Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-06-06

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square of the window. Here they found
large box, upon which they sat down.
They spoke but little; there were so few
| things loft worth utterancc in such an
hour as this. BY and by, rs their eyes
grew accustomed TO tho dimnoss. they
discerncd the general character of their
surroundings. There was table
! near them with food thero were boxes
and bundles and couple of old pict-
uros, brought up hither apparently
when tho tide began to rise. In the
middle lay the black square through
which they had made entrance; at the
far end arough heap of straw was dimly
distinguished, and from this came rest
less cravings, scrapings and rustlings,
causing the woman to shrink and shud-
der.
al suppose they are rats" she said
once, when the sounds grew louder.
81 suppose so; do you mind very
muchP"
mo, IL we could only see them"
Again for while they were silent,
hearing the little sounds within and the
ever-increasing sounds without.
AT last the man stood up, and pass
ing ms hand across his face, said: "Oh,
this is very cold-bloodedl They used
to torture witches SO, fixed to u stake,
when the tide was coming up"
He moved to and fro impatiently and
stood still by the table.
"Could you not eat somethingP"
mo, thank you"
He broke himself piece of bread,
and returning TO the window, ate few
mouthfuls. 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 to-
ward her face of dismay; hers rs she
sat within the room was not clearly
visible, but her attitude was calm and
undistnrbed. He sighed, and came
back quickly to sit beside her. But his
quietness was of short duration. lie
asked. after few minutes: "Would
We shall have to do il sooner or later,
and don't think we should feel quite
so much imprisoned"
"Oh yes, let us so. Is there trap
doorp"
II don't think there is. l looked just
now. But | can get up through the
window-the roof is close above-and
then l can help you"
He set his foot on the window-sill,
and thrust his head and shoulders
through the narrow opening. ''Oh
yes, it is quite easy. But how it blows!
We had better have some of those
shawls."
Sse 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 mt
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 gables, and
that between them, mt each end,
stack of chimneys rose from 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 eXpanse of waters; below them tor
rents ran laundering between dwellings,
and out-houses, and in the pauses of the
cannonade that beat the walls and of
the rushing and rcnding sounds within
they heard southern wind drifting
with sighs 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 better" said she, and
lifted up her face to breathe the fresher
air.
Zone would say" said he, watching
the dark cameo of her face, as it de-
tached itself from the straight line of
masonry, 'that you had kind of en-
joyment of all this"
I'm a sense l have. There is so
much space and power. And there is
the feeling of having for once put ac-
tion and responsibility out of ones
hands. There is nothing now which it
can possibly be ones duty to do"
"You don't feel any fear of death,
then?"
81 fear it physically, of course-the
actual drowning and choking-ah,
don't let us talk of it. But at least we
shall have had this hour of freedom and
rest"
81 could bear it better" he returned,
''if there were any element of struggle.
To sit still in n cage until death chooses
to come and put an end to you-that's
horrible!h
She turned toward him and seemed
to consider his point of view until it
became hers, for she shuddered and
said! 'Itis horrible"
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
suddenly. She hesitated little.
"What made you?'
~ hardly know, more than what l
said-that nobody cared much whether
/ did or not and that 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-"
al don't think that it need be n ques-
tion of age how much ones life is worth.
Mine did not matter to any one, either;
and it was not very easy or hopeful for
myself. Ihad 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 at once, here was q 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"
"Yet," said he. 81 could not help
wondering, 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 remem-
brance. For death can only destroy the
future, but life can destroy the past,
too"
"Are you sorry. then, that you staidP"
There was a little note of mockery in
in the question, or his conscience Gre
ated it.
"No, il seemed the thing 10 do. Ono