a sibilant exclamation, and Lettice Hollidew covered
her eyes. The stranger sprang to the road,
and hurried to the injured man's side. Gordon got
down slowly. "Where did it get him?" he inquired,
with a shallow show of concern. He regarded with
indifferent eyes the gaping cut across Simmons' jaw,
while the stranger was converting a large linen
handkerchief into a ready bandage.

Buckley, in stammering, shocked rage, began to
curse Gordon's clumsiness, and, in his excitement,
the wound bled more redly. "You will have to
keep quiet," he was told, "for this afternoon anyhow."

"I'm not a 'dam' blind bat," Gordon informed
his victim in a rapid undertone; "my eyes are
sharper than usual today." Above the stained
bandage Simmons' gaze was blankly enraged.
"That won't danger you none," Gordon continued,
in louder, apparently unstudied tones; "but you
can't kiss the girls for a couple of weeks."

Buckley Simmons was assisted into the rear seat;
Lettice sat alone, her face hidden by the flowery
rim of her hat; Merlier was silent, indifferent, bland.
The way grew increasingly wilder, and climbed and
climbed; at their back dipped and spread mile upon
mile of unbroken hemlock; the minute clearings, the
solitary cabins, were lost in the still expanse of tree
tops; the mountain towered blue, abrupt, before

[[29]]

p028 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p029w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p030

v?