The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-10-29
CHAPTER VII.
"IAurie!''


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 Give Darlington like the craunch-
ing of human bones between the teeth
OF beasts A cry came up from the
boat below:
I'VE cant 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, got"
"For your sakel" she echoed horse
ly. aud strove TO wrest her hands from
his fierce hold How dare you!"
'Dare? This to me-from you. my
love-my own--my wife to BET"
His eyes were blazing; his broad
chest heaying.
She drew herself up with the haugh.
ty scorn OF young empress-a lofty,
white-robed figure. against that splen-
dor of sea and sky.
Never! You wrought me wrong
enough when you made me the daugh.
ter OF convict"
"Ti"
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.
'Iaurier
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!"
! mol" the girl burst out, passionate
ly. IL wish TO God l was! Il"
And she reeled and fell at his feet.
He caught up the PROSTATE figure in
his arms as he might have lifted
child. He pressed hot. hungry kisses
on the beautiful. lifeless face. He
heard 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 morel" a voice cried.
Pull off" again urged Bracken.
wait, men!"
They rested on their oars at the
sound of that ringing authoritative
voice. They looked up with kind OF
awe at the picture before them-a
grand, herculean figure, black against
a sheet OF fame, holding aloft in his
strong arms a white. unconscious bur-
den, and encompassing them both in
fits wild glory the weird, red light of
the burning ship.
"One--only one morei" came voice
from the water Leave the girl! She's
as good as dead already. Come on!"
For answer he leaned far over the
crumbling decks side. and lifted her
down.
take her!"
A growl of discomfort surged up
from below, but they held up their
arms and took her from him, and low.
cred her down gently enough.
The boat drew off. Slowly but sure
Iy--ever surely-the distance between
the doomed ship and the frail plank of
hope widened!
The sailors looked back with dim,
terrified eyes at that tall, solitary fig.
ure, framed in with fire.
With a faint moan. reason came
back to the woman he had given his
life to save. She staggered to her
knees. She looked back. She under
stood
He was dying for her.
A great passion OF love and remorse
overwhelmed her. She stretched out
her arms with cry-a maddened cry
that reached him above the hoarse
roar OF the Atlantic, and nerved his
heart for the struggle OF death.
"oh, Give. Give! beloved, beloved
Forgive me, forgive me! cannot live
without youl cannot--I will not!
Oh. my darling. I come, come,
GOMEZ"
She had risen. She was striving. In
her frenzy, to leap overheard. She
struggled desperately with the strong
arms that strove TO thrust her back.
Her hands were outstretched; her
eyes, wild and dilated, were fastened
on The fast-fading form of her lover.
"Clive--"
But the word died on her lips. For
even as she spoke. with a mighty crash
che Dolphin tore itself apart. the
flames upleaped, the sea seemed a
thing CT fire. and the dark figure on
the deck bad vanished.
Her hands beat the afr blindly a
moment. Then she swayed heavily TO
and fro, and fell like one dead. And
her loose hair drifted across her breast
like shroud Of gold.
The ship went down in the waters,
plood-red. Tie wind awoke with a
moaning dirge. In the east the chill
day shuddered TO ghasily life.
And the boat drifted on, like phan-
tom barcue. In the pallid dawning!
CHAPTER VIII.