It was in the night
of that awful storm in April, and she went miles away, and finally
overcome, lay down to die, and was covered with the snow, when a young
chap found her--God knows how--took her up, carried her across the
Chagrin River, or one of its branches, in under some rocks, built a
fire, and brought her to, and finally got her to a man's house in the
woods, sent word to her father, and went off. Do you know anything
about it? The story is, that you are the chap who did it."
All eyes were on Bart.
"I heard something of it," said he, smiling. "I came off the evening
after this marvel; and in the stage two ladies were full of it.
They made it a little stronger than your version. I think there were
several wild animals in theirs. We stopped at a tavern two or three
miles on, when somebody told the old lady that I was 'the chap that
did it;' but as I had told her that this Bart wasn't much of a fellow,
she was inclined to doubt her informant. The old lady stopped in
Chardon, and you must have heard her story."
"The young lady herself said that you saved her," said Wade, with his
usual directness. "What do you say to that?"
"If the young lady was in a condition to know," replied Bart, "I
should take her word for it." And passing into the back room he closed
the door.
"What the devil is there in it?" said Wade. "It is just as I say. Has
he ever said a word about it?"
"Not a word," said the young men.
"I met Miss Markham a year ago, when I was in Newbury, at a sugar
party," said Ranney.
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