The Irish standard., 1911-09-02

suppose BuOulQQC nave Oce0S
but I'll have to confess that was.
You weren't trying to get away from
him, or you wouldn't have run in that
direction. But 1t looked rather dread
full, Just the same. Why did you
do it,"
I'VE were too far down the beach,
too near the waters edge before. 1t
was too late to skin him and cut him
up tonight, and was afraid If storm
were to come up before morning. q
really big storm, we might lose him.
1t was lot easier to get him up the
beach before l fred those last two
shots than it would have been after.
I thought at first Of running toward
the hut 1t occurred to me, only just
I'm time. that there was no use in ma
king an abattoir of our front yard"
They had reached the hut, and as he
finished speaking, they entered 1t.
Even Philip caught his breath rather
suddenly with that first glance about
its transformed interior. The drift
wood fire, which glowed upon the
hearth, filled the whole room with
light, and bathed the walls and rafters
with warm colors.
Here was their fortress-axainst the
cold and the dark; fortress, too,
against despair That rude hearth
which he had built today was to be
their altar Of hope.
The girl stood looking at 1t mo-
ment in silence, her lips pressed tight
together, one outstretched hand CROP
Ing for the door-jamb behind her, as
If she wanted the support of some
thing. Even in this warm freight
she looked little pale BY an evil
dent effort Of will she was breathing
very deep and steadily She did not
try to speak.
Cayley understood we'll enough what
1t meant. This place that they had
come back to for tho night was home
now, probably the last home she would
ever have in tho world, If one were to
balance the chances fairly. Its warmth
and light and comparative comfort
did more to enforce q realization of
their tragic plight than anything be.
fore had done. Tho thing she was
fighting with was q sudden wave of
plain terror.
Cayley went out into the little ves.
ttbule and closed and bolted the outer
door. He contrived to waste a minute
or two over the trifling task, in order
to give her that moment by herself
When he came back, closing the in.
ner door behind him as he did so, he
found that she had taken of her cap
and the heavy cur coat which had en-
numbered her shoulders all day. and
hung them upon convenient wooden
peg in the wall. She was standing
near the fireplace now, warming her
cold fingers at the blaze.
Cayley started little at sight Of
her, for now she was transformed.
too. Standing there, silhouetted
against the blaze. in her gray cartii.
gan jacket and moleskins. she looked
like young boy. He had discovered
before this that there was not grain
of false modesty about her: neverthe-
less, 1t pleased him when, with a Ger.
tain charming frank simplicity. she
called his attention to her costume.
TITS lucky thing" she observed
"that I dressed for n scramble ovel
the ice before coming ashore with
Uncle Jerry and Mr.. Scales. And
lucky. too, that didn't change back
when we returned to the Aurora.
left 1t the second time with no other
idea than of pulling about for awhile
In the dinghy I'd have done that Just
the same II I had dressed for dinner
that night, as usually did"
YES" he said "A skirt would
have been a pretty serious matter to
people in our situation"
"Show me the rest Of our house, y
she commanded presently. This ID
the only room I've seen"
The subdivision OF the hut was nc
complished by an L~shaped partition
seven feet or SO from the outer
yielded two tiny. cubical bedrooms
(that was the purpose which the
wooden bunk in each of them
indicateO; and third room of
the same width (nbout seven feet
but running the entire length of the
side Of the hut nearest tho cliff. This
room had evidently served for stores
and for kitchen, since part of the
reconstructed fireplace projected into
1t. 1t was in this last room where the
greater part Of what the searchers
from the Aurora had dismissed as
rubbish" was accumulated.
Cayley did as the girl commanded,
and showed her every nook and cup.
board which the four walls Of the hut
contained When they returned to
the living room where the fire was,
she dropped down on ono of the hunks
with n little sigh of fatigue.
you've been disobeying ORDERS" he
said, looking her over with serious
sort Of smile. You've let yourself
get too tired. You'll have to make
up for 1t by being exceptionally obedi.
ont now"
AS he spoke, he shook out the sleep.