Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-08-24
CHAPTER XIV.

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CHAPTER XIV.
Cost awakened with . gasp. Jump
ing to lis fest AZ II to the peremptory
Summons Of . subconscious alarm
elock. Such, IN fact, was more OF
hess the case; he who sleeps upon the
thought Of danger IL apt to waksu
with that thought predominant.
A moment gone everything had bees
nsnsely dark. with that narcotic black
ness which charactsrizss the slumbera
,of the oysTvorked and overwrousht
Nov In . twinkling he found himself
Intensely conscious, In the middle ol
the floor. pistol In hand. every nerve
ION the qui vive, every muscle tense
Gradually he realised that his nerves
must have tricked him. that the hair
trigger Of his suspended faculties
must have been pulled by some com
mon but unexpected noise. The room
was bright with garish daylight: II
the doors the chairs were in place, al
he had left them; there was not q
sound to be heard in the house.
Very stsalthily he opened the hall
1oor and looked ont. From tho silence
within doors, there was no one else
lstir. He went out and back to the
Kitchen, finding 1t empty. After some
momsptary hesitation he returned to
Z. nd tAN
with him out into the open.
He went quickly down through the
Cold, LARS to the beach. The Echo
was gone, put this did moi surprise
him; 1t had been Appleyard's purpose
TO heaye anchor and get away rs soon
as the gale showed signs Of slacken.
Ing. Inside the sheltering spit q
sturdy little catboat was dancing
crafty at its uaooring, but It was evi.
IDENTIFY deserted. and Coast rightly
guessed that the vessel belonged to
lBlackstock, that It's tender was the
boat which Power had been accused Of
istealing-principally, no doubt, to al.
lay the suspicious Of Katherine: some
means Of accounting for the mans dis.
appearance had necessarily to be In.
vented. The boat was, Of course. no
where to be seen; doubtless Black.
stock had caused It to be carried up
and secreted In one of the abandoned
dwellings, or In some recess beneath
the BLUFFS to tho west and south.
It was In tho shelter Of tho westerly
bluff that Coast stripped and took to
the water. Here. 40 all round the
island, the beach shelved boldly. the
surf breaking close inshore.
scrubbing his flesh aglow. he
dressed quickly. tingling with the OF.
hilaration. Of his recent contest, every
trace OF fatigue and drowsinesa
washed clean away. A sense Of life
and well-being ran like quicksilver
through his veins; he could have suns
aloud or whistled but for the SOLDERING
thought, never far beneath the sur.
face Of his consciousness. OF his re-
isponsibility. With Katherine to
guard and care for, with Blackstock to
watch and guard against and circum.
vent, there could be little room for
cheerfulness In his humor.
[. Instead Of returning the way he had
come, an impulse moved him to scale
the bluff. which at this point pre-
scented not too steep an ACTIVITY.
(. As he continued along the sole, ap
iproaching the heel Of what has been
llikened to crude sketch Of childs
shoe, Coast remarked the orumblina
stone walls Of what had apparently
once been Q rude summer house and
observatory set atop the highest hill
lock to seward. But he had drawn
quite near TO It before he deserted
= hem of SKIRT whipping .round cor.
nss Of . hsltfalJsn we'll. He QUICK
eosd his ste6s aoA took. her su1dsnly
aaawaxes - she stood, hs1-sheltered
from Tie brseee and wholly invisible
from the bedy Of the island, her back
TO the weather-beaten and ltchened
stones, her gaze levslsa to seward
u somber rovey1s.
Il WAS q II she had been expecting
him: she seemed not ct Ill surprised.
But there was no light Of welcome in
her look, nor any trace Of welcome in
her upshpG a. he stopped before her,
hat n hand and heart in his throat.
With somsehing IN his bearing that
called to. mind child convicted OF
eransgrassion and pleading for suspso.
sion q Judgment
Il came out here to think" che said
-sat least to, try to think. But I
hoped that II you saw me you would
follow"
I'm glad" b said; though didn't
lknow you were here. It's hardly like
" ven have % good . chance to talk
again"
eyes" she admitted simply. There
ives Q little catch In her voice and he
fascted her lips quivered like the lips
of tired child a. she looked away
from him, seeking again the sight OF
the sea - II she drew from 1t some
isolac0, some sorely needed strength
against her trials. I'VE must talk, OF
course. have been trying
q; night to think but every
thing seems So. -.
/ She IN the sentence incomplete
saising her hands to press them
Isgeiast her temples and then dropping
them with y gesture Of utter weart
lasss.
"Oh." she cried. why did you come
lback7 You promised, you went away.
and 81 was sorry for you and prayed
you might ind happiness, Garrett.
You promised. and-you came back