Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-05-19

I
out with terror. #r
The strong, awful calm that had com
to John after his first outburst gives way a
the cry, and his anger breaks through lik
q ground swell. betokening how deep 1t lie
hidden away.
'.Be quietr' he says, savagely, and thel
the sharp pain at his heart nerves him, q
pain will nerve to self-mastery.
ssFanny, when / asked you If you coul'
love me well enough to be my wife l thong
of you as a man thinks of a true woman.
| thought wasn't worthy of your love, evel
though gaveyou my heart and soul in ex
change. gave 'em you, Fanny; You hav
been first and foremost in every though
I've had since then. I'm not making
merit of so doing-I don't know as l Cal
take them back: God knows how / low,
you still, but I'll not take wife who's no
content with the love I've got to give her
who'll not keep herself for me alone. II
not put myself in the danger of marryins
where can't trnst.
She had kept her eyes hidden, and h,
had not seen the shame and the sorrow tha
had filed them, but his hist words stun,
her into sudden fire.
Nobody asks you to" cher voice has tn,
taunting ring in it he iSleast able to bear.
''Tm not likely to ask any man to marry
me, Mr.. Fry-least of all one whom I've
made great mistake by ever having any
thing to do with. l always felt I'd thro -gr
myself away, and now I'm sure of it. Tn
fit for something better than a fisherman,
wife, can tell you-a rough brute tha
has no manners for his betters. Let me
CO."
She pushes him, and at the same mo-
ment Davie lounges up.
"Did you hear signal?" he says. ''In
thinkin' it came from beyond Hedden's
mouth. Come on and tell the lieutenant
Why, man, where be ye going, off in the
dark alone; 'ul help noaIe; wait and giC
me help wi the lifeboat"
John only shook off the grasp his friend
had laid laid on his coat, and hurried of
into the darkness"
swell, I'm blowedw says Davie, ''there1
be summit more than common amiss wi Q
steady chap like that I'm afore he'd run o
mucker along the cliff-edge in the dark
And Davie hurries back to tell the lieuten-
ant of the signal he fancies he has heard.
PART III.
That night no one but the children went
to bed in the little fishing village.
At bout eight o'clock Davie had spread
the alarm of a ship off the Hedden's Mouth,
and the danger was too well known not to
rouse stirring sympathy in all who heard
the tidings. Lieutenant Roberts and his
men had soon put off in the lifeboat, and
more than one of the fishing boats had fol-
lowed; though the sea was now so wild that
some of the older men shook their heads
and muttered that '.it were clean temp
tin of Providence" Even in the upper vii
lage stray rumors of the excitement below
kept folk waking.
Fanny Haywood lived alone with her
father. He had been village schoolmaster,
but was superan auated now, and almost
childish; his CHIEF ieas being the correct
ness and spotless condition of his clothing,
and the beauty and irresistible charms of
his daughter Fanny. He saw no use what
ever III sitting up burning candle just be-
cause a ship had been so stupid as TO get
on crooks, and he told his daughter she
would do wisely if she went to bed too.
Fanny gave him careless answer; but
when he had fairly gone up stairs. she
placed herself at the window and looked
out, in hopes Of hearing news from some
passer-Dy.
The girls heart was very heavy tonight
She had not said one word to her father
She had joked, and laughed, and tried TO
bear herself bravely; but the pent up sor-
row grew in its struggle to find vent in
the deep lone stiffness it made her heart
heavy as lead.
The night was very dark Fanny put
her head out of the.the lattice SIS she heard
a far.off sound. and the wind swirling
round the house in a wild gust blew her
hair into her eyes. The sound came near
er, heavy and numbering, not like mere
footstep.
sswho's there?- she calls, as it comes
nearer; there is strong sudden horror in
her. though she could not have found a
name for it.
"It's me-Davie. 1 be in barrow from
the rocks down yonder."
Hes fallen and smashed his ankle, IS
says deep voice which Fanny Haywood
recognizes as tha, OF the second in COM
mand of the coastguard station; 81 had to
come back, so I've brought him along"
els the ship safer" says Fanny Hey
wood.
"well, yes," (the man speaks sulkily;) y
''she cried out before she was hurt. There 8
one of the boats stove in that came out af-
ter the ifeboat"
Fanny's heart gives a sudden boun d. 81
any one hurt besides Davie?" she says, in
a faint, scared voice.
ssWell, yes; and must go on, Miss, now
I'm come in to fetch the doctor out to Joe
Porter and another psor fellow"
'Is John Fry down helping with your"
she says.
Davie strikes in; the gasping tone of
Fanny's word nadroused him.
:'Pm not easy in my mind le says
sJohn Fry left me all in a hurry to go off
to the rocks, and there's no one seen or
heard on him since. Johns not the lad to
stan BY wi his hands in his pockets while
folks is wanting help"
Before his words are spoken Fanny is out
of the cottage door. She can see the fig
ures in the vague indistinct light-a light
that seems fraught IN itself with doubt and
fear. With all her haste, that strange
mechanical quality we call ''habit" makes
Fanny take down shawl, which hangs in
the passage, and wrap it around her head
and shoulders as she runs into the road
She puts out hen hand till it touches the
coast guards arm.
"Mr. Evans, tell any one you see to send
help TO the foot of the cliffs: and tell lieu
tenant Roberts I'm gone there to look for
John Fry"
"Gone alone God help herr But as
he speaks there is nothing but the vague
indistinct glimmer round Evans and his
charge. Fanny has sped on far out ofsight,
down the steep fern banked lane, lighter
than it had been in the upper village. for
the sea is before her.
She guesses that the fishermen are not
gone to bed, and she knocks loudly at the
first door she comes to.
An old man opens it, very old and feeble,
with q face honeycombed with wrinkles, -
He has lantern in his hand, and holds it
up to examine his visitor.
'.Let me have it, Father Pugsley," says
the girl, taking the lantern with q grasp he
As powerlese to resist. eff there's man
or boy in the house with you, send them
after me to the foot of Ragged Jack.
The wonderful power of instinct has told
her that if any harm has come TO John her
conduct has caused it. She sees him hur-
rying along the cliff-path when she left him
with those taunting words on her lips. She
knows every inch of the path, and John s
loving, protecting care has taught her too
well its dangers. At the foot of this mas
sive pile of gray rocks, which the villagers
call ''Ragged Jack, the Path seems to end
suddenly so abrupt is the angle 1t makes
round the jagged mass. Fanny shudders