Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-06-13

hour as this. By and by. as their eyes
grew accustomed TO tie dlmness. they
discerned the general character of their
surroundings There was table
near them with food there were boxes
and bundles and n couple of old pict-
ures, brought up hither apparently
when the tide began TO rise. In the
middle lay the black square through
which they had made entrance; ut the
Tar end rough h,ap Of straw was dimly
distinguished, aud from this came rest
less gRawings, scrapings and rustlings,
causing the woman 10 shrink and shud-
der.
IL suppose they are rats" she said
once. when the sounds grew louder.
II suppose so; do you mind very
much?"
''No. II we could only see them"
Acain for n while they were silent,
hearing the little sounds within and the
ever-incrcasing sounds without.
AT last the man stood up. aud pass
ing his hand across his face, said: ''Oh,
thi, is very cold-blOodedl They used
to torture witches so, fixed To n stoke,
when tho tide was coming up"
He novel to and fro impatiently and
stood - II by the table.
Gould you not cat somethingP"
mo. thank you"
He broke himself piece of bread,
and returning to the window, ate few
mouthfuls. lie pushed open the lattice
and leaned out
The water was rising rapidly. and
was already washing on the window of
the room below. lie turned back to-
ward her face Of dismay: hers as she
sat within the room was not clearly
visible, but her attitude was calm and
undisturbcd. lie sighed. aud came
back quickly to sit beside her. But his
quietness was Of short duration. lie
asked. after n few minutes: Would
you not like To go out upon the roof?
We shall have To do il sooner or later,
and don't think we should feel quite
so much imprisoned"
"Oh yes, let us 60. Is there a trap
door?'
II don't think there is. / looked just
now. But | can get up through the
window-the roof is close above-and
then can help you"
lie set his foot on the window-sill,
and thrust his head and shoulders
through the narrow opening. ''Oh
| yes, II Is quite easy. But how il blowsi
We had better have some of those
shawls."
She brought them and handed them
out, watched him draw himself up, and
then mounted in her turn from box to
window-ledge, and, reaching her hands
upward, found herself lifted safely TO
the summit
The surge of wind and water was
| terrific; her hat was blown awaV at
once and she was blinded by her hair.
When she had freed her face and drawn
up her shawl over her head she was
able To perceive tina. the roof was
formed OF two long parallel gables, and
that between them, at each end. n
stack of chimneys rose from n solid
platform. They went forward TO the
more sheltered group and sat down on
the block Of brick-work at the base.
| They had before them the wide, desc
late eNpanse OF waters; below them tor
rents ran laundering between dwellings
and out-houses, aud in the pauses of the
cannOnade that beat the walls and of
the rushing and rending sounds within
they heard n southern wind drifting
with signs between the chimneys.
There was no token of life. no LIGHT. no
sound of hope. Yet they felt sense of
relief and freedom in being here, where
they could see and know what was be-
falling.
"Oh, that is betterr said she, and
lifted up her face to breathe the fresher
/ air.
''One would say" said he, watching
the dark cameo Of her face. rs il de-
tachod itself from the straight line of
masonry, that you had kind of en-
| joy ment Of all this"
In n sense 1 have. There Is so
much space and power. And there Is
the feeling Of having for once put nc
ton and responsibility out OF ones
hands. There is nothing now which IL
can possibly be ones duty to do"
You don't feel any fear Of death,
them"
.''I fear IL physically. Of course-the
actual drowning and chokinp-ah.
don't let us talk Of il. But at least we
shall have had this hour of freedom and
rest"
81 could bear il better" he returned.
iii there were any element of struggle.
To sit still in cage until death chooses
to come and put an end to you-that's
/ hOrribler
She turned toward him and seemed
TO consider his point of view until IL
became hers, for she shuddered and
said at is horribler'
There was silence again between
them for little while. Again. when
her face was bent forwafd, he was able
To watch its outline. Surely she was
younger than he had supposed.
1 asWhaN rvnaIa
suddenly. She hesitated a little.
'What made you?'
III hardly know. more than what I
said-that nobody cared much whether
L did or not, and that i did not care
much myself. But am older than You.
and have had about as much out of
life as it will ever give me-"
81 don't think that it need be n oues-
ton OF age how much ones life is worth.
Mine did not matter TO any one, either.
and II was not very easy or hopeful for
myself. had wanted so much. And
had to learn that l must do with so lit
tie. Of course, il is not noble TO care
so much about ones own petty happi-
ness, but oh! one does care! And then
all Mt once, here was a way of escape.
not selfish, but to help happier people
and It seemed the KEY to
everything when you stood up in the
boat and said that you would stay"
'1et, =" said he, 81 could not helm
wondering. as we stepped out, whether
what we were really giving to those
young lovers was only time 10 lose their
| love Tor each other. even in remem-
brance. For death can only DESTROY the
future, but life can destroy the past.
too" P'
Are you sorry, then. that you staid?''
there was little note of mockery in
in the question. or his conscience Gro
, ated Il.
mo. it seemed the thing to do. One
can but act in the present. And even n
n man could know certainly that death
would keep their love for them. and
| life would lose II, he could hardly brine
himself 70 say: Then let death coma ;