The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-03-08
CHAPTER V-Continued

s.
II saw your trail. That is, :"
How different, this beginning, from the
manner of address he had planned !!
He felt called upon, now, to explain his
presence On her trail rather than to
demand reason for her being there.
II saw your TRAIL" he began again,
''and l thought 1t seemed to me
you might be little lost"
"As a matter of fact, l am complete
ly turned around" she said. ut was
silly of me to come into the woods,
especially on a day like this, without
a compass. But 1 did and here
ami" She was cycling him closely,
now, as though searching for some
special detail of face or figure.
LOST He thought: lost Diana!
II kept losing my bearings and had
trouble getting Oriented and am getting
a little tired 1t was so silly! Down
right stupid! If you know this coun-
try you can set me right. l should
: be back in lineup before long or they'll
worry"
Ben wondered quickly and ir-
relevantly, who They might be. Yes,
he could get her out. In half hour
he could have her in his camp and
send her on her way to town. But
in a half hour :. And with her man.
ner so clearly hostile for no reason at
all? She impressed him as a
young woman most desirable to know
we'll and also as one whose confidence
would be slow in acquiring.
Lost, eh?" he asked and laughed
oddly. "Matter Of fact, came out
without a compass myself" That was
truth. He needed no compass for a
short swing such as he had made to-
day; his sound woodsman's instinct
would hold him safe.
"Well, that complexities matters" the
girl said drily. I've got to get out of
this timber and Pm not good for much
more travel in this sort of going.
haven't been on webs in several years
and I've gone further than l should
have"
"By George, that's too bad" he said
and hoped that none of his men, who
would be trekking into camp by now,
would shout or sing so their voices
would break down the Illusion of empty
distances surrounding them which evil
IDENTIFY possessed the girl. "Too bad !!
It's getting dark sure enough but it
isn't very late. If you could sit down
and get your wind, now"
"But what good will that do? If we
stay here until it's really dark there
may be no getting out until morning.
All have with me is cake of choco-
late and the prospect of hungry, cold
night in the woods with you isn't allur-
ing"
Ben rubbed his chin.
I'm sorry. If the impression make
is as bad as"
II meant nothing personal. But
don't know you. don't fancy being
lost with anyone, let alone stranger"
He thought she almost smiled, as if
relenting bit from her brusqueness.
"Look!" he said, pointing 'aloft to
where a break in the clouds near the
zenith let about the last of the. day
light through. Its going to clear.
Wen have stars directly. Let me build
little shelter and a fire here. few
minutes of rest will do lot of good
and with stars we can get anywhere"
She besitated seeming to consider.
"All right, Imust admit the last half
hours going has been hard"
Out came his belt ak, off went the
lower limbs of young hemlocks. In
less than 1t would take an ordinary
man to lop the branches he had
sbench of trampled snow on knoll COW
cred with aromatic boughs and thick
windbreak of them behind it. Then,
attacking huge birch stub he peeled
off quantity of lose bark. This he
lighted from match carried in a tight
ly corked bottle and as the quickly
burning stuff shed comfortable glow
on the bower he had built, he knocked
dead branches from a hemlock. fed
them to the flame and then turned to
nearby dry top of a fallen maple,
knocking off substantial faggots
By the time he finished this the girl.
had shaken off her snowshoes, stuck
them on end in the snow and was sit
ting on the couch he had built for her.
She eyed the fire as he stood erect,
drawing off his gloves and spreading
his big hands to the warmth.
"Strange," she said, that you should
be lost. From the way you make your
self comfortable In the woods Id say
you'd been born in timber"
'From the way you know woodcraft
when you see 1t, I'd say it's as strange
that you should be lost !"
siWhar know of the woods was
learned years ago. One gets rusty.
I've discovered. Who are you and
what are you doing here?"
Her directness quite took his breath.