The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1911-11-15

into the woods to cut timber for house
beams. others to cutting cane grass
for thatching and forty of them lift
ed whale boat above their heads and
carried it down to the sea. Sheldon
had gritted his teeth. pulled his col
iapsing soul together and taken Be.
rande plantation into his fist once
more
Have you seen the barOmeterY" Cap
tain Oleson asked, pausing at the bot
tom of the steps on his way to oversee
the Decentralization Of the sick.
NO" Sheldon answered. rs IL
DOWN.
tits going down."
"Then you'd better sleep aboard to-
night" was Sheldon's judgment.
"Never mind the funeral. I'll see to
poor Hughie. If you can see your way
to it, come ashore tomorrow and lend
me hand. If you can't, send the
mate"
Right o. III come myself. Mr..
Johnson's dead. sir. l forgot to tell
you-three days ago"
Sheldon turned to his partner, calling
for boys to carry him into the house.
But Hughie Drummond had reached
the end. His breathing was impercep-
tible. By mere touch Sheldon could
ascertain that the dying mans tenn
perature was going down. 1t must have
been going down when the Their
mometer registered one hundred ana
seven. He had burned out. Sheldon
knelt beside him, the house boys group
ed around. their white singlets and
loin cloths peculiarly at variance with
their dark skins and savage counte-
nances, their huge ear plugs and carved
and glistening nose rings. Sheldon
tottered to his feet at last and half
fell into the steamer chair. Oppres-
sive as the heat had been it was now
even more oppressive. II was diff
cult to breathe. He painted for air.
The faces and naked arms of the house
boys were beaded with sweat.
"Marster" one of them ventured.
"big fella wind he come. strong fella
too much
Sheldon nodded his head but did not
look. Much rs he had loved Hughie
DrummOnd. his death and the funeral
II entailed seemed an intOlerable bur
den to add to what he was already
sinking under He had feeling -
nay, it was certitude-that all he
had to do was to shut his eyes and
let go and that he would die, sinh
into immensely of rest. His weary
body seemed torn by the oncomini
pangs of dissolution. lie was foo
to hang ON. lie had died score OF
deaths already. and what was the use
of prolonging ii to twoscore deaths
before he really died? Not only was
he not afraid to die. but he desired
to die.
But his mind that could will life OF
death still pulsed on. He saw the two
J whaleboats land ON the beach and
the sick. on stretchers or pickaback
groaning and wailing. go by in lugu
brious procession. He saw the wind
making on the clouded horizon and
thought of the sick in the hospital
Here was something waiting for his
hand to be done, and 1t was not In his
nature to lie down and sleep OF die
when any task remained undone.
The boss boys were called and given
their orders to rope down the hospital
with its two additions. He remem
bered the spare anchor chain. new and
black painted. that hung under the
house suspended from the floor beams
| and ordered II to be used on the hos
pital as well. Other boys brought the
coffin. a grotesque patchwork of pack
ing cases. and under his directions
they laid Hughie Drummond In II
Half dozen boys carried II down the
peach. while he rode on the back OF
another, his arms around the Dlacki
neck. one hand clutching praye
book.
While he read the service the black
gazed apprehensively at the dark nn'
| on the water above which rolled ans
--y onSH>