The Raymer enterprise., 1911-07-27
CHAPTER ~. (contInued).

He had. then. these alternatives: he
might either compose himself to hug
the leeward side Of dune till day.
break Tor till relief should GOMEZ or
else undertake five-mile tramp on
the desperate hope Of finding at the
end OF It the tide out and the sandbar
. safe footway from shore to shore.
Between tho two he vacillated not at
all; anything were preferable to q
night in the dunes. beaten by the i'm
placable storm. haunted by the
thought Of Quain: and even though he
were TO find the eastern causeway un.
der water. at least the exercise would
have served to keep him from freez-
ing.
Ten minutes after his last cartridge
had been fruiuessly discharged. he
set out for the ocean beach. pausing
1t the first dune he came upon to
scrape q shallow trench In tho sand
and cache therein both guns and his
gamebag. Marking the spot with q
bit Of driftwood stuck upright. ne
pressed on, eventually pausing on the
overhanging lip OF a 20.foot blun. To
It's foot the beach below was aswirl
knee.deep with wash Of breakers.
Awed and disappointed, Amber
drew back. The beach was impass-
able; here was no wide and easy road
TO the east, such as he had thought to
nnd; TO gain the sandbar he had now
TO thread a tortuous and uncertain
way through the bewildering dunes.
A demon Of anxiety prodded him
on: he must learn Quain's fate. or go
mad. Once on tho mainland 1t were
. matter Of facility to ind his way to
the village Of Shampton. telephone
Tanglewood and charter a team" to
convey him thither. He shut his teeth
on his determination and set his face
to the east.
Beset and roughly butfeted by the
gale; the snow settling In rippling
drifts In the folds OF his clothing and
upon his shoulders clinging like
cloth; his face cut by clouds OF sand
nung horizontally with well.nigh the
force Of birdshot from a gun: he
bowed to the blast and plodded stead.
LILY on.
lmperceptibly fatigue benumbed his
senses. blunted the keen edge OF his
emotions; even tho care for Quain b.
came mere dull ache In the back OF
his perceptions: Of physical suffering
hs was unconscious. He fell q prey
to freakish fancies. For long time he
moved on In stupid. wondering con-
temptation OF shining crescent Of
sand backed by green. stsaming
wall Of Jungle. Many visions formed
and dissolved In dream.liks phantas.
magoriA: but Of them all the strongest
and most recurrent was that OF the
girl In the black riding habit walking
by his side down tho aisle Of trees.
30 that presently the tired and over.
wrought man believed himself talking
with her. reasoning, arguing. pleading
desperately for his hearts desire: .
and wakened with q start, to
hear the echo Of her voice ~ though
she had spoken but the instant gone.
to nnd his own lips framing the syl.
lables OF her name-"Sophia!"
Abruptly he resaIned consciousness
Of his plight, and with an effort shook
bis senses back into his head. 1t
was not precisely time when he
could afford to let his wits 60 WOOL
gathering. InneIible Of purpose in
tho face OF all his WEAKNESS and dis.
couragement, he was on the point OF
resuming his march when he was
struck by the Circumstance that tho
whltened shoulder OF dune, quito
near at hand. should seem as II
frosted with light-coldly luminous.
Staring. speculative. he hung In the
wind-inQuisitive as cat but loath to
waste time In foot!ess inquiry. The
snowfall. setting In with augmented
violence, decided him. Where light
was, there should bo man. and where
man. shelter.
His third eager stride opened UP Q
Wide basin In the dunes, filled with
sddying wells Of snow. and set, at
some distance. with two brilliant
squares OF light-windows In an In.
visible dwelling. In the space be.
tween them. doubtless. there would be
q door. But second time no paused,
remembering that the island was said
to be uninhabited. Only yesterday he
had asked and been SO informed. i.
Odd
80 passing strange he held II, In.
deed, that he was conscious Of q sin.
Kular reluctance to question the phe.
uomenon. He had positively to force
himself on to seek the door. and even
when he had stumbled against It's
step he twice lifted his hand ana ,st
Il fall without knocking.
There was not q sound within that
he could hear above the Glamour Of