked
Jack, soberly. HE was engaged to
the queen Of the summer colony here,
three years ago. She used to call him
the splendid savage. He's no society
man, but a serious worker. He was
In dead earnest, but she was only
playing. The summer colony fairly
buzzed with the affair. Cameron new
er looked at girl before that, and
hasn't since. Thinks they're all alike.
You look about sixteen in that MILDLY
| suit. He must have thought you were
forward fapper."
| Elizabeth struggled with the hurt In
her throat before she could say:
"How horribly cruel he must have
thought me. I wish he had known
that l din't know"
1t was a foregone conclusion that
they should meet-almost foregone
conclusion that both should be attract
| ed Cameron held stubbornly aloof
from fear akin to that of the burned
child. Elizabeth's pride matched his
| caution. She burned with shame over
the memory Of her unfortunate speech,
while at the same time her proud
| spirit resented owing her life to man
too Indifferent to be friendly. She
| longed for an opportunity to equalize
what she felt to be an obligation.
On a midsummer afternoon Jack
came in to say:
Cameron broke an ankle today.
I'm on my way down to the village to
get pair of crutches. wilkins will
| put on a cast in day or two"
| Elizabeth, disturbed at Jacks news
and annoyed with herself for being
disturbed, rambled restlessly forth
along the lake shore, turning aside
| presently to plunge deeper into the
woods. The summer drought that
held the north country in its grip had
| touched even the woodlands, so that
the trees looked thirsty and the dead
leaves and spills cracked underfoot.
Returning, she met the blue smoke
cloud curling through the trees. The
girl put one hand to throat that sud
denly smarted. While she watched,
fire ran in the underbrush, climbed
a small pine and leaped from tree to
tree down to the lake shore. On the
right it ran far back into the woods,
cracking and roaring as the draught
| increased.
Elizabeth's first thought was of
Cameron alone in his camp in the
very path of the fire. When she burst
into the little clearing and ran up the
knoll on which stood the picturesque
| log cabin, the wind-driven flames We're
already running in the dry grass, and
cinders were sailing over the tree
tops. Cameron, his face drawn with
pain, was sitting on a wide couch
opposite the door, evidently prepar-
ing to depart. Alarm leaped into his
eyes at sight of the girl.
"Must l always be scolding your"
he asked. "Go down to the shore at
once, where you can be safe"
Unheeding, Elizabeth knotted to-
gether the sleeves of her sweater and
slipped it under the bandaged ankle
like n sling.
Nov let yourself down and hitch
along with your hands and your other
foot. Hurry!" she commanded
He obeyed. The shingles on the
camp roof were already blazingas they
made their ludicrous and painful way
down the path. Behind them they
could hear the shouts of khe fire
fighters rallying to meet the danger.
Cameron lay quietly upon the long,
cushioned seat, not attempting to
speak until they We're well out on the
lake. Then he said
1T wasn't safe, Elizabeth. Why did
you do it?'
"Oh, there was sort of obliga-
tion," she answered.
"There was not" he contradicted
Look at me. Elizabeth. You do! And.
oh, my dear, so do 1 You could never
fail anyone. You could never hurt
anyone"
How perfectly clear" returned the
girl, giving the wheel spin and turn
ing a backward look upon the blaz-
ing camp. Il suppose we ought to
have waited to get some Of the things
you valued"
"Pve all that really matters right
here" he answered. elizabeth, IL
an old crouch named Cameron should
tell you he loved you, and ask you to
marry Him, what would you do?"
Uf un,IId prOhahly accapt cha ~