River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-07-07

|
rudely into the room Outside, the rest
less sand whirled carelessly along the
| flats and sifted in below the door; the
sandhills behind got up and crept about
| in the dark, and changed places and
/ faces to such sn extent that the very
rabbits would hardly know their way
about in the morning.
Inside, there was peace passing the
ordinary understanding. It was so very
| good to be together, and there was IL
| them a grateful sense of peril passed
/ and danger averted; and when at last
| the old man drew out from under his
| wife's bed the six sacks of dried grass
| and rushes on which he always slept on
| the floor alongside her, if their stom-
| achs were not overfull their hearts were.
| IF they lacked much, they had one an
| other If the predetermined comforts of
the house were awanting, at all events
they were together.
Six cunningly stuffed sacks of dried
grass and rushes, loose-packed, softly
elastic, and Astounding in hollows for the
accommodation of aching bones, make a
| bed fit for king or cardinal; but in spite
| of the softness and adaptabiiity of his
couch, Peter Godwfn's aching bones
| found humps where there were none, and
sought in vain the comfort that lay al
ways on his other side He turned him
self painfully to and fro, and sighed
| deep, silent breaths through his clenchea
teeth so long as he kept awake; and
when he dozed the signs turned all I'M
| consciously to means. His wife lay
awake and her heart bled for him, for
she knew too well the dull agony that
gnawed his marrow like hungry worm
and gave him no peace. She wondered
if, after all, the curate were not right,
and if it>would not be better to give up
the struggle and go to the house Per-
haps it would be better perhaps
lord, that Thou wouldst take us this
night together!"
The northeaster had swept away the
clouds and cobwebs, and the next morn
ing broke crisp and clear. The sky was
like a steel-blue shield, and the sun was
the pale gold boss to it. There was not
much warmth in it, but it was a cheer
full reminder of bright days past and
still brighter ones to come. The fats
cleaned and sparkled, and the new pools
winzed merrily and away behind it's
banks the sea lay like narrow band of
blue ribbon.
By midday it was almost warm. 1t
did old Peters bones more good than
all "pa'son's" embrocation; and in the
afternoon, as soon as the brightness
waned sufficiently, he must needs go
a-shrimping. His face kept smile as
he donned his big thigh boots; rather a
rigid smile, as the hungry worms in his
bones were at their work again before
his swollen ankles scraped through into
their places, and it only half deceived
his wife; but he smiled as he kissed her,
and her eyes dwelt lovingly on him as he
shouldered the big net and marched
manfully away across the flats to the
sea, just like his own old self-to look
at-at a distance.
He smiled again when he turned to
wave his hand to her but it was a
smile to make the angels weep md re-
joice-the smile of martyr; and his
face was shut tight as he dragged one
leaden clog of pain after the other, fur
rowing the sand as he went.
Arrived at the sea, he turned first
towards Dunster and ploughed the flow
in that direction, then turned and came
back past the cottage towards Wyverne,
which lay cleaning on the other side of
the estuary where the Ripple crawls
down to the sea! From her tiny window
Ills WIG WdUClGu Gilc ulSIduO DIS ~
bent and pushed, and stopped and
Strengthened now and again to sift the
net and empty the sparse takings into
very plainly, in spite of the distance, like
q little crawling figure cut out of black
paper against the reddening western sky.
lie was away up towards Wyverne
when she saw him stop suddenly. A
G,,1 of Ii, Chn to1
for him to rise. But he did not rise.
| She grew anxious, more anxious, fright
ened. She struggled up convulsively on
to her hands, she who had not been able
to turn herself in bed for five years. She
could not see him, though her eyes were
| strained to bursting. Her heart leapt
painfully within her, then wrung her
with stab of pain. The red sun flashed
in her eyes and touched her face with
sudden fire, and the room behind was
| filled with golden light. She could not
see for the glory that was about her.
| She bent towards the window-toWards
Peter blowing painfully along the
! shadows, saw the windows in the sea-
ward houses of Wyverne> all ablaze with
| the level red rays of the sun. His feet
and legs We're numb with pain; his back
| and arms ached so that he dreaded the
thought of Strengthening up to empty
the net lest his back should break in
pieces. He would go on and on, and not
empty it till he turned. He ground his
teeth in his agony, and breathed short
and quick through his nose. The pains
/ had never been SO bad before. They got
into his head and turned him sick and
dizzy. But he would go on and on.
Then suddenly the resistance of the
net ceased. He stumbled and fell, tried
desperately to recover himself, and
| found he could not. The water was up
to his waist. He must have stepped
| into hole. The net was floating just
beyond him. He must get it. He tried,
but his feet were firmly held. He made
another desperate effort, and felt him
| self sinking deeper and deeper.
| The wafer was up to his chest; the
clinging sands gripped him tight round
the knees. He knew now where he was.
For fifty years he had gone warily in
/ the neighborhood of the boiling sands
/ only to fall into them at last.
| He gave a cry like an angry below.
He thrashed the water into sandy spume
! with his hands. 1t was all useless. For
| fifty years the sands had lain in wait for
him. Now they had got him they would
never let him 60.
The water was up to his neck. The
| shiny arms below were coiled tight
/ round his waist. Away across the flats
j the red sun bathed his little cottage in