St. Landry democrat., 1881-08-20

been dong precisely what his TREND
had done, only that he had watched
more anXiously the increasing ripple on
the water.
..She isn't so very far,' he had said
to himself, ut first. Il do wish Sine
had come with me. lie cant reach
that shore, swim his best 1t Il be an
awful thing to tell >
\ couple of minutes later he, was
muttering: That was a harder puff.
How she does drift Seems to me |
dom get an inch nearer. Ii it blows
much harde" II have to follow her to
the upper end of the lake
That was nearly six miles away, and
the thought Of it made the warm water
he was swimming in seem several de-
grees colder. Barry lips closed hard,
and his teeth Set against each other,
and he measured his every stroke to
make it tell. Then his turn came to
try "back swim and rest and he,
too, said: Il can see the shore and the
CITY, but | can't get glimpse OF Sine.
There! isn't that his ad?-that black
thing? Guess it is; it's moving. Yes,
it s him!''
1t was. indeed, the back OF Shines
head, but the boy under it was saying
to himself: The shores as far away
as it ever was. I'd no idea we had
padded out such a distance. Reach it?
| aciU reach it. Never swan so far in
my life, but must reach it,
Still it WAS getting to be weary work,
and before him lay what seemed an in
terminable reach of glittering ripples.
He was breathing hard, his arms and
legs were moving with less force than
at first, and his progress through the
water was slower and slower.
.'Can do it? It's cot to be done.
I'll tread water a moment for change.
can't see Barry. Hurrah! it the
shalloWst'
AS he dropped his feet they came
down upon smooth sand. for all that
end o the lake was gentle slope from
, the beach. The water was up to his
neck, but the bottom was there, and
SiIne's heart bounded with q great throb
Of relief.
Barry? I must wade in fast now.
No boat when get there; no help"
1t was forlorn outlook, and Sine
even thought for moment OF all his
clothing away out there IN the skitf.
Then he thought Of Barry Gilmore and
hardly any thing else. until the increas-
inc shallowness OF the water enabled
him to wade faster, and then to break
/ into what was almost q run. 1t was
great splash at all events, and SINE
was quickly shouting to some one on
the beach a half breathless account of
| Barr danger.
WHY didn't We wait for the oars? l
was a-comin' down with 'em. Wanted
swim myself, AMI thought L fool ye
little What. Barry a-swimmin' after
the skiif2 There's jim Burr's boat.
Quick. jump in.''
I "It's locked
"Locked? Well, I'll jest unlock it,
| The KEY Purdy used was of limestone,
and it may have weighed twenty
pounds. II 'opened Jim Burr's pad
| lock for good and all, while Sine was
getting in; and then how Purdy did
| row!
"We'll be too late.'
.:Shut up, Sine Don't talk to me.
/ It's jest awful. !"
| 1t came very near it, for Barry Gil
mores brave. earnest face was getting
white when ne at last discovered that he
was really drawing nearer the runaway
, boat.
The wind is rising. I'm almost
gone Couldn't swim two rods further -
Yes, the wind was, indeed, blowing
harder, but the direction of it had been
for some time changing, as it is apt to
do before a summer storm. The first
'.surface current of air had lost its
breath, and the stronger blast which
was really to bring the cloud and rain
was coming from the other way. So
was the skitf it caught and carried
along, and Barry hardly understood it.
"rm swimming pretty fast yet, in
spite of everything. Wish | knew
about Sine Just little further
Oh. how difficult were those last few
strokes! When Barry family rested
one hand upon the gunwale of the sklff,
it required great effort to lit the other
beside it.
81 can't climb IN, now I've got here.
What shall do?'
OF course he could not have climbed
in, if he had been obliged to lift him
self all the way up, but every ounce OF
weight he put upon the side OF the boat
brought it down further and further,
until it was hardly tWoinches above the
roughening water.
"Now for it!,' All the strength he
had left went into that last effort, and
then Barry was lying on the bottom OF
the boat, with his wet head on the shin
ing front of Sine Hopkins shirt
bosom.
He did not try to guess how long he
lay there. Even after he could have
moved, he had no heart to lift his head
and look toward the shore. At last,
lust after he had covered his eyes with
both hands, there came upon his ears
the sound of oars, as if some very zeal
Gus rover were pulling for a prize IN