Rural Retreat times. [volume] (Rural Retreat, Va.) 1892-1918, 1903-03-20
The Longest Way Home.
BY NORMAN DUNCAN.

to take step without sounding the ice
ahead with my gaff, and he brought
the little lesson to an end with a visit
full, wisht you wouldn't risk it,
The tone Of his voice, the earnest
| ness and warm feeling with which he
spoke, gave me pause 1 hesitated, but
the light in my surgery window, shin
ing so near at hand, gave me vision
of clean and comfortable rest, and I
put the momentary indecision AWAY
| from me.
1t is quarter of mile to my sur
gerry by the ice,' 1 said, and it is four
| miles round the harbor by the road.
I'm going the shortest way
You'll find it the longest, SIR said
! he.
II repeated my directions as to the
treatment Of Tommy. then gave the
man good night, and stepped out on the
| ice, gaff in hand. The three hours fol-
lowing We're charged with more terror
and despair than. doubtless, any year
OF my life to come shall know. | am
| not morbidly afraid of death. 1t was
not that-not the simple, natural fear
| OF death that made me suffer. 1t was
the manner of its coming-in the night,
with the harbor folk, all ignorant of my
extremity, peacefully sleeping around
| me-the slow, cruel approach of it.
closing in upon every hand, lying all
about me, and hidden from me by the
night"
The doctor paused. He looked over
the quiet water of the harbor.
YES" he said, repeating the short,
nervous laugh, sit was a narrow es-
cape. The sun of the afternoon-it had
shone hot and bright-had weakened
the ice, and strong, gusty wind, such
a wind as breaks up the ice every
spring, was blowing down the harbor
to the sea. 1t had overcast the sky
with thick clouds. The night was dark.
Nothing more of the opposite shore
than the vaguest outline of the hills-a
| blacker shadow in black sky-was to
be seen.
"But I had the lamp in the surgery
window to guide me, and l pushed out
from the shore, resolute and hopeful
l made constant use of my gaff to
sound the ice. Without it I should
have been lost before had gone twen-
ty yards. From time to time, in rotten
places, it broke through the ice with
but slight pressure, then I had to turn
to right OF left, as seemed best. keeping
| to the general direction as well as /
cotld all the while.
"As proceeded, treading lightly and
cautiously, / was dismayed to find that
! the condition Of the ice was worse than
the worst had feared.
| "'Ah' thought I, with wistful
glance toward the light in the window,
| III be glad enough to get there
| "There We're lakes of open water in
| my path; there We're flooded patches,
sheets of thin, rubbery ice, stretches of
rotten 'slob.' Twas not even sure that
a solid path to my surgery wound
through these dangers, and if path
there were it was puzzling maze,
strewn with pitfalls, with death wait
ing upon mls-step.
Glad it been broad day my situation
would have been serious enough. In
the night, with the treacherous places
all covered up and hidden it was des-
perate. I determined to return, but
was quite as unfamiliar with the lay
of the ice behind as with the path
ahead. A moment of thought persuad-
ed me that the best plan was the bold
| cst--to push on for the light in the win
dow. should have, at least, star to
| guide me.
"I have not far to CO. thought. 4
must proceed with confidence and a
common-sense sort OF caution. Above
all, must not lose my nerve
1T was easy to make the resolve; 1t
was hard to carry it out. When was
searching for solid ice and my gaff
splashed water, when the ice offered
no more resistance to my gaff than a
similar mass of sea foam, when my
foothold bent and cracked beneath me,
when. upon either side. lay open water