Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-02-13

and concise. But her own appearance
did not lend itself to narrative OF the
kind. She made broken murmur,
vague with hints Of her own deep
wretchedness, do instead. Henesly
did not answer; only turned on his
heel and led the way to the landing
steps.
He was there 10 help her out when
she came back. When she asked II she
might use the boat next morning he
told her yes. He explained it to him
self as being proper pride, and that
she should not fancy him afraid After
day or two he altered the expinna-
tion 10 that II couldn't matter any
way, and often that he did not try to
explain. He let things go. At this
point she fingered. sitting upon the
keel Of a yawl up for repairs. and
talked about herself in hopeless vein.
The ensuing steps were talk about
himself. He responded fairly easily.
and showed his drawings, his tools
and the new gasoline engine band saw
which was his especial pride. He
taught her how to start the engine up,
and to cut along traced lines through
the hardest wood with the toothed
band of steel.
II was inevitable, thereafter, that
they should-having had herself and
himself-come to themselves. And
when that happened-it was about
the tenth day OF her normal and
healthy" life-much moro did as well.
SO that when she started to go at last.
and stood. beautiful. In the midst Of
all the roughness around. his head
went completely, and he caught her
hand against his lips and held II there.
1t was delight and bliss and Temporary
oblivion TO him. II was the success Of
an experiment with her. and the point
beyond which she did not mean to go,
for her wisdom was Of this world.
But to Maria, Heneslys Portuguese
wife-who was under the penthouse.
peering up through knothole-it was
rage and jealousy OF very savage
kind. She had had her suspicious of
hht Nbihhh NbO 'uAllf ~ bilNil hAiA lNl
so long at break Of day, and now she
was verifying them. As for what they
sald, the two. she could neither hear
nor understand nll OF that Her Eng
lish was limited. But she saw Henesly
kissing the shapely hand. and there
was nothing incomprehensible about
that.
II Henesly had had the slightest idea
OF what Marin had seen, he would have
been justified In being uneasy and in
recalling the warning OF one OF those
poets OF his better days, anent mute
natures which punish you In deeds
FOR Maria made no sign at all. She
only waited her time. II came very
soon. That same night Henesly was
called upon to repair the hull Of a
launch. and he had to be up until long
past midnight. working with lanterns.
to take advantage OF the tide. The
consequence was that he oversight
himself the next day Marin. however,
did not She arose early and went out.
When Mrs. Kent came, humming n
snatch OF song that she knew would
be calculated to awaken memories in
Henesly, Maria was hidden behind
pile OF lumber In the dark corner
where the gasoline engine was. lying
In walt, with big knife up her sleeve.
Mrs. Kent hnd no suspicion OF that.
She wandered around the boathouse,
playing with various things, and finnl-
ly as the time grew long, she went
over to the corner and amused her
self by starting the band-saw up, rs
Henesly had shown her how to do.
The gasoline engine began to spit and
hiss. and the shiny contrivnnccs,
whose names she did not know. TO clat-
ter and turn. The saw-edged band
Itself began to whlr 80 very fast that
II seemed TO be quite still She held
scrap OF wood against Il and watched
II cut smoothly in two without jar.
When she looked up she could see
Henesly hurry over along the path
through the dunes from his shack.
She stopped playing with the saw, and
stood waiting for him. beginning the
strain Of song again. Her hand was
lying close TO the moving band Maria
raised herself up In the shadow and
looked at II. II wa. 30 white, 90 small.
30 near the turning saw. II was the
sams hand that Henesly had kissed
the day bsfors.
The whir Of the machinery was In
Mrs. Kent's ears The light OF the low
rays falling through the open door
was IN her eyes She did not hear the
boards behind her oreAk She did not
see that some one was coming nearer
and nearer, with hot eyes watching
that white and careless hand
The engine WAS splitting and elatter-
ing unconcernedly when Henesly
stepped into the place, and In the
gloomy corner near IL, something
white and huddled was on the floor. L,
was woman's figure fallen on the
face and with arms thrown out. On
the end OF one arm there was hand.
On that OF the other-there was none.
Mrs. Ksnt's tale, TO llcnesly and To
her husband. was never quite clear.
Perhaps sh. had moved; perhaps she
had swaysd; perhaps some one had
pushed her arm against the saw. She
had thought that some one had gone
past her, just AS she rcsled and Ten /
and. besides. the hand, cut clean at the
wrist, was gone
And Mara, too, was gone, Henesly
never saw her again. hut that night
ss he sat alone in his cabin, his head
dropped on his folded arms, a voice
came In at the window above his head
came In with the croaking song of
the frogs in The swamp outside and
with the drifts VI the thick, gray fog.
"Kess IT," II said from vacancy. al
most in his ear; "kcss il, cf you like
TO, now" And something fell on the
table near his forehead, with a thud.
He CROPPED aud touched It, Itwas soft
and cold. lie felt 1t over. II was a
small. sur hand.-San Francisco Ar.
gonaut