Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-03-27

WfeTcheQness. DO instead. hthtslg
did not answer; only turned on his
heel and led the way to the landing
steps.
He was there to help her out when
she came back. When she asked If 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
a day or two he altered the explana-
tion to that il 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-haying had herself and
himself-come to themselves. And
when that happened-it was about
the tenth day Of her "normal and
healthy" life-much more did as well.
So that when she started to 60 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 it there.
II was delight and bliss and temporary
oblivion to him. It 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 10 Maria, Henesly's Portuguese
Iwife-who was under the boathouse,
peering up through a knothole-it was
rage and jealousy Of very savage
kind. She had had her suspicious Of
/ the woman who came so often and for
So long at break Of day, and now she
was verifying them. As for what they
said. the two. She could neither hear
nor understand all Of that. Her Eng
Ilish was limited But she saw Honesty
kissing the shapely hand, and there
was nothing incomprehensible about
that
If Honesty had had the slightest idea
Of what Maria 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
lonly waited her time. II came very
soon. That same night Honesty was
called upon to repair the hull Of
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 overslep
himself the next day. Maria, however
did not. She arose early and went out
When Mrs. Kent came, humming
snatch Of song that she knew would
be calculated to awaken memories il
Honesty. Maria was hidden behind
pile of lumber in the dark eorne
where the gasoline engine was, lyinl
IN wait. with a big knife up her sleeve
Mrs. Kent had no suspicion Of that
She wandered around the boathouse
PLAYING with various things, and final
lly. as the time grew long, she wen
over TO the corner and amused her
, self by starting the band-saw up, a
Honesty had shown her how TO do
The gasoline engine began to spit an
( hiss. and the shiny contrivance
whose names she did not know, to clai
ter and turn. The saw-edged BAN
itself began to whir so very fast tina
II seemed TO be quite still. She he'll
n scrap of wood against il and watche
LIT cut smoothly in two without jar.
When she looked up she could Sc
, Henesly hurry over along the pat
, through the dunes from his shacl
She stopped playing with the saw, an
, stood waiting for him, beginning n
: strain Of song again. Her hand wa
, living close to the moving band. Mari
: raised herself up in the shadow an
, Hooked at IL. II was so white. so SINAI
so near the turning saw. IL was IN
: same hand that Henesly had kisse
the day before.
. The whir OF the machinery was
. Mrs. Kent's ears. The light of the To-
! ravs falling through the open doc
was in her eyes. She did not hear ,
boards behind her creak. She did No
see that some one was coming nearf
Z, and nearer. with hot eyes watchin
: that white and careless hand.
/, The engine was splitting and elatte
/. inc unconcernedly when Henes
stepped into the place, and in a
gloomy corner near it. somethir
white and huddled was on the floor.
9 was woman's figure fallen on z
9 face and with arms thrown out. {
! the end of one arm there was a han
y IN that Of the other-there was non
= Mrs. Kents tale, to Honesty and
'e her husband. was never quite clea
i Perhaps she had moved; perhaps s.
: had swayed; perhaps some one 3.
y nushed her arm against the saw. $