Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-02
XII.
The Hand of God.

The Hand Of God.
At last the dawn burst swiftly and sud
denly in the east. and ten minutes after
the first flush of light in the say the
whole scene stood out clearly IN the sun
shine.
The water. smooth as glass, was COW
cred with small fragments of wreckase,
but there was no sign of any boat or any
human being.
Gaunt inspected the small raft on which
he found himself. 1t was a piece OF deck
planking, still adhering to two thick
beams. which had been torn out of the
framework of the vessel. The buoyancy
of these heavy timbers raised the plank
ing a few inches above the water, but
the whole concern was scarcely safe even
in a calm sea, and it would be certain
TO turn over if a wave struck it. He re-
solved to strengthen 1t, if possible. with
some more timber.
He managed to break off a loose piece
of planking. which served as a clumsy
substitute for an oar. and with the aid of
this he contrived to move the raft very
slowly through the water. At the end of
three hours hard toll he had picked up
several pieces of spar and cordage and
had dashed them to the edges of the raft.
Although the work was done in a most
unseamanlike fashion, yet the whole
structure acquired stability from the ex-
ira pieces Of timber. and 1t was possible
to move about freely without fear Of be-
ing thrown into the sea.
water. but he found neither. and before
nightfall the girl, who had struggled
bravely against the torments OF thirst
and hunger. lapsed into state OF lnsensi-
bility.
Soon after sunset breeze sprang up,
but even if Gaunt had been able to set a
sail it would have been of no use TO MIN.
He did not know the lie of the nearest
land. He was helpless on that smooth
plain of water He could only wait and
hope for the passing of some ship.
And then came the darkness and
night of terror. For the girl grew delir-
ious and tried to fling herself into the sea.
Hour after hour he clutched her tightly
in his arms and listened 20 her rawlings.
He thought of the last occasion on which
he had held her in his embrace. and per-
haps the poor crazy woman was thinking
of 1t too. for she shrieked of the judg-
ment of God. and of the temptations of
the world, the flesh and the devil. and
of sin and of the wages OF sin' which Is
death.
And then at last his own strength
failed him and he tainted. and when he
came to his senses it was broad daylight
and he was alone
He wondered whether she had thrown
herself off the raft in her delirium. or
whether she had recovered her senses
and decided to die rather than endure
another hour of torment. Her life belt
Law on the planking. He remembered
that he had slipped it over her arms and
shoulders IN the first few minutes of her
madness. But 1t might easily have fallen
off by accident.
No vessel was in sight, and there was
nothing to be seen but the broad expanse
of ocean. SCARED with small waves. For
all Gaunt knew to the contrary. the raft
had not moved from the scene OF the
wreck He knew nothing of the strong.
swift currents that convert every sea
into a network of flowing streams.
He peered over the edge OF the raft
and saw two long shadowy forms moving
in the depths of the clear, green water.
These were the silent watchers or the
deep. waiting till the raft capsized on the
crest of wave or till the man thre"
himself overheard In his agony.
And as he saw them he set MS teeth,
and Selling a spare piece OF flashing ne
knotted it about his waist 30 that ne
could not move foot IN any directi or.
Whatever happened. he would ole III the
air and not in the water.
Then Richard Gaunt awaited the END
that was not far of. And ms past ne
rose up before him, as 1t rises up 10 the
brain OF drowning man. -
Once again two periods $1,000 out Win
CHASTITY distinctness from all the tangled
web Of sin and shame. AND once more
he recalled the words of his oatn. ano
laughed
them with his lips. The oath would De
kept to the very letter. The man VINO
ruined Violet Hexamer was golnsl 10 ole.
George Crawsnay himself could not nave
wished for a worse end to the lie or MS
enemy The man was going to die, cut
of In the very midst of his sins. without
a chance Of repentance or atonement. ana
with the record of his life before MS
eyes And in all that record, so rep!ete
with Incident, he could barely recal
single event which a dying man would
care to contemplate. 1t had been one
lurid story of evil. The keynote had peen
pleasure and the music, varied thousn
il had been. had been played III INA.
single key To Richard Gaunt' weak eA-
hausted and with mind attuneo 10 Tess
earthly things, every MELODY was h'oeooS
and discordant.
Then after an hour or two OF thought:
in which the tale of all his sins, ana al
the wrongs that he had done 10 olherS'
rose up before him as clearly as though
IL had been written in letters OF nre' ne
screamed aloud in his agony of BODY and
mind and fumbled at the knots about MS
waist
yes. Crawshay." he cried. II will keep
my oath. Here Is the lie you asheo
for"
And then he mercifully lost his senses.
and the moon shone down on his pros
trate body shifting to and FRO on the
boards as the waves ran under the ra1t
and rocked it from side to side. But the
stout rope held and SIR HchaEo aauh'
was denied the quietude OF death.
Once more he came to his senses, ana
as he stared up into the night ne tried 10
remember what had happened ana where
he was. And as he recalled the horrors
of the last two days he clasped ms hands
and tried to pray. But religion mad
formed no part of Gaunt's life since his
second and last year at public SCHOOL
He had been confirmed In that year, ana