"Your countenance seems familiar," I unid, addressing the elder lady.
"And so does yours, sir!" she replied; "and for the last half hour, I have been trying to recall where I have seen you but in vain."
Suddenly the whole truth flashed upon me.
"Were you not in New York with your daughter, some two years since?" I in quired, eagerly.
"I was."
"At the National Theatre, on the night it was burned?"
"I was."
"Did not some one rescue your daugh ter from the flames?"
"Good heavens! yes! I remember now I remember!" she exclaimed, a good deal agitated. " It was you, sir you! I thought I knew those features!" and exci ted by powerful emotions, she seized both my hands in hers, and pressing them warmly, uttered a " God bless you!" while her eyes filled with tears of grati tude. Eva was too much affected to trust her voice in the utterance of a single word but her look spoke volumes.
What a strange combination of startling e^sents had this night revealed to me! How. mysteriously had Providence ar ranged and put them together for some great design! Who could have imagined that the mere act of saving a fellow crea ture's life a stranger at that, in a strange
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city and leaving her without knowing her name, or even her residence, for a long journey of many thousand miles was to nave a direct bearing upon my future des tiny, and that of my friend? Yet such was the fact; and however unimportant the incident might have appeared at the time to the reader however irrelative to the main story yet on that very circum stance, unknown to any, was depending many of the important events which fol lowed those already described, and which in due time will be given.
It was with sensations peculiar to each, that these matters were narrated and com mented upon for the next two hours; and doubtless not one who heard the strange and romantic story of how I saved the life of Eva Mortimer, but felt his most trivial tot to result from the hidden design of a
Higher Power. As for myself, such a .chaos of ideas crowded my brain, as made it impossible for me to describe what I thought, or what feeling had the prepon derance, unless it were a mingling of plea sure and sadness. But one thing seemed wanting to make me joyful; and that, aks! was my friend. Had he been pre sent, notwithstanding all adverse circum stances, my heart would have bounded with rapture. And he! what would have been his feelings, thus to have met, in pro- pria personce, the idol of his dreams! thus to have been placed tete-a-tete with Eva Mortimer the beautiful unknown!
CHAPTER XXIX.
STANDING SENTINEL DROWSINESS INTER RUPTION SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF PRAI RIE FLOWER HER WARNING, SURPRISE,
AGITATION AND ABRUPT DEPARTURE
ALARM THE CAMP HOSTILE PREPARA TIONS ATTACK REPULSE VICTORY
ARRIVAL IN OREGON CONCLUSION.
IT was late in the night, and all had be come still in the encampment. The ani mals consisting of mules, horses, oxen and cows had been driven together and tethered, and were taking their repose. In the area, formed by the wagons, two fires were burning, at one of which sat Teddy and myself, half dozing, with our rifles resting against our shoulders. We had volunteered our services as sentinels for the night but our watch could hardly be termed vigilant. In the surrounding vehicles, the emigrants were already giv- i ing evidence of that sound sleep which indicates health and weariness, and a ces sation of the physical and mental faculties. I was, as I said before, in a half dozing state. I had been conning over the many singular pranks of fortune connected with myself, and particularly the wonderful revelations of the last six or eight hours. I had been musing upon the complicated web of man's existence and already had my thoughts began to wander as in a dream.
A rumbling sound, like the roaring ot a distant waterfall caught my ear. Gradually it grew louder and nearer,
