The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-10-23

Sure, she loves mel" gasped jim
Rideout.
That blow! Had she been angry? No.
The last peal of laughter had not yet
ceased to be the shuttlecock of the
crags above. 1t was the sign of Iowa.
Elihu Gale, in the shadow of Needle
Rock, felt that he was bereft An
old heart new scared! Jim Rideout
knew that he was beloved For a time
he lay on the moss where he had fall
en-; fearing to Stir-even to move his
eyes from the depths of the sky where
the stars winked at him-lest his rap
ture should depart. That blow! The
swift strength and cunning of it! The
playfulness of it! Adorable 'Melia
Mary! What bliss to be beloved ty
such as thou art, O thou merry heart
ed one! He dreamed a thousand costa
TIC dreams in a flash. For sure, they
had to do with lips and eyes.
Then he picked himself up and went
singing through the night. His heart
was aflower with fine impulses. In
the fall he would build a mouse. That
fine impulse! Who indeed would
build it for him? Could he we'd without
first building house? Ahx but he
would build a house with U porch.
A porch Can you hang a salmon net
to dry on a porch? Nevertheless, he
would have a porch. Love had in
spired him with the desire So it was
determined: he would build house
with a porch under Quid Nunc. where
there was a view of the evening Sky
through the tickle rocks.
80 Lard" cried Elihu Gale. emery
ing from the shadow making the cry
of the prophet a cry to voice his own
agony, 80 Lard. feed me with apples.
stay me with f1aeons for am sick OF
love!" He had neither seen an apple
nor heard of the uses of flagon, but
there was pain in the cry, and be-
80 Lard, feed me with apples, stay
me with f1agons, for 1 am sick OF
love,''
God pity you, old Elihu Gale.
1t must now be told how that there
came a time when the sea and the
cold conSpired to set Hunger upon the
throne of that coast; a time when
Hunger said, Thus and so shalt thou
do" and thus and so all the people
of Ragged Harbor did. Ragged Har-
Dor passed into the shadow of famine:
wherein nightly abound all those ter
rors and Affections which it is the con-
Germ of life to escape.
" 'Tis a hard lookout for Ragged
'Arbor,'' said Eleazar Manuel to Elihu
Gale, one midsummer day.
There, EleaZar's forethought came
to an end. Not SO with Elihu. From
that day he gathered food. seeking
everywhere: and he cruelty deprived
himself that he might accumulate A
store against a certain time. But all
he said to Eleazar was:
"'Tis that, by"
Through the summer Ragged Har-
Dor subsisted on the tomcod and dories
of the harbor water, the trout of the
little lake beyond the man-o'-war,
the produce of seven patches of
handmade ground, and the stray SAL
mon which were meshed I'm the nets
off the Null: all being sufficient. In
the fall, the wilderness provided three
caribou which had strayed from the
path to the south. plenty of juniper
berries, thirteen cartridges and a loon.
When the winter threatened. the trad
ers came from the lower outports with
flour, pork, molasses and tea, long
faces and a generous fund Of advice
concerning the virtue of frugality:
but, being wary of bad debts at such
times, they could be persuaded to ad-
vance on the next seasons catch. but
food sufficient to keep the fire of life
burning until the spring breakup.
which, they predicted, would be an
early one.
Then the cold descended from the
north: it sealed the harbor and ponds.
froze the wilderness, filled the passes
ice. The people We're cut off ana
locked tight in their place, whereupon
they made great fires and proceeded
to >humOr their voracity with what the
traders had left; and when it came to
March they had eaten their pigs and>
goats and were searching in the stages
for forgotten stores of dried capIin.
When it had come near to. the pass
Of unclean food or starvation, which
was in the beginning of late spring,
Elihu Gale waited for 'Melia Mary on
the Lookout path, half way up the
hill; and when she came down, he
stopped her for a word, for if he were
to speak at all he must speak now.
before the promised west wind blew.
Fine even, 'Melia Mary" said he.
Even so simple a phrase was hard
to utter calmly, such was the agitation
which possessed him. for he knew that
the impending moments held the fate
of his desire.
4" Ills that, EIihu Gale"
'Melia Mary made as though to pass
on: but she was exceeding hungry
and weary of the pain, and she craved
word of comfort.
DO they be sign of a west wind,
think you, Elihu?" she asked, hope
fully.
''They be noa sign" Elihu answered.
with such conviction as made 'Melia
Mary stare. "'Tis t. blow from the
nor'east for week."
Ragged Harbor was waiting for the
west wind, which should break the rot
ten inshore ice and clear the shadows.
where the fish lay.
"An' they were potatoes a-plenty.
we wouldn't care said Elihu. He
fixed the maid with his red-rimmed
eyes.
"Sure, noa," she sighed.
AN they We're smoked salmon an
flour left t Ragged 'Arbor,' he went
on, giving each word impressive
force, 1--WE wouldn't be hungry"
She was robust maid; a large,
hearty maid and her body had suf-
fered deprivation for many days. 1t
now craVed clean food as it had never
before known desire. She was in snl
agony of hunger.
"Sure, noa, Elihu," she murmured.
AN they were a quaintal o fish t
the stage t. your hoam, it might blow
r'east for month an you wouldn't
care. Sure. girl" he added, smackine
his lips, sit would be fine with DUFF.
this day-with duff, girl, an a bit %
pork
With the words. a mirage took form
before the girl: The table was spread:
there were butter and white bread anG
goats milk set out: a boiled cod, a
great white cod, with duff and pork.