The Penn's Grove record., 1888-09-08

that brief interposition OF light, they
made their way into the attic. and
| crossing it carefully, afraid OF the low
| roof, and also afraid of unseen stumb-
ling blocks, afraid OF returning upon
the yawnlng aperture, made their way
to the gray square Of the window.
| Here they found a large box, upon
which they sat down. They spoke but
little; there were so few things left
worth utterance in such an hour as
this. By.and-by as their eyes grew
accustomed to the dimness, they dis
cerned the general character of their
surroundings. There was a table near
them with food; there we're boxes and
bundles and a couple Of old pictures
brought up hither apparently 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 distin-
guished, and from this came restless
cravings, scrapings and rustlings,
causing the oma TO shrek and shud-
der.
81 suppose they are rats" she said
once, when the sounds grew louder.
Il suppose so; do you mind very
muchl"
mo, If we could only see Them"
Again for a while they were silent,
hearing the little sounds within and
the eyer increasing sounds without.
At last the man stood up, and pass
ing his hand across his face, said:
''Oh, this is very cold-blooded. They
used to torture witches 80, fixed to a
ztnI,, ,rbn- ,Ia t{la ma nnminn nm ,
He moved to and fro lmpatiently
and stood still by the table.
"Could you eat something's"
"No, thank you"
He broke himself a piece Of bread,
and returning to the window, ate a
few mouthfuls. He pushed open the
lattice and leaned out.
The water vas rising rapidly, and
was already washing on the window Of
the room below. He turned back
toward her a face Of dlsmay; 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. lie
asked, after a few minutes:
"Would you not like to go out upon
the roof We shall have to do 1t sooner
or later, and l don't think we should
feel quite so much imprisoned"
"Oh, yes, let us go. Is there a trap
door2"
81 don't think there is. I looked
Just now. But l 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 blowsl We had better have some of
those shawls."
She brought them up 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 the 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 parallel gables, and that
between them, at each end, a stack OF
chimneys rose from a solid platform.
They went forward to the more shell.
tered group, and sat down ON the block
of brickwork at the base. They had
before them the wide, desolate e
panse of waters; below them torrents
ran laundering between dwelling and
outhouses, and IN the pauses OF the
c~annOnade that beat the walls. and OF
the rushing and rending sounds within,
they heard a southern wind drifting
with signs between the chimneys.
There was no token of life, nc light, no
sound of hope. Yet they felt a sense
of relief and freedom in being mere
where they could see and know what
was Detailing.
''Oh, that is betterl" said she. and
lifted up her face to breathe the freshel
air.
Zone would say,'' said he, watching
the dark of her face, as 1t de.
tached itself from the straight line OF
masonry, that you had a kind of enjoy.
ment of all this"
I'm q sense I have. There Is sc
much space and power. And there IL
the feeling Of having for once put &C
ton and responsibility out of one's
hands. There Is nothing now which
it can possibly be ones duty to do.
you don't feel any fear Of death
them"
81 fear it physically, of course-tht
actual choking and drowning an,
don't let us talk of it. But at least We
shall have had this hour OF freedom
and rest"
~ could bear 1t better" he returned
.sif there were any element of struggle
To sit still ina cage until death choose:
to come and put an end to you-that':
horrible"
She turned toward him and seemed
to consider his point of view until i
became hers, for sne shuddered ant
said:
1T is horrlble."
There was silence again between
them for a little while. Again. wheI
her face was bent forward, he was abl'
to watch its outline. Surely she Wa
much younger than he had supposed
"What made you stayl' he asket
!. suddenly.
She hesitatcd a little.
what made your"
II hardly know, more than what
said-that nobody cared much whether
[ did or not, and that did not care
much myself. But l am older thar
you, and l have had about as much GU
oS life as 1t will ever give me-"
~ don't think that 1t need be {
!, question of age how much ones life !
worth. Mine did not matter to an.
one. either; and it was not very cas-,
or hopeful for myself. l had wanted
30 much, and had to learn that | mus
do with so little. Of course 1t IS no
noble to care for so much about oae'
pwn petty happiness, but, OIL one doe
arel And then, all at once, here wa
a Of escape, not selfish, but t
nelp happier people, and. 1t SCENE
The key to everything when o stoo'
up in the boat and said that you woul'
stay"
yet" said he. 81 could not he'll
wondering, as we stepped out, whethe
what we were really giving to thos'
Young lovers was only time to los