Part 23 (2/2)

”Oh yes, I haven't suffered much!” rising from the woody coverings, which she gayly shook from her.

”Excuse me, while you make your toilet in this extensive dressing-room, and I will look about. I will not go far, or be gone long.” Going still further up the stream, he found the end of the ledge of rocks, with a steepish hill sloping down to the creek, down which, under the snow, appeared to wind a road, which crossed the creek when the water was low. He turned into this road, and went up to the top of the hill, from which he could see an opening in the otherwise unbroken woods, and a little farther on he was gladdened with the sight of a smoke, rising like a cloud-column, above the trees.

He hastened back to find Julia equipped, and busy placing new fuel to the crackling fire. ”There is a cabin not more than half a mile away, and the snow is not more than two or three inches deep; we can easily reach it,” he said, brightly.

”Oh, Barton!” said the girl, with a deep rich voice, coming to him, ”how can we ever--how can my father and mother ever--how can I repay”--and her voice broke and faltered with emotion, and tears fell from her wondrous eyes.

”Perhaps,” said Bart, off his guard, ”perhaps you may be willing to forget the past!”

”The past--forget the past?”

”Pardon me, it was unfortunate! Let us go.”

”Barton!”

”Not a word now,” said Bart, gayly. ”I am the doctor, you are terribly shaken up, and not yourself. I shall not let you say a word of thanks.

Why, we are not out of the woods yet!”--this last laughingly. ”When you are all your old self, and in your pleasant home, everything of this night and morning will come to you.”

”What do you mean, Mr. Ridgeley?” a little coolly.

”Nothing,” in a sad, low voice. They had gained the road. ”See,” said he, ”here is somebody's road, from some place to somewhere; we will follow it up to the some place. There! I hear an axe. I hope he is cutting wood; and there--you can see the smoke of his cabin.

'I knew by the smoke that so gracefully curled.'

Oh, I hope he will have a rousing fire.”

Julia walked rapidly and silently by his side, hardly hearing his last words; she was thinking why he would not permit her to thank him--and that it would all be recalled in her home--finally, his meaning came to her. He would seek and save her from death, and even from the memory of an unconsidered word, which might possibly be misconstrued; and she clung more closely to the arm which had borne her over the flood.

”I am hurrying you, I fear.”

”No, not a bit. Oh, now I can see the cabin; and there is the man, right by the side of it.”

”It must be Wilder's,” said Bart. ”He moved into the woods here somewhere.”

As they approached, the chopper stopped abruptly, and gazed on them in blank wonder. The dishevelled girl, with hanging hair, and red ”wamus,” and the wild, haggard-looking, coatless youth, with belt and hatchet, were as strange apparitions, coming up out of the interminable woods, as could well meet the gaze of a rustic wood-chopper of an early morning.

”Can you give this young lady shelter and food?” asked Bart, gravely.

”I guess so,” said the man; ”been out all night?” and he hurried them into a warm and cheerful room, bright with a blazing fire, where was a comely, busy matron, who turned to them in speechless surprise.

”This is Judge Markham's daughter,” said Bart, as Julia sank into a chair, strongly inclined to break down completely; ”she got lost, last night, near her father's, and wandered all night alone, and I found her just beyond the creek, not more than two hours ago. I must place her in your hands, my good woman.”

”Poor, precious thing!” cried the woman, kneeling and pulling off her shoes, and placing her chilled feet to the fire. ”What a blessed mercy you did not perish, you darling.”

”I should, if it had not been for him,” now giving way. Mrs. Wilder stepped a moment into the other of the two rooms, into which the lower floor of the cabin was divided, and spoke to some one in it; and giving Julia a bowl of hot milk and tea, led her to the inner apartment.

”Take care of him;” were her words, as she left, nodding her head towards Barton.

”How far is it to Markham's?” asked Bart.

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