The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-12-09
CHAPTER XIV.

Gertrude, hatless, jacketless, glove
less, t~ootless, entirely forgetful Of
herself knelt at the front seat of the
old laudeau, looking over the drivers
box at the carriage in front of them.
They were both plunging over the
heavy sand now, and it was also an
old landau, so that the solitary occu-
pant sat with his back to her. She
could not, therefore, see his face, out
she saw his ruddy brown hair, and
he wore the same hat and gray suit
as on the morning Of his fight. ~
ooh, Leslie, Leslie!" she cried.
piteously, stretching out her hands
to him. p,
Courage, dear LADY," the driver
cried. with the help Of the Blessed
Virgin we'll keep him in sight"
But it was an unequal race, and
all the advantage was on his side,
for he had two horses and they had
only one, with as heavy a carriage.
The track over the sand that day
wound so as to double the distance,
as the crow flies, Of the island from
the shore. Whey they were but half
way across the carriage in front
of them had reached dry. land. Here
the driver pulled up and for a mo-
q ment. Gertrude watched him with
straining eyes. He jumped from
the box, and went to look at one of
the horses feet. "a stone in its
hoof, 1 suppose" Gertrude explained
to herself. 1t took scarcely q second.
to remove it, and then the driver
clambered back to his seat. AS he
did So, he faced Gertrude's vehicle,
and saw it without evincing much in
terest-carriages were common
enough in that part of the world
but at the same time he seemed to
see something beyond, and in an in
slant his whole demeanor changed.
His Norman phlegm became Southern
passion. He threw up his hands and
yelled. He jumped up on the box
of his carriage and danced and
howled till his horses, terrified by
the noise, set off down the road at a
gallop, overthrowing him at the start
into the body of the coach on to Mr..
Lawrence Soames, who was adding
his quota of curses to the hubbub,
but in curses of remonstrance, with.
out troubling himself to look round
and ascertain the cause of all the
uproar. And Gertrude herself was
ignorant of it. The man had yelled
two words over and over again, and
in a way understood them; but yet
they had conveyed no significance to
her mind, because she did not in any
way apply them to herself. La
maree! la maree! The tide! The
tide!"
God of God! Light of Light"
cried her own driver, I'VE are lost!
Saints in heaven, save us! Lord
have mercy upon us! Oh, blessed
choir of saints and angels, come down
and carry us out of this! You only
cant"
But the saints and angels we're
busy, and did not hear.
what is it," Gertrude demanded,
looking about her, bewildered, and
at first seeing nothing extraordinary.
The man stood up on his box.
flashing the horse with whip and
reins, urging it %furioLsly. LA
maree! la marcel" he shouted at it,
as if it could understand the danger
and be made to go.
THE tide-the tide" Gertrude
echoed refiectively, trying to under
stand.
Then all in a moment she knew.
For yonder she saw it, surging at the
. edges but otherwise smooth, a dense
body of water, solid and heavy,
stealthily, swiftly, silently approach
ing. like a race horse" She re-
called the drivers words, and be-
c~me quite cold as she realized the
danger, but outwardly she showed
no sign of excitement. and when she
spoke her voice was steady and clear.
She seemed to quiet the drivers mad
fury with a word.
Can you SWIM" she asked,
grasping his arm-she was still
kneeling on the seat behind him.