Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-06-04
CHAPTER V


Sleeplessness ranged through Consta-
bes brain again, and he gave the night
to the old work of watching the noun
tain, and keeping the woman at hand.
From time to time, before midnight, he
heard the voice of Mrs. Stansbury. The
girl was with her, but seemed to make no
answer. The house was all his own.
Through the lower hall to the music
room; out to the veranda, the garden
paths and drives from the window that
faced the north in his own room, to the
summit of the Morne d'Orange and the
shadowy lawns; through ash-fog and
MINDLESS moonlight-he trod the night
away. The hours fell asleep in passing
the moon drowsed for ages in the cloud
gardens; the stars dimmed, disappeared,
and trembled forth again, as they had
been. 1t seemed left entirely to him that
time passed; he had to grapple with the
minutes one by one, and fight each back
into the past.
At the side of the great house to the
north there was a trellis heavily burdened
with lianas. Within, he found the orifce
of an old cistern, partially covered by
unfixed planking He lifted the boards,
and the moonlight shining through the
foliage reflected in the water far below,
\ heavy wooden bar crossed the rim and
was set stoutly in the masonry Consta-
BILE lit a match. His mind keenly grasped
each detail. A rusty chain depended from
the thick crosspiece. Slabs of stone from
the side walls were scattered over the
bottom of the cistern. He dropped sew
eral ignited matches into the chamber,
and determined to examine the place
more thoroughly by daylight. From the
native cabins came the sound of a dog
barking, A shutter clicked in one of the
upper windows of the plantation house
There's be no doubt about it now"
he thought grimly. They'll proceed at
once to shut me up for being mentally ir-
reclaimable."
That was a parched but brilliant dawn
ing. The binding charge from the east
changed the dew to steam before it touch
ed the ground The more delicate bios
SONS were withered in the hectic burning
when the sun was but an hour high.
Lara's face was ashen and darkly lined
under the eyes. The night had been an
evil one to her, evil with a struggle as
yet unfinished.
Peter, you're pulling yourself down,
said Uncle Joey after breakfast Don't
take Pelee quite so seriously. Go to bed
for a day, or, better still, steam the
Madame out for a days run and get some
rest under the breezy awnings"
What sort of a craven image do you
think your sisters boy is. uncle?" Con
stable inquired. "Ill get you folks out
of the war zone, or stay here until Pelee
is COLOR a billion tons lighter
But don't you overestimate the chance
of an eruption, Peter?'
Il haven't finished my mathematical
calculations, my dear relative. Holy nup
tails and capitals of hell I've been all
over this before. Take my word for it
and get set. for start when the mails
come in tomorrow morning. You are al
foolish virgins. I'm going down below
to see how yoar city hourishes in this
furnace of a day. Who is the SNUG au
thority ION Les Colonies, who undertakes
TO tell Saint Pierre editorially that there
is no dangerF
M Mondet is the editor"
81 should relish considerably the pleas
ure of calking up the throat of NJ. Mondet