The Elbert County tribune., 1900-05-17


sky hung like black pail. Don smoke
again, and now more tenderness had
crept into his voice.
wish for your sake the squall was
over. You must try and go to sleep"
She shook her head.
i don't feel like sleeping" she an
swered. She would have withdrawn
her hand, but Don's clasp upon it
| tightened.
Shall l come and sit with you for
while?" he asked gently.
oh, mol" The words broke from
her abruptly. almost with shrinking
dismay. and Don let her hand 60. his
proud lip quivering.
"Lillie!" he spoke hoarsely, don't
don't turn from me like thisi 1t is
more than l can bear! Won't you
won't you kiss me goodnight this
once?"
She drew back swiftly. Love and
pride were struggling fiercely in her
breast; but pride dominated.
"All that is over now" she said, with
naughty bitterness. She turned to
leave him.
"Lillie!" he cried again. and at the
passion In his voice she stood still,
trembling. don't say it is all over.
have tried to endure this and / can
not. Let my love atone. Be pitiful
forget my wrong, and take me back
into your heartl"
She looked at him. and for an in
slant their eyes met-Don's wild in de-
spairing entreaty, Lilies blinded with
sudden tears.
How can / ever forget what has
broken my hearth" she said bitterly.
She rushed from his side then and
down to her cabin; but Don stood on
where she had left him. seeing moth
ing, feeling nothing but the blackness
OF his own despair. Love had driven
him to break down the barrier and
speak the anguish that was dragging
his soul down to the very abyss of
reckless remorse; but now she had re-
pulsed him nothing mattered. She had
shrunk from him as from some un-
clean thing. and death was more well
come than life.
Blinded by the salt spray and deaf
ened by the roar of the elements, he
leaned on at the taffrail when all 9TH
ers had gone below and he alone stood
there on deck. For suddenly, with
awful swiftness. the full fury of the
storm had burst. The sea had become
a sheet of boiling foam. The wind
ragged and shook the gallant vessel,
which ever and anon rose with long.
steady lift to breast the watery preci-
| pice. while cleaving the darkness came
fash after flash of lightning and the
dull roll OF thunder rising louder and
nearer above the wild roar of wind and
wave.
And still through 1t all Don leant
on, clinging to the taffrail unmoved,
careless, almost expectant every mo-
ment might be his last.
1t was in slight lull of the tenn
pests fury Lille stole back on deck.
The rain had been descending in ham
mering torrents. but now It came and
went in gusts. The thunder was roll
ing away fainter and fainter; only the
sea ragged sullenly on. The wind lifted
up its unwearied voice and the good
ship plowed on its way.
The pitiful yielding to self-reproach
had followed swiftly on Lilies cold
and bitter leave-taking of Don. and
now love was battling for victory to
speak some little word of wlfely ten
derness, despite that ever-hauntlng re-
membrance of the dark Afridi nullah
where her fathers blood had been
shed.
Clinging to the companion rail she
strove to peer through the darkness to-
wards the spot where they had parted
Yes. he stood there still. But as she
paused irresolute. looking at that fig
ure on the taffrail SO apparently un-
moved, an awful fear clutched her
heart. Creeping stealthily towards
him on hands and feet. under the
shadow of the bulwarks. was the
snake-like form of swarthy seaman,
an Indian knife gripped between his
teeth; and a hoarse cry-a cry that
rang above the storm from stem to
stern Of the great ship-burst from
Lilies parched lips. The cry was one
word: ''Donl"
Her husband started and turned. Too
late!
Through the darkness flashed a
CLEAN of steel, and the Indians knife,
uplifted to plunge with deadly aim in
his unconscious victims back, was
buried in Don's breast. For an instant
waged a fierce, unequal hand-to-hand
struggle. With the rolling ship the
two figures swayed madly to and fro.
| ITO be contlnued.)