Omaha daily bee., 1911-01-29
CHAPTER XVII.

They walked together around the curv-
ing road, leaving Haru with the tea
basket. Patsy would have come" Bar
bara had said. but she Is in the clutches
Of her dressmaAer." And Daunt had an
swered, Il have distinct regard FOR that
Chinaman!"
His black mood had vanished, and the
leering imps had flown. In the brightness
of her physical presence, how baseless and
foolish seemed his sullen imaginlngs!
What man who owned steam yacht.
knowing her. would not wish to name It
the Barbara?
The sky was duller now Its marvellous
haze of blue and gold had turned pallld,
and the sun glared with pale yelowish
effrontery. A strange signing was in the
air so faint however that 1t seemed only
the stirring OF lnnumerable leaves, the
resinous rasping OF pine needles and the
lsping fall of the flaming petals from the
century old camelia trees, that stained
the ground with hot, bleeding red. At a
turn in the road stood stone image of
Jizo with red paper bib about It's neck.
Before II lay three small rice cakes; some
where in the nelghborhood was a little
sick child, years old. At its base were
heaps of tiny stones, piled by mothers
whose little children had died,
They went laughing like two children,
down the zigzag stone steps, past innum-
cradle uomite-crimson- benched rest
ing houses" where grave Japanese pedes-
TRANS sat eating stewed cells and chipping
hard boiled eggs-to the rocky edge of the
tide, which now rolled in with measured,
sullen booming. He pointed to a gloomy
fissure which ran into the mountain at a
little distance.
20 maiden, journeying to Holy Ben
ten" he said. behold her shrine!"
How disilusioning!"
People find love 80, sometimes"
She slowly shook her head. Not all Of
Them" she said softly. Il am old fashioned
enough not to believe that" Her brown
eyes were wistful and a little troubled,
and her voice was so adorable that he
could have gone on his knees to her.
I'VE will ask Ben-ten about It," he said
''Oh, but not wet" she cried. II must
go alone Don't you know the legend? Peo-
pie quarrel IL they go together"
81 can't imagine quarreling with you I'd
rather quarrel with myself"
THAT would be difficult, wouldn't it?'
mot in some OF my moods. Ask my
head-boy. Today, for instance"
"Well2" For he had paused
'I was medltatlng self-destruction when
met you"
by what interesting method, wonder?"
jump into"
Il thought the nearest active crater is
100 miles away"
80 it is, but I'm an absent-minded beg
gar"
She laughed. May ask what inspired
today's suicidal mood?"
ut was-a telegram"
'oh!" She colored family. IL hope it
held no bad news"
He looked into her eyes. II hope not"
ne said. Something else was on his tongue,
when Look she exclaimed. How
strange the sea looks off therel
sinister, whitish bank, like a mad drift
of smoke. lay far off on the water, and a
tense, whistlng hum came from the upper.
air. A drop o. water splashed on Daunt's
wrist. There's going to be blow" he
said. THE seaweed gatherers are all COM
ing in, too. Ben-ten will have to wait, I'm
afraid See-even her high priest is for
saking her!"
From where they stood steps were
roughly hewn into the rock, winding across
the face Of the cliff, Beside these stone
pillars we're socketed, carrying an iron
chain that hung in rusted festoons. Along
this precarious pathway from the cavern
an old man was hastily coming. followed by
boy with a sagging bundle tied in a
white cloth. That parcel, no doubt" said
Daunt, contains the days offerings. Wait!
You're not goingT' For she had started
he down the steps.
c. She had turned TO answer, when with the
ut suddenness of an explosion, a burst of
Vn wind fell on them like Tapping weight.
y, scattering them with drops that struck the
rock as II hurled from a sling full Of melted
ed metal. Barbara had never in her life ex-
IL perenced anything like it's ferocity. 1t both
n startled and angered her like a personal
IN affront.
IN Daunt had sprung TO her side and was
&C. shouting something. But the words were
an indisunguishable; she shook her head and
az went on stubbornly, clinging to the chain
~, ne a whirl OF blown garments. She felt him
grasp her arm.
10 Go backl" she shreked. "Its-bad-
luckg
~ As he released her there came a seconds
90 menacing lull, and In it she sprang down
90 the steps and ran swiftly out along the
he pathway. He was after her in an instant
nd oyertaking her on a fral board tresue that
spanncd a pool, where the cliff was per
al pendicular. Here the wind, shaggy with
.ra spuma, hurled them together Daunt threw
he an arm about her. cnging with the othel
~, hand 70 the wooden railing. Her hair wa!
M, reddish swirl across his shoulder and hel
ara breath, painting against his throat ridgeC
bo his skin with a creeping delight The rock,
~, beneath them, through whose fissurei
a tongues OF water ran screaming, was tn,
he '''o, VI 'aSPo.'''eS an" 'a""S WIN sea
- weed. There was only a weird yellow half
be- light through which the gale howled and
40 scrftCd, Ike dragons fighting A slathel
-. OK wave licked the pasied framework
lie bent and shouted into her ear Al
b.. she caught was "Must-cave-next lull-'
IA She nodded her head and her lips smile,
N at him through the confused obscurity. 4
~, thrill swept her like silver rain. Pulse OF
~ pulse, an emotion like fire and snow In on,
,, thrilled and Chilled her.
lad TO Be Contnuea4