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