Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-04-18
CHAPTER VII.

seasick that the sound of waves beat
| Ing against the hull comes in time to
| be an intolerable torment. But bad as
| this may be il can be nothing In COM
parison with the pains l suffered from
the same cause as i recovered my
| senses. Ny brain seemed to be cavern
| into which each moment, with rhyth-
mical regularity which added the pangs
OF anticipation to those of reality, the
sea rushed, booming and laundering
! jarring every nerve and stralnlng the
walls to bursting and making each mo-
ment of consciousness a vivid agony.
And this lasted long-how long / can
not say. But II had subsided some
what when first opened my eyes and
duly, not daring to move my head,
| looked up.
! was lying on my back. About a
| foot from my eyes were rough beams
Of wood disclosed by smoky yellow
light, which fickered on the knotholes
and rude joists. The light swayed to
and fro regularly, and this adding TO
my pain l closed my eyes with moan.
| Then some one came to me, and heard
voices which bounded a long way off
and promptly fell again into a deep
sleep, troubled still, but less painfully,
| by the same rhythmical shocks, the
same duh crashings In my brain.
When / awoke again, had sense to
know what caused this and where l
was-~in a berth on board ship. The
noise which had so troubled me was
the waves beating against her forelock.
The beams so close to my face formed
the deck; the smoky light came from
the ships lantern swinging on hook
tried to turn. Some one came again.
and with gentle hands arranged my pill
low and presently began to feed me
with spoon. When / had swallowed
few mouthfuls, | gained strength to
turn.
Who was this feeding me? The light
was at her back and daZZled me. For
short while took her for Petronilla.
my thoughts going back at one bound
to Cotton and skipping all thai hap
pened since left home. But as l
grew stronger / grew clearer, and re-
calling bit by bit what had happened in
lhe boat ! recognized Mistress Anne
tried TO murmur thanks, but she laid
cool finger on my lips and shook
her head, smiling on me. You must
not talk" she murmured. You are
getting well. Now go to sleep again"
! shut my eyes at once as a child
might. Another interval of unconscious
ness, painless this time, followed, and
again l awoke, / was lying on my side
now, and without moving could see the
whole of the tiny cabin. The lantern
still hung and smoked. But the light
ing without nor the dull groaning and
creaking of the timbers within. There
reigned a quiet which seemed bliss to
me, and ! lay wrapped in It, my
thoughts growing clearer and clearer
each moment.
On sea chest at III, farther end of
the cabin were sitting two people en-
gagged in talk. The one, a woman, |
recognized Immediately. The gray eyes
full Of command. the handsome fea-
lures, the reddish brown hair and grac-
lous figure left me in no doubt, even
for moment, that looked on Mistress
Bertram. The sharer of her seat was
tall thin man, with a thoughtful face
and dreamy, rather melancholy eyes
One of her hands rested on his knee,
and her lips as she talked were close
to his ear. A little aside, sitting on
the lowest step Of the ladder which
led to the deck. her head leaning
against the timbers and a cloak about
Ger, was mistress Anne.
tried to speak and after more than
one effort found my voice Where am
II" ! whispered. My head ached sadly.
and fancied, though l was too languid
20 raise my hand to it, that il was
bandaged. My mind was so far clear
that l remembered Master Clarence
and his pursuit and the fight in the
boats and knew that we ought to be
on our way to prison. Who. then, was
the mild, comely gentleman whose
length of limb made the cabin seem
smaller than II was? Not jailer sure
ly? Yet who else?
per. but faint as my voice was they
oil heard me and looked up. "Annev'
the elder lady cried sharply. seeming
by her tone to direct the other to at
tend to me. Yet was she herself the
FIRST TO rise and come and lay her hand
on my brow. "Ah, the fever is gone"
she said, speaking apparently to the
gentleman who kept his seat. His
head is quite cool. He will do well now,
am sure. Do you know me?" she
continued. leaning over me
! looked up into her eyes and read
only Kindness. Yes" | muttered. But
the effort of looking was so painful thar
closed my eyes again, with a sigh.
Nevertheless my memory of the events
winch had gone before my illness grew
clearer, and | fumbled feebly for some
thing which should have been at nv
side. Where is-where is my sword?"
| made shift to whisper.
she laughed. SHOW 1t to him Anne"
she said. What never die II is,
There. master knight errant we did
not forget to bring it off the field. you
see"
But how, ] murmured, chow did
you escape" ] saw that there was no
question of prison. Her laugh was
gay. her voice full of content.
That is long story" she answered
kindly. Are you well enough to hear
II? You think you are? Then take
some of this first. You remember that
knave Philip striking yor on the head
Wlth an oar as you got up? No? Well,
II was a coWardly stroke, but IL stood
him in little stead, for we had Crifted
in the excitement of the race under the
stern of the ship which you remember
seeing little before. There were
Engllsh seamen on her, and when they
saw three men in the act of bCardinr
two defenseless women they stepped i'm
and threatened to send Clarence and
his crew 10 the bottom unless they
steered off"
"Ha" l murmured. Good"
And so we escaped. / prayed the
captain to take us on board his ship,
the Framlingham, and he did so. More
putting into Leigh on his way to the
More, he took off my husband. There
he stands, and when you are better he
shall thank you"
Nay. he will thank you now" said
the tall man, rising and stepping TO
my berth with his head bent He could
not stand upright, so low was the deck.
But for you" he continued his earn
estness showing in his voice and eyes
the latter were almost tender for
man s-"my wife would be now lying
in prison her life in jeopardy and her
property as good as gone. She has told
me how bravely you rescued her from
that cur in Cheapside, and how your
presence OF mind baffled the watch
at the riverside. II is well. young
gentleman. II is very well. But
these things call for other returns
than words. When it lies in
her power, my wife viii make them. If
not today, tomor"5w, and if not tomor-
row the day after"
/ was very weak, and his words
brought the tears to my eyes. She
has saved my life already" murmured.
You foolish boy!" she cried. smiling
down on me, her hand on her husbands
shoulder. You got your head broken
in nv HHfanSa II thing