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Show HrilAT GIRL of JOHNSON'S 1 Hy JEAJV M.A.TC LWDLVM. j " .Mrnr. . K . I TnUril Arn,nf to , l Comrr,. la tS. Y.if ll V? A S-nllh. 1 In tti Offir. of Ihe Litr.r..n of ContrtM, ! Wnhmiiun. I' i. j CHAPTER X. The Rescue. The arris of tlio men worn brawny nil strong; Green wan light In weight and lithe an a titer; tho rope ran out aloly and steadily. h11 out anil down over the sharp edge of tho chnstn where the grassca were Ions and hid the ehnrp rut Into emptiness, making a trrarhennia fiKiihold. Suddenly the rope stopped running, crew slack, and lroen'a voir rame up In a shout. Thus silence reigned ngnin save tor the rain and wind. Momenta punned; to the girl aland log hark motionless the momenta seemed like hour. Her eyea did not novo from the edge wh"re the rope ran over. Green riilleil again, and they began to pull the rope. Dolores' ryes widened aa she watrhed Ihrm; her lips were apart, a flush on h -r checks. The tnlat grew moro thli k anil dense, stealing up and up until It reached the edge of the chasm. H stole about the men at work at the rope and enveloped them allently: throurh Ita Rray folda they liwked like apei tera at work for all eternity, with set races, pulling the rope In and In. The rope ramo up steadily and alow and mire, then Oro-n spoke from Just below the surface. "Stop; some of you give ma a hand hire. Careful. He la Insensible." They obeyed him wllhoul a word. A terror was on lolorea fare; she did not movo; her Anger were twisted tightly together: her lips were coin-pressed coin-pressed In a straight red line. The men were slow and rareful: It was no light thing to lean over the edge of the rhasm; the trearherous edge hldtlon In sedge might give way at any moment, but tho handa of the man were slow and steady; they obeyed (Iroen'i rommanda aa thou'th they were powerless of self-thought. Tbey had Johnson up on firm ground and Green after him; they laid the Insensible man on the ground with fonts for pillows; they forred some, cider between his teeth and chafed his brawny handa tenderly aa a wo-man wo-man would. Two of them rut down a couple of saplings and lopped off the branches, making tho body smooth; these, they bound together with two cross pleres; they crossed the ropo In a network hark and forth. No t -words were utterod; they worked In J silence with a grlmneaa that waa al- , most lorrlblo to tha watching girl, y The rain was falling steadily now, and dripped through the branches, fulling on Johnson a fare. Ilia hands moved gropingly a moment; he opened his eyes and looked vacantly about him; they were hollow eyoa and hungry; ho rercgnlz.'d no one. Dolores Dolo-res ramo up shyly, offering no word of sympathy, and with a moan John-awn John-awn closed his eyes again. "Wo must got him homo as soon as ( Laid him on the Ground. ' fmsslhlo," (Iron snhl. g nvly. his j eyea on the fuco of the t il stu'tdlitg allently beside her fal!-er. i "He lias J "' tecn wtlhout ford slnre t';io day lu- fore yesterday. He lout blj way. and (oil In tho nlrht wheti he was lrj'i-n to find his way back nter hi:.nli ; Cm' cow. Ho has been 1-I;rj th-ro on that ledgo ever slnro too weiU to make any effort to save Mm. t tl.t-r-'V louhtlcsa saving his life, f r the I .-.i r would aland little inu'lt :i." 11a did not add that J : num hl broken both of his I-m I:, the fall, and doubtless receive Irten.ol Injuries In-juries that must prove yorlei's If not fatal. Holorea' eyes wore i.n his, aril be could not tell the whole c f v. nut might come. When they had pln-ed Jol'iioi n in tho litter as ronifoitehl ni n..;;L!r, , Lodle offered Ms rout to Dr.'ori In ahort word or two n:ii rn change f face, but tho girl rim 'c lo- l.rr.d, Ii without apflakltig. tluiiith the gun ' him one of her rare Mnlb and walked steadily down the p 3 1 li tut gird ID the treacherous birdies, hair hidden I la mist and rain, with li -n nt hor aide burled In thoim'ii. llrnoji his i band was ready to r.-rrh 1 v.i lur ler i assistance whenever it win nee. led .' and his fare was almost swoot with a ' Daw touch upon It. I ..... Dolores etood HstlosFly at one of I the kitchen windows; she vis pu king out at the storm, but sh'- did not n e !i It; her ears were strained to rnlch tho sound of voices in her ffitli-i's room. : i .; ,L Knrneit volira they were and full of a niennlng she rould not ratrh. The road was deserted; the men had atrayglrd up to Jolinon'a house when first hp was brought home, but aa soon as the messenger sent by Green brought the doctors from the town they ordered perfect quiet, and the men were sent away without being be-ing allowed to enter. They turned uway In silence and went down the road to the tavern with Its welcome fire. Its cider, and comrades. The women were forred to remain at home; they gossiped with their daughters or their kinsfolk around the great hearth flrea. Their needlca were busy, their spinning wheela bummed; their lives were narrow, but there waa work to he done aa well aa food for gossip. Only Holorea waa Idle. Hhn stood at window staring with unseeing un-seeing cyrs at the storm outside, straining her ears In vain to ratrh the hum of volres In her father's room. Young tlreen was there, and two doctors, doc-tors, and a womnn they said waa a nurse. Whnt need was there of a nurse she asked herself. Him rould nurse her father. And what were tho dortors doing theroT If her fnther was only exhausted ex-hausted from exposure and lark uf food why should he need two dortors? Men had been lost on the mountain before; they never needed nurses when they were brought home; their own women cared for them; she rould rare for her father. When he was well enough they would aend for lilm nt tho town; they were only waiting for him to prove their suspicions. The case had been adjourned; It waa a pretty clear case of malice, folks said, but they wero waiting for her father to prove It. The door of the bedroom opened, and tbo nurse rnme out Hhe waa an elderly woman with a grave fare. She brought severnl parrels from tba town. Young fireen sent her a note by the man who went to fetch the doctors, doc-tors, and she knew what to bring. Ons or two of these she oened and prepared pre-pared beef and broth. 8 lie spoke quietly and pleasantly to Dolores, but she found her own way aliout the house and scemod to fit Into everything. every-thing. A sudden fear took poaseaalon of Dolorea. It waa aharp and appalling, and she straightened up under It aa though she had received a blow. It waa no exhaustion from want of fond and shelter that ailed her father: something some-thing mora than that brought this woman and tho doctors, caused thla hush of voire and footsteps, shut har from her father's preseure. 8ho spoke, and her voire waa low. 'The woman turned quietly toward the girl. "Ynll spoke. Miss Johnson?" "What alls my father?" Ho will be bettor by and by. We rould not expert hltn to rorover at onre. Do not bo alarmed." Dolores repeated her question In the same low yet perfectly distinct voice; her eyes looked steadily at the woman. wom-an. "What alls my father?" The nurse waa annoyed. She did not like to be questioned so pointedly; pointed-ly; she had studied to keep hor own rounsel and use few words. "Your father had a heavy fall, Mlaa Johnson; only the ledge savod him. Ills right leg waa broken above the knee: the dortors have set that now; It will bo belter soon." l.tke young(reen, ahe would not tell the full truth. How could she tell tho girl tho extent or the Injuries and the possible end? That one of his legs would have to he amputated; that his whole system was so shattered shat-tered It would be a miracle If be lived. and though he should live he would be a cripple always? Hhe dared not say this: ahe dared not look at the gtrl at first. Presently Dolores spoke again, and her voire waa peifertly even and slow. "How long before ha will be well?" "impossible to tell." tho woman replied re-plied gravely. "8uch cases aro uncertain." uncer-tain." "l'ut In- will get well?" "Why not? Wo will take good care of him." - "Do you think." Dolores' eyes grew dark aa night, "do you think they will send for him before he can go? They are v.nlllng for blm to go to the town for him to go to prove " "I know," tin woman aald, quietly, with perfect control over the muscles of her fare. "I have heard. No, they will not send for him until he can so. You must not worry. Mlaa Johnson." Doli.re turned bark to the window with ro further remark, and alienee fi II over the room save for tbo worn-un's worn-un's soft movements, and a hushed H-md from the bedroom now and tin n. CHAPTER XI. Tha Nurse's Story. TIip doctors remained In that bushed room the whole of the long nl;-,ht through; the nurso aald that they vi u!d so presently, but they did not As darkness settled down heavily one of I'iciii ramo out and spoke to the nut so. Then the nurse went Into the bin'rooni with the dortors, and tha dnoi was shut. Once or twice young Qrecn came out n speak a pleasant word to hor of enrourauement. or a message aa to tier father's condition: he waa more qu.tct now. the doetora had given blm I - :::,( - ... a narcotic. Ijiter he was aleeplsg quietly; sleep was what he necdod. "It Is too bad It Is so stormy," ha said, and there was an Indescribable I kindness In his voire as he stood bo-I bo-I side her at the window while the dark-j dark-j nesa was enveloping tho world. "1 I would so like to see the stars from I your windows. Dolores. Can you see 1 Venus above the mountains when It Is rlenr. ami tho moon set In the young moon's arms?" She lifted her true eyes to his face, and a HiikIi was coming Into the puro, pale fare. "There aro few I ran plarc In the hravena," she said, slowly, "but those I know are like friends to mo; I have no friends you know. And my mother la near m when tho stars aro lu tha sky. My mother Is dead. You know my mother In dead?" "Yes," he made answer, smiling Into tho lifted fare so near his own. "I would so like you to see my mother, moth-er, Dolores. You rould not fall to love her." Tho girl shook her head. There was no deepening of tho soft rolorlng of her fnce, no tremor of tho proudly 8ns lifted her tyea to his face. curved red lips, no drooping of the silken lnshea over the dark eyos. "I know nothing about love," ahe said, quietly. "1 have only my father and my mother's books." Ilia eyea darkened suddenly, a atrango tenderness came over the fair, kindly fare. "After all. thero la a aadnosa abont love; perhaps It la as well, Dolores." He turned swiftly from her, and crossing the room lighted only by the tile soring fire, his flguro defined In grotesque ahapea upon the walls, he entered the room beyond, leaving hor motlunleaa at the darkened window, her eyoa following him. Presently ahe left the window also and, crossing to a shelf at the other end. took down the last book he had brought her and opened It to hor favorite reading of tho fables of the stars. Her eyes bent over the pages were luminous, hor checks flushed softly. Hho waa out of hor narrowed life with the infinite range of tha hoavons spread before her; the millions mill-ions and millions of miles of apace carried hor mind with tho thoughts far, far above the shut-In life of her mountain home and the stolid settlement settle-ment that hnd no life but the tavero and the gossip. Aa young Green entered the bedroom bed-room the nurse waa sotting things to rights for tho night; she smiled at him as ha entered; the two doctors ore talking together In an undertone. under-tone. "Take good care of hor, Mrs. Allen," he said, earnestly; "and ace that aha sleeps. Bbe Is completely worn out with thla strain. I leave It with you to aee that ahe la Intorestod In things outside of thla room. I will atop at the tavern to-night and be up early la the innnilng.a Everything all right, Harry?" (To be continued.) |