The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-09-12


Zen seated herself in half reclin-
ing position on great slab of rock
and fell into a day-dream. watching
the while with unseeing eyes the pro-
cession of white clouds which drove
across the disc of blue sky above her.
Perhaps il was because of the posi-
ton which she had taken, or her I'M
I conscious study of the sky, that she
caught no hint of the presence of a
man at the point where the road en-
tered the quarry. From an ambush of
willow scrub he had seen her stop and
survey the fields where Dennison
Grant was at work, and had followed
her stealthily down the trail which led
to her trap. Now he had her.
"How do, Zen?" he said, suddenly
ssepping into the open. "Ain't you
glad to see me?"
The girl sprang to her feet and
turned startled eyes toward the road
the only exit from this stone dun
/. geon.
who are you? What do you want?
Go away! l don't know you at all"
The offensive smile broadened.
"That is where l have the advantage
of you, Mrs. Transley. have changed,
I admit, but you-you are as beauti-
! full as ever"
"How dare you speak TO me in such
way! You have learned my name.
it is true, but do not know you at all.
Now will you go, or must l call my
husband to throw you into the river?"
''That would be some shout, seeing
that your husband isn't at home, and
hasn't been for two weeks. You see, 1
may be a stranger, but l know some
things. And even if he was at home,
wouldn't you be more likely to call
Dennison Grant?"
The man had gradually advanced.
but still kept himself well between
Zen and her only avenue of escape.
who are you" she demanded
again. "Why do you follow me here?"
"An old friend, Zen; just an old
! friend, come to collect an old account
Pay up quietly and there'll be no
trouble, but raise-a fuss and I'll throw
! you into the river. That wouldn't
L -
wonderful how a person who has been
drowned disappears and is soon for
/ gotten"
Zen's eyes had gone large and her
j limbs were shaking. "Drazk!' she
| exclaimed.
fright enough; your old friend,
George DraZk" He came up close to
1 da1 &c
goin' to shake hand with your old
friend, Zen?" he smirked before her.
| "You were no friend of mine
never she fiared back, while her brain
was hunting wildly for some plan of
escape. 81 thought 1 had killed you
And 1 was sorry l had done it, Now
I'm sorry didn't
well. now, Zen, that's too bad. I
was willin to forgive you, and hopin'
we'd be friends. Don't you think it
would be better to be friendly-like,
Zen?
There was a menace under his oily
words that gripped her in terror. She
decided to play for time Perhaps
Sarah-perhaps Denny If only Den
| WUulu CUTIE
"Sit down, George, and tell me about
it," she said Il suppose owe you
an apology. Tell me how you got
away, and where you have been all
this time"
That's better. We're goin' to be
good friends, eh. Zen? The best of
friends, eh, Zen? You and George IL
just sit down and talk it over"
She led him TO the rock where she
had been seated, and let him sit down
beside her. He seized one of her
hands in his; she would have with
drawn it, but he held it tighter.
mo, we're goin to be good friends"
he reminded her. 1.-The best of
friends"
Yes, but first tell me about your
self. How did you get out of the
river that day?'
"Oh, l drifted ashore. Can't kill
George Drazk. l was pretty full of
water, and lay on the bank for quite
a while, but / came around in time
\ Then l seen what had happened about
the fire, and l reckoned this was
good time to make my getaway. So L
beat it right out o. the country, and
nobody bothered followin"
"Yes, yes, go on" she urged, eager
to keep him absorbed in his story
''That was very clever of you. And
then what did you do-after you got
4 out of the country"
| Got job. No trouble for George
DraZk to get job. Then when the
war came tried to get on, but some
how they wouldn't have me. Said Ia
be more useful at home SO stayed
on and had some pretty good jobs an;
some pretty nice girls, Zen, but {
never got you quite out o. my head
and l kept sayin' to myself. tSome-
time I'll go back and make it up wi.a
Zen And here / am. Amt you glaT,
/ Zen ~
"Yes-in a way / am" ooh, Will
nobody ever comeD "But--how did
/ you find me? You know I've been
married since them"
(To BE CONTINUED.)
4