Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1899-12-22

rs thcre n D~OatnouSe ABOUT neref
inquired. looking about me-.
"Oh. yes" he returned eagerly.
fright on tie pler.'
'rLst would he n pleasant way of
watching the sun sct-froni the water"
l said.
We clanbcrcd up the rocks and went
TO the boathousc. where We got n boat
and rowed out Into the pretty bay. The
srn was setting. and the shading Of
the sky w.s exquisite, shading from a
bright lemon through reds and puppies
to a misty gray. Presently the big
globe dipped lingcringIy behind the dis
tnnt hills and gradually sank down.
leaving a ruddy glow behind which
SKINNED the ripples and shot streaks
OF gold through some black. rolling
clouds Which were poking their omi-
nous tops above the horizon.
| was rowing. and Brown sat In the
bow. lie said he preferred the bow. II
did not mind the added difficulty Of
rowing. Sitting that way we could
both see the unset. For n long time
we said nothing. ] row'ed on half lazi-
~. When the s;in had disappeared, l
turned to Brown with II smile. Are
You enjoying yourselsg" | asked.
IT'S dreamy" he returned aud lo0k-
ed ont 10 sea. Then he added quickly:
"pull wGy ont. Let's row far out to
sea and como back by moonlight. The
moon rises early" ! was moro than
plrasel fer . moonlight ride was more
than ! had hoped for. So In spite of
the black clouds which were gathering
fast | rowed on and en-. Brown offered
TO row once. hut | told lin that | was
perfectly satisfied. Pretty soon a
hrceze sprung UP and raffcd the wa
ter iCoked back again nj Brown and
found him eagerly scanning the horl.
ION. lie started slightly when he saw
me looking at him. Row onl" he said
"Row or"
His manner was peculiar. I thought
he was nervous. do you fear n
stor1nT' | assed without turning my.
head. Just then n pretty large wave
thumpcd against tho bow. ITS getting
rough" | added. ut always does after
the sun goes down." lie said. ROW
On" | looked up ut the sky. out of
which the light was fast fading. Then
| stopped rowing for Il moment. We
were almost out OF sight of land. 1t
only looked like n black streak through
the twilight. The waves had grown
considerably. and | knew that they.
together with the tide. would soon car
ry us beyond sight of land. Then II
there should be no ROOM. and If a
cfor.,r. rf,atrlI rnpto - f~s4nA rn-gn1f
getting anxious.
I've must 80 back" l said decidedly
and was just going to pick up my oars
and turn about when | felt n heavy
weight plump down upon me and crush
me to the bottom of the boat. One
oar was lifted clear out of the rowlock
and dropped Into the water. In a mo
mcnt Browns hands were at my
threat. and he was choking me and
buttlng my head against tie boards. |
could rot spenk. and my SENSES were
fast ewing me. ] remember his face
being close to mine and his heavy
breathing sounding loud and labo-ed.
Then the sharp raised rib Of the boa
seemed to crunch into my head, and !
lost consciousness.
The first thing | became aware Of
was n faint rumb1lng which came from
the distance. and as | gradually eco
cred ! saw gashcs Of lightning spread
over the Sky. a storm was coming
fast. The boat was rocking violently.
and Brown was bending over me bath
Ing my face with water. | reached
out my hand and Grasped him.
Don't" be said simply and made me
let go.
| tried to get up, but he pushed me
back. Lie still. The sea is rough"
The storm came on faster and faster.
Flash after fash of lightning lighted up
the leaving ocean; the thunder grum.
blcd, rolled and crashed; the waves
rose to friGhtful heights and rushed
down upon the little boat with their
tops curling and falling. The boat
would rise on the crest of a wave and
then take Il ~sickening dive down until
It seemed TO ne that we must surely
reach the bottom. Then the going up
was so sudden and the motion so differ
ent that | held my breath. We were
wet to the skin. for the boat often
piuhSSh IlBui tbiOuBu Ahc NOp VI u
wave. We both hung to the seat OF the
half sinking boat and waited.
The storm was short. The thunder
became fainter and fainter. and the
lightning ceased Its zlgzag form and
gave out soft, broad glares far off on
the horizon. The air changed. and 1t
became cold. | do not know what time
Of night 1t was, but 1t must have Deer
somewhere near morning when a big
a " dashed us against n pile Of rocks
and completely shattered the boat. We
were flung out and lodged In a large
crevice between two towering rocks
With what strength we had we climb
ed up the ragged surface OF the rocks
till we were out OF reach Of the pound
Ing waves, and there. In a cleft, we
shivered till morning.
1t was not long before the sun put in
a sickly appearance through the riffs Of
the scudding clouds and revealed a
long stretch of heaying. muddy bill
lows, some or which still frothed and
fOamed. There was a stiff, cold wind
blowing In from the east. and it made
eV- w...I w. - - - - !