The Portland daily press., 1898-03-10
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COPYRIGHT 1888. BY THE AuTHoR.3
Continued

A
if he has not already gone by"
Not for q moment had she lost sight
of Marianne's request. The matter was
surging through her thoughts while she
kent the old evangelist to the front as a
tonic. Should she or should she not
omen her doors to Reginald Bellknap?
She made no pretense of ignorance as
to the state of his feelings when he had
left with her father. By this time his
fancy might have lightly turned to other
faces in other quarters. Then it would
be safe to have him thrown upon her
for daily companionship. On the other
hand, he might be one Of the valnly
constant sort. What then?
Marianne had risen with her, and to-
gether they sauntered slowly past the
hedgerows, white with the Cherokee
roses, and under the wild orange trees
that dropped their green balls at their
feet. A rising tide of resentment was
surging up in her girlish heart. She
had come at considerable personal peril
to ask a great favor Of this strange Miss
Basoom, who had admitted that she owed
debt of gratitude to her brother, and
yet here she was resolutely ignoring him
and his ambassador while she searched
diligently for an old man whom she
had never seen before few days ago
and was not likely ever to see again.
A plowman swinging along the road,
singing hymn at the top of his lusty
lungs, put an end to Jessica IS search for
her gentle pilgrim. From him they
learned that the old man had last been
seen sitting in fine carriage by the side
of fine lady.
'My friend, Mr.. Whitney's sister,
doubtless has given him lift. -
"I am glad,'' said Jessica. "The old
man was more feeble than he would
admit. They drove out by the lower
road, I suppose. -
Marianne stopped suddenly, with her
hands pressed to her breast.
''Listen, don't you hear something
like human being in pain?''
Jessica, too, came to startled stand
still in the middle of the road.
'tOff that way to the left. 1t sounds
as if it might come from the very thick
est of that clump of blackberry bushes, J"
said Marianne in an affrighted whisper.
''There is a pond Of water in that di-
rection. Some one may have gone there
for water who did not know its treach-
erous, slippery banks and got hurt. We
must investigate"
As she talked Jessica hurried in the d.
rection of the blackberry thicket. Mari
anne followed slowly and reluctantly.
"Might we not just as we'll call that
man back, Miss Bascom?''
HE is singing so Justify he never
would hear us, and we cannot spare the
time to go after him. Every moment is
precious.
With every step of their progress the
sound of distress became more audible.
Jessica pushed the clinging brambles
aside with generous disregard for her
own delicate flesh. Marianne pressed
close after her. Immediately about the
little pond the bushes grew thinner. 1t
was made apparent that other hands
than theirs had forced a passage through
them. Immediately on the edge of the
water their efforts were rewarded. Mari
anne's were the first eyes to discern the
dark, mass lying prone, with arms out
stretched toward the water they could
not reach.
SIT is mana man in Confederate
uniform. Oh, Miss Bascom!' Jessica
was already kneeling by the figure on
the water brink.
A pair of burning eyes met hers as
she kneeled down upon the damp ground.
From parohed throat an imploring cry
escaped.
'fWater-water-qul
She unbuttoned her wallet with trem-
bling fingers.
eve have something better than wa
ter for you here, my poor fellow. Here,
Marianne, pour few drops of this cor
dial down his throat while hold up his
head, and then will give him some
milk to drink. -
Marianne obeyed her mechanically,
although she felt the utmost physical
repulsion to approaching any nearer to
the sufferer.
Jessica held his head upon her knee
His long matted hair fell in unkempt
masses over her arms. His eyes grew
filmy even while they pressed the re-
storatives to his lips.
''Is he dead?'' Marianne asked, recoil-
ing with shudder.
''No, he has only tainted from ex-
haustion If we had not found him
when we did, though, he soon would
have been dead. Fold your cape up in
to pillow. Quick have need OF both
my arms. Now, your hat full of water.
Don't stop to think whether you are
frightened or not, Marianne. A human
life is depending on u.s."
Marianne flew to obey the orders that
Jessica issued rapidly and without con-
fusion. Under the reviving influence Of
the water they dashed into his face and
the cordial they forced down his throat
the man once more opened his eyes Ian
guidly. He gazed upward into the two
pale, sweet faces bending above him and
murmured brokenly: "He-shall-give
his - angels - charge-concerning
ACKNOWLEDGMENT hear thee m