The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-05-31

the general character of their surroundings.
There was table near them with food;
there were boxes and bundles and a couple
of old pictures, brought up hither appar-
emily when the tide began to rise. In the
middle lay the black square through which
they had made entrance; at the far end a
rough heap of straw was dimly distinguish
ed, and from this came restless cravings,
scrapings, and rustlings causing the woman
to shrink and shudder.
II suppose they are rats, she said once,
when the sounds grew louder.
81 suppose so; do you mind very much?'
''No, if we could only see them"
Again for while they were silent, hear
ing the little sounds within and the ever
increasing sounds without.
At last the man stood up, and passing
his hand across his face, said: 'Oh, this
is very cold-blooded! They used to torture
witches so, fixed to stake, when the tide
was coming up
He moved to and fro impatiently and
stood still by the table
"Could you not eat something
''No thank you
He broke himself piece of bread, and
returning to the window, ate a few mouth
fuls. He pushed open the lattice and
leaned out
The water was rising rapidly, and was
already washing on the window of the room
below He turned back toward her face
of dismay; hers as she sat within the room
was not clearly visible, but her attitude was
calm and undisturbed He sighed and
came back quietly to sit beside her. But
his quietness was of short duration. He
asked, after few minutes, "Would you
not like to go out upon the roof? We shall
haye to do it sooner or latter, and | don't
think we should feel quite so much impris-
oned.''
"0h yes, let us go. Is there trap
door p d
II don't think there is. | looked just
now. But can get up through the win
dow-the roof is close above-and then |
can help you"
He set his foot ON the window sill, and
thrust his head and shoulders through the
narrow opening. "0h, yes, it is quite easy.
But how it blows 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 away 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 that the
roof was formed of two long parallel ga
bles, and that between them, at each end,
a stack of chimneys rose from solid plat
form. They went forward to the more
sheltered group and sat down on the block
of brickwork at the base. They had before
them the wide, desolate expanse of waters;
below them torrents ran laundering be-
tween dwelling and out houses, and in the
pauses of the cannonade that beat the walls
and of the rushing and rending sounds
within they heard a southern wind drifting
with sighs between the chimneys. There
was no token of life, no sound of hope.
Yet they felt sense of relief and freedom
in being here, where they could see and
know what was Detailing.
ooh, that is better p said she, and lifted
up her face to breathe the fresher air.
"One would say" said he, watching the
dark cameo of her face, as it detached it
self from the straight line of masonry,
"that you had kind of enjoyment of all
this"
SIN sense l have. There is so much
space and power. And there is the feeling
of having for once put action and respon-
sibility out of ones hands, There is moth
ing now which it can possibly be ones duty
to do"
''You don't feel any fear of death, then?'
II fear it physically, of course-the ac-
tual drowning and choking-ah, don't lot
us talk of it. But at least we shall have
had this hour of freedom and rest"
II could bear it better" he returned, 'tif
there were any element of struggle To
sit still in cage until death chooses to
come and put an end to you-that's hor-
rible p
She turned toward him and seemed to
consider his point of view until it became
hers, for she shuddered and said "It is
horrible. p
There was silence again between them
for little while Again, when her face
was bent forward, he was able to watch its
outline. Surely she was younger than he
had supposed.
"What made you stay?' he asked sud-
denly. She hesitated little
"What made you 9''
II hardly know, more than what | said
that nobody cared much whether | did
or not, and that ! did not care much my
self. But | am older than you, and l have
had about as much out of life as it will
ever give me-
II don't think that it need be question
of age how much ones life is worth. Mine
did not matter to any one, either; and il
was not very easy or hopeful for myself
/ had wanted so much and had to learn
that must do with SO little. OF course,
it is not noble to care so much about ones
own petty happiness, but oh one does
care And then, all at once, here was a
way of escape, not selfish, but to help hap
pier people, and it seemed the key to every,
thing when you stood up in the boat and
said that you would stay"
"Yet,' said he, II could not help won
dering, as We stepped out, whether what
we were really giving to those young lovers
was only time to lose their love for each
other, even in remembrance For death
can only destroy the future, but life can
destroy the past, too"
"Are you sorry, then, that you staid p
There was liJtle note of mockery in
the question, or his conscience created it.
"No, it seemed the thing to do. One
can but act in the present. And even if a
man could know certainly that death would
keep their love for them, and life would
lose it, he could hardly bring himself to
say, Then let death come 1t takes Apol-
! 4 1. q n :