Frontier Stories

o her bewildered senses so had the camp-fire, even to its embers and ashes. Was she awake, or had she wandered away unconsciously in the night? One glance at the tree abo

a thought with an inward shiver, a

change here," he said; "the stamped-out ashes of the camp-fire lie under the brush," and he pointed to some cleverly scattered boughs and strips of bark which completely effaced the traces of last night's bivouac. "We can't afford to call the attention of any packer or hunte

dn't that," pointing to the carcass o

logic was

left to excite curiosity if you had been wi

epeated the woman,

inued in a lighter tone; "if you stay here you

miled ne

ight," he added, "and I shall build another ca

a caught

please. I can bear it, I will bear it-to-night. I would have borne it last night, but it was so strange-an

ng-place for you, until I can dispose of that carcass, so that it will not draw dogs after the wolves, and men after them. Be

r he'd have guessed where that shot came from; and," she added in a lower tone, looking down at he

o and two together, and co

nd that he was overpowered by numbers. Oh yes! I see it all!" she almost screamed, lashing herself into a rage at th

as if at any risk to proclaim the falsehood. Low

nter of man or beast. But he is not a coward nor a liar. Your chances would be better if he were-

she replied bitterly. "Why don't you give me up

lear eyes upon her. "I've promised to hide you here,

ively away, and putting aside the bark curtain climbed into the hollow tree. In a few moments he reappeared, laden with provisions and a few s

kfast. I find you have eaten nothing sin

possessed by a new and strange desire for some menial employment, she said hur

handing his rifle said, "There, then,

to the roots of her hair as she too

edly lifting her shame-suf

gnificance, and said, "Well, then give it back if you are afraid of it." But she as suddenly declined to retur

his mute inspection of some almost imperceptible footprint of bird or beast, his critical examination of certain plants which he plucked and deposited in his deerskin haversack, were not lost on the quick-witted woman. As they gradually changed the clear, unencumbered aisles of the central woods for a more tangled undergrowth, Teresa felt that

den, "if you can take the hunting-path like that. In a few days, if you stay here, I

ts for the breakfast, while he gathered the fuel for the

h sugar to the consistency of syrup; that even that rarest delicacy, small shreds of venison covered with ashes and broiled upon the end of a ramrod boldly thrust into the flames, would be better and even more expeditiously cooked upon burning coals. Moved in his practical nature, he was surprised to find this curious creature of disorganized nerves and

us troupe she had often been forced to undertake this nomadic housekeeping. But she "despised it," had never done it since, and always had refused to do

may be, but from what I see of you you've

of impudence that only half concealed a more serious vani

ed quietly. "I never saw

the truth, but having nothing ready to follow this c

lar, she rapidly threw her shawl, after the national fashion, over her shoulder and pinned it quickly. Low cached the remaining provisions and the few c

will set foot here before we come back to supper, but it's well to be on guard. I'll tak

on, and plucking a few tiny leaves from a hidden

looking for, isn't it?

d surprise; "but how did you know i

ut you picked some when we came

d gazed at her with such frank, open, utterly unab

al deliberation, "that you could find a

es

a drawi

ven if you desc

al, half fraterna

what. I've

rupted Teresa; "fu

ou think y

ould," broke i

what I mean," said t

reserve all the different ones for yo

entirely convinced that she had fully e

it would seem entered even the philosophical calm of the aisles t

lar woman walking by his side had also. He said "Yes;" but added, in mental reference to the

er relations with some favored one of her sex, this

she re

cal Society I correspond with are more

s for a society?" deman

and classification of specimens. I

lightly on her shoulder, the young man brought h

could not help noticing a change in the expression of her face, her voice, and even her intonation. It seemed as if that fit of laughter had loosed the last ties that bound her to a self-imposed character, had swept away the last barrier between her and her healthier nature, had dispossessed a painful unreality, and rel

w tall ferns and bright but quickly fading flowers were disposed around the blackened chimney. She had evidently availed herself of the change of clothing he had brought her, for her late garments were hanging from the hastily-devised wooden pegs driven in the wall. The young man gazed around him with mixed feelings of gratification and uneasiness. His presence had been dispossessed in a si

teristic "Good!" at the place where she had stopped, but was surprised to find that her main course had been as direct as his own. Deviating from this direct line with Indian precaution he first m

over-land emigrant then on the way to the mines. Although he had satisfied his conscience with the intention of confessing the pious fraud to her when Teresa was gone and safe from pursuit, it was not without a sense of remorse t

ver her head, she wanted a hat. "But you must not," she said, "borrow any more dresses for me from your young woman. Buy them for me at some shop. They left me enough money for that." Low gently put aside the few pieces of gold she had drawn from her pocket, and briefly reminded her of the suspicion such a purchase by him would produce. "That's so," she said, with a laugh. "Caramba! what a mule I'm becom

It appeared that during the afternoon she had not only duplicated his specimens, but had discovered one or two rare plants as yet unclassified in the flora

f your father?" she asked. "Di

replied the imperturb

rok

ed Teresa promptly. "And your

think s

he died? Don

N

nestling like a rabbit in a hollow by the side of the camp-fire; Low with his feet towards it, Indian-wis

his acute perceptive faculties, that any intruding feet had since crossed the belt of shade. The echoes of passing events at Indian Spring

sked her, "what time it was when

r hands upon her

hree, I

n; you could have covered

r voice taking up its old quality ag

s from her eyes, and her breath came as quickly

m safe here?" she a

o. Then they'll look here. And that's the tim

of me here." The charming non sequitur did not, however, seem to strike the yo

certa

few more lesso

rha

g to doubt if she were really practical. How o

mmunity from the forgotten past, and security for the present. If there was no dream of the future in this calm, even recurrence of placid existence, so much the better. The simple details of each succeeding day, the quaint housekeeping, the brief companionship and coming and going of her young host-himself at best a crystallized personification of the sedate and hospitable woods-satisfied her feeb

rst of these occasions she received him with some preoccupation, paying but little heed to the scant gossip he brought from Indian Spring, and retiring early under the plea of fatigue, that he might seek his own distant camp-fire, which, thanks to her stronger nerves and

l be satisfied

what?" queried

ied, giving him her co

e now?" he remonstrat

t isn't much," was all

er from the post-office at Indian Spring. He had talked again of his future, and had recorded his ambition to procure the appointment of nat

your friends, I hope, by

y friends-yes!" An awkward silence followed; Teresa broke it gayly:

id Low, gravely, "but I don'

oice and a sudden and utterly gratuitous indigna

ued, entered the low aisles with a fluttering breath of morning and a sound like the cooing of doves. Never had the wood before shown so sweet a sense of security from the turmoil and tempest of the world beyond;

instincts of Low's woodcraft transformed and possessed her. She knew it now! A new element was in the wood-a strange being-another life-another man approaching! She did not even raise her head to loo

res

ns, rude and unmusical though they were, her heart and soul had hung in transport or anguish. But it was a chime that had rung its last peal to her sens