The Worthington advance., 1901-01-18
HN1VE me liberty or give me
II DEATH"

Ii death!"
"Nonsense!"
''We hold this 10 be a self-evident
proposition; that all men are created
free
Twill you be still?''
Life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness," the rebel cried against the
rising storm. and made good her es-
cape.
AS far as Clara Cordova was con-
cerned, this ended the discussion.
They could abuse her. but she was
going to sail her boat down to the
bar, and no man should say her nay,
'let alone couple of old maids sug-
gestive of prunes and prisms," she
added, contemptuously. What would
she have said had she seen one of the
total insignifcants making her way
through the orchard and into their
neighbor's study, or what would she
have done had she heard that quiet
announcement: "Dr. Harlow. that
wild little niece of mine insists on
sailing her boat down to the bar this
evening. Do you think it safe?"
II do not, Miss Martha. You should
, not allow it."
my dear sir, when I objected, she
flung the whole declaration of inde-
pendence about my ears and fed"
''She was in earnest?"
'Indeed she was. She is getting
more reckless every day. My only
hope was that you might be able to
persuade her"
The doctor pushed aside his pa
pers. "No," he said, "that is" He
broke off abruptly and walked to the
window. When he came back there
was strained look in his honest eyes.
''The truth is, Miss Martha, I spoke
wild ways, and I fear I only made
matters worse. My disapproval al
ways seems to set the seal to her
determination.
The pain in his voice made Miss
Martha stammer. "I," she began,
II didn't trust-I am so sorry!"
The sincerity of her confusion
eoothed him.
Harlowe put out his hand. IT would
rather that you should know" he
said. simply.
Miss Martha held his hand in both
of hers for an instant, then she began
talking briskly. "But all this will not
save the madcap from drowning.
and, as I am responsible for her, I
should like to send her home alive
You understand boats. Isn't there
something that could be. done to hers
so that it wouldn't sail?'
Harlow shook his head. 'She is
too good sailor. She could build a
boat like that as we'll as old Laniers
himse]f.''
"Well, then, I'll take my woes back
home. Thank you for your good ma
ture and sympathy"
"Thank you," Harlow corrected
quietly. 'Don't feel uneasy about
your niece. I expect to run down to
the bar myself this evening, and I
will keep within hail of the Flirt."
Miss Martha hesitated. '"Clara will
be extremely angry if she suspects"
MATTERS can't be much worse than
they are" Harlow interrupted, light
ly. The old maids throat began to
ache and she hurried away. She loved
this nervy young fellow as tenderly
as a mother.
The squall that every one had pre-
dicted was glooming down upon
Straight river, while the little boats
raced side by side, with every inch
of canvas thrown to the breeze and
every stay straining. y, Clara's blue
eyes flashed fire as che clung to her
tiller. His impudence in following
her after that sharp passage of arms
made her reckless with rage. She
would shake off the meddlesome cow
ard. She would cross the bar and
make a break for the open bay and
his cautious highness could futter
home alone.
Harlow's face went white when he
saw the "Flirt" dash through the line
of whitecaps and, heeling royalty to
the freshening breeze. stretch away
toward the open sea.
"She must be mad" he muttered:
but in another instant his own boat
was racing through the foam while
he sat, needless of the spray, watch
ing the squall coming on astsrn.
"She will rever be able to shorten sail
in this wind" he groaned, and for a
moment he realized all that life might
. have meant for him. His face hard
encd. If the squall would hold of
for only five minutes. The chance for
success was one in thousand. He.
threw his whole weight ON the tiller
and tbs broad sail dew mp against the