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Ellen had escaped two crises in her relation with this an to strangle herand final crisis No uplift of her spirit cas How horrible it all was! To long to be good and noble--to realize that she was neither--to sink lower day by day! Must she decay there like one of these rotting logs? Worst of all, then, was the insinuating and ever-growing hopelessness What was the use? What did it matter? Who would ever think of Ellen Jorth? "O God!" she whispered in her distraction, "is there nothing left--nothing at all?"

A period of several days of less torment to Ellen followed Her uncle apparently took a turn for the better and Colter let her alone This last circumstance nonplused Ellen She was at a loss to understand it unless the Isbel menace now encroached upon Colter so forotten her for the present

Then one bright August ilance and breathe without oppression, Colter encountered her and, darkly silent and fierce, he grasped her and drew her off her feet Ellen struggled violently, but the total surprise had deprived her of strength And that paralyzing weakness assailed her as never before Without apparent effort Colter carried her, striding rapidly away from the cabins into the border of spruce trees at the foot of the canyon wall

"Colter--where--oh, where are Y'u takin' me?" she found voice to cry out

"By God! I don't know," he replied, with strong, vibrant passion "I was a fool not to carry y'u off long ago But I waited I was hopin' y'u'd lovehas corralled us Soer seen the rest of them sneakin' around I run back after my horse an' y'u"

"But Uncle Tad!We ot to," replied Colter, griets to him"

"Oh, let hed at the utter absurdity of her appeal and claim Suddenly he set her down upon her feet "Stand still," he ordered Ellen saw his big bay horse, saddled, with pack and blanket, tied there in the shade of a spruce With swift hands Colter untied hiaze frorasp her "Up with y'u!Put your foot in the stirrup!" His will, like his powerful arm, was irresistible for Ellen at thatup behind hied away What with the hard rasp on her Ellen was in a painful position Her knees and feet caalloped the horse, tearing through the dense thicket of s that served to hide the entrance to the side canyon, and when out in the larger and ed him to a run Presently when Colter put the horse to a slow rise of ground, thereby bringing him to a walk, it was just in tiht appeared to shade over They were in the pines Suddenly with backward lunge Colter halted the horse Ellen heard a yell She recognized Queen's voice