Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-02-20

with her W yaruS, anu oho s''P ~ 81
gers loosened, and he swayeo anu ieii
without word. The girl threw herse'I on
his body, wailing that he was Rilieu anu
that she, too, would stay there anu uie,
but wild hope seized her that ne migho
be only stunned and she took ms pouy III
her arms, and half dragging, half carry
Ing began to go with him once more ny
tedious inches toward the beach,
Then the cyclone burst out atresh WIN
all the torrent of its fury, and to move OF
even stand against the wind was a thlns
impossible. The girl and her burden were
flung heavily to the ground, ana mass
of driving wreckage slid above them anu
pressed them down. "Oh, Eau tae' sho
DRIED, II did SO want to live WIN YOU
and now we must both die here!
Three terrible hours more they speno
there, the girl expecting violent death 70
fall ON her every next second, the man III
her arms gradually returning to conscious
ness. And then, like an organ whose
wind chamber has emptied ITSELF, the cy
clone suddenly dropped its voice: ~ hau
arisen in q minute to the full OF i1s
strength, and in a single minute IL iuiieo
to a breathess calm, leaving the ar
secured and sweet and the land tangied
desert The sea alone remembered lts lash-
ing actively and fumed in swell OF SUI
len majesty in its deeper parts ana sent its
angry waters back in ripping surf on TO
those shallow western beaches from whlch
1t had been SO ruthlessly evicted.
1t was from this last returning tidai
wave thnt the final danger came, but the
two under that pile of wrcckage managed
to slip from beneath the wood when the
waters loosened it and to run In the break
ing dawn to the higher ground beyond:
They were bruised, both OF them, ana
Cambel was bleeding from Jagged cut on
the head; but after all, their hurts were
tridng compared with what they might
have been. Three thousand people died IN
that nights work among the southern
states and the air was torn with the moan
of those who were left, lamenting as they
sought their dead.
THAT day all who oould lift pair OF
hands had work to do, and the next and
the next, but on the fourth day from the
cyelone. when the fallen had been buried
and the quick housed, Cambcl managed
for the first time to get word en- tete-a-
tete with this woman who had said she
loved him and had promised to be his
wife. He had conned the matter over In
I
decided not to hold any Of his affairs Sc
cret from her. this, OF. course, having par
ticular reference to the one affair by which
he hoped to make competence. He had
visions of difficulties with her over 1t, but
he began his confidence artfully.
Elsie he said, Il came here to FLOR
Ida on business
"Then. " replied Miss Kildare, I'D like
/ to give business a knob of sugar to eat and
I flowers to wear on his headstall. What
/ color was businesss WhiteY"
/ BLACK, distinctly black, but valuable
4 In figures slightly more than quarter OF
a million in English money ought to come
to me for my share out of him, or rather,
as 1t now is, our share, yours and mine,
dear.
"Oh, you duck, Patti You don't mean
to say I'm to marry rich mani Wher-
ever did you steal the money froms Spec
ulationf"
Speculation of sorts, though steal de-
scribes ii better. It's there, anu that
/ the main thing.
Money In the pocket Is better than ten
plans to get it there, any day. Pat, we'll
have big steam yacht, and when we get
sick Of London well go and see all the
E rest OIL inc Nbtlu- Anu ypu Va PSoPAe
to become successful speculator! And
what have you been making your corner
ins Nothing unclean, hope like short
ribs OF pork
Gold. If that will suit your ladyship."
"Oh. this is delightful You've been
trading ON American necessities, Tell me
all about it. l think can follow. One
hears SO much about the silver question
al st al 1 T.
tie I"
So with n pardonable couleur de rose,
wherever tinting was available, Cambel
told the story of his finding the channel
into the Everglades, his compact with
Shelf, the hazardous voyage Of the steam
shin Port Edes and the subsequent dis
posal Of the specie The girl listened to
the tale with close attention and unmoved
face. Even the account of the mutiny and
the erewsome encounter between Mutt and
his friend failed to call up comment, be-
cause in domestic Florida little dashing
homicide is such very common occur
renee. But when Patrick Cambel had
finished his say and looked to her for ap-
prevail he only got a grave and decisive
shake of the auburn head.
"Well, dear" he asked at last, made
very anxious by her silence.
mo, Pat" she said quietly, II can't
share in fortune which has been laid up
that way. Heaven knows I'm not squean-
ish. Hearing what / do out here about
trusts and corners and syndicates, and
seeing what can't help seeing of the way
the people round make their living ana
still evade the law and retain respect, ms
notions of morality are very easy and
slack But
But l have gona too farp
She bowed ger face gravely.
"And so" he said bitterly, latter ali
that l have gone through and all I've
DONE you want me to give this fortune
up. My God, Elsie, you know what a
hateful thing poverty is as well as l do!
Think what this money would buy! Love
for one another we have already, and we
can get besides every pleasure the heart
can wish for. l know as well as you do
that 1t was dirtily earned, and hated tho
work of getting it, and I'll never dabble in
anything SO foul again. My instincts bid
me live as an upright gentleman, and
with the income I'd do that and forget
was ever anything else When cease to be
poor, i cease to be in the way of tempta-
ton. Don't you see? And, besides, there
is no chance of being found out The
money is supposed to be blotted out of ex
istenoe, and it's there now in the Glades
rs a private mine to dig at as we choose.
Besides I'm bound in honor to go on aft
er getting thus far. 1t isn't as if / were
working for my own hand alone. Shelf's
my partner, and l can t neglect his inter
ests for a sentiment.
'Mr, Shelf may do rs he chooses, Pat.