Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-10-29
VII.

them and shut her from his sight.
Along the deck to their very feet the
FIRE came creeping. And the cracking
of the flames along the timber seemed
to CliYe Darlington like the craunoa-
ing OF human bones between the teeth
Of beasts. A cry came UP from the
boat below:
1--WE can't wait longer. Bracken.
Bracken!"
'One moment!" Give shouted.
He dashed across to where Laurie
Lisle stood. He caught her protesting
hands in a grasp Of iron.
There is no time to be lost! For
Gods sake. for my sake-go, go, go!"
"For your sakel" she echoed horse
ly, and stroye to wrest her hands from
his fierce hold, How dare youi"
~Dare? This to me-from you, my
love-my own-my wife to bel"
His eyes were blazing; his broad
chest heaving.
She drew herself up with the haugh.
ty scorn Of a young empress-a lofty,
white-rohed figure. against that spls2.
dor of sea and sky.
"Neveri You wrought me wrong
enough when you made me the daugh-
ter of a convict"
'Ii"
He fell back a step or two with a
pale, dazed face.
And this was how they met, these
two-in doubt, in dire despair. in the
grim shadow Of death. A shower of
fiery cinders fell about them.
LAUREL"
A sudden fear came to nina fierce,
awful dread-that shook him from
head to foot.
"She Is mad!" he cried, frantically.
"She Is mad--she is mad"
"No!" the girl burst out. passionate
ly. II wish Il God l was! r.
And she reeled and fell at his feet.
He caught up the PROSTATE figure in
hfs arms as he might have lifted a
child. He pressed hot, hungry kisses
on the beautiful. lifeless sace. He
heard a dull sound below. He glanced
over. Bracken had recovered him
self. had seized the ropes, and had
swung himself into the boat. unob-
served.
Zone more!" a voice cried.
Pull Oft" again urged Bracken.
wait, meni"
They rested on their oars at the
sound OF that ringing, authoritative
voice. They looked up with q kind Of
W at the picture before them-a
grand. herculean figure, black against
d sheet OF flame, holding aloft In his
strong arms a white. unconscious bur-
den. and encompassing tn-in both in
its wild glory the weird. red light OF
the burning ship.
"One-only one more!" came a voice
from the water. Leave the girl! She's
os good as dead already. Come on!"
For answer he leaned far over the
crumbIing decks side. and lifted her
down.
take her,'
A growl OF discomfort surged up
from below, but they held up their
arms ard took her from him, and low.
cred her down gently enough.
The boat drew of. Slowly but sure
ly--eyer surcIy-the distance between
the doomed ship and the frail plank OF
hope widened-widened!
The sailors looked back with dim,
terrified eyes at that tall, solitary fig
ure, framed In with fire.
With q faint moan. reason came
back to the woman he had given his
life II save. She staggered to her
knees IN locked back. She under
stood.
He was dying for her.
"A great passion Of love and remorse
overwhelmed her. She stretched oul
her arms with a cry--a maddencd cry
that reached him above the hoarse
roar of the Atlantic, and nerved his
heart for the struggle Of death
"Oh. Give. Give! beloved, belovedi
Forgive me. forgive mel I cannot live
without you! I cannot viii not!
Oh, my darling. ! come, l come, i
comet"
She had risen. Che was striving, In
her frenzy, to leap overheard. She
struggled desperately with the strong
arms that strove TO thrust her back.
f1ST udnu6 WElG ONStt clCutQ, HGE
eyes. wild and diIated. we're fastened
on The ~fast-fading form OF her lover.
Olive
But the word died on her lips. Fol
even as she spoke. with q mighty crash
che Dolphin tore itself apart, the
flames upleaped. the sea seemed a
thing Of Ere. and the dark figure on
the deck had vanished.
Her hands beat the air blindly a
moment. Then she swayed heavily to
ard fro, and fell like one dead And
her loose hair drifted across her breast
like q shropd Of gold.
The ship went down in the waters.
hlood-red. The wind awoke with a
moaning dlrge. In the east the chill
Cay shuddered to CHASTITY life.
And the boat drifted on. like a phan-
tom barque. In the paliid dawningi