The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1907-04-05

rather precarious position, and would have
remained SO, but rain was beginning to fall,
accompanied by breeze which was grad
ually increasing to strong wind.
Cartwright saw that his paddle and ca
noe had drifted nearly out of sight and that
the only thing to do Was to wade TO shore,
pushing the canoe before him. The wind
was with him, but the shore still good
distance away, while the water increased in
depth with every step. 1t soon reached
his chin, and the next moment found him
desperately clinging to the canoe, unable to
find any footing. The wind had risen to
miniature gale, causing the canoe with
it's precious burden, to toss about in the
most alarming fashion.
The burden, however, refused to be
considered as such. Crying out to Cart
wright to hold on, she seized cushion,
raised it above her head, and as the wind
was growing stronger every minute the i'm
provised sail successfully performed its
Office and they began to make progress
toward the shore. Things would have
gone well had it not been for the dead
weight which the canoe had to drag through
the water. With the increasing wind the
waves rose higher and higher, and in a
short time were breaking over the frail
craft almost continually.
1t was some distance Gland, although, had
Cartwright been good swimmer, he could
have made it with ease He knew his
only safety lay in hanging on to his sup
port. But he also was aware that, if he
continued to do so, Miss Sutherland S
life would be endangered, as, hampered by
the dragging of his body, it was merely a
question of moments before her only means
of safety would be capsized.
With this thought in his mind that it
was to be his life or hers, he did not hesi-
tate. A silent prayer, deep breath, and
the canoe bounded away, free and buoyant,
while Cartwright, exhausted by his prev
ious efforts, gasped, swallowed, gasped
again and sank.
When he regained consciousness the
picture which presented itself to his aston
ished vision would have caused less prac-
tical man to believe that he was now be-
holding the queen of the mermaids. And,
indeed, the hallucination would have been
very excusable. For, with her dark hair
falling over her shoulders and with every
stitch of clothing literally oozing moisture,
the girl before him was the personification
of bewitching water nymph.
peggy - he whispered, chow did you
get here?'
s'same way you did," she answered,
half laughing, half crying. ~ thought
you would never come to.
"But don't understand" he began.
"Don't try to-, she said simply. II
guess Providence did ii"
"You dom t mean to say you brought
me to shore?'
ssOf course, l wasn't going to leave you
out there, was I?'
''But I'm so heavy, how did you
ever"
"Well, you know teasingly, 81 can
swim little better than you, and didn't
have so very far to &C"
Slowly and painfully he rose and stood
regarding her. A new feeling of posses.
sion, of ownership thrilled him, and filled
him with the joy Of living.
cit certainly was a lucky thing for me
when you lost your paddle this afternoon, y
he said at length, "otherwise you wouldn t
have been brought to me-
''Oh, there wasn't any luck in that, y
she remarked demurely, II didn't lose it.
l had been wanting to make you talk to me
for long, long time, so when [ saw you
sleeping so peacefully out there l just gave
a few good strokes in your direction and
then-threw the paddle away
And she was exceeding glad that she
could hide her face on his shoulder.