Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1911-06-01


1t in control and spoke steadily
enough.
There is no chance at all. do you
think?"
For the Aurora to come back? No,
not this season, at least; no possible
chance"
"And-how much ammunition have
you, Mr.. Cayley?"
"Thirty-one cartridges, besides the
ones in the revolver"
He would have said something more,
but with a little gesture she prevented
him. You've been thinking 1t out"
she said. you know what 1t means
now, and IL feel that l don't. can't
quite realize 1t yet. You must give
me a little time to think, too"
He had to assent to that, though he
knew. In advance, the direction her
thoughts must take, and foresaw the
dreadful conclusion of them. And the
answer he had to make to that con-
clusion? Well, he had 1t ready.
How long that silence lasted, Meth
err of them knew. He sat there beside
her, and yet even his eyes allowed
her perfect solitude. He mended the
fire and attended to his cooking as
quietly as before, when the girl was
reading.
Finally a little move Of hers, pre-
paratory to speech, gave him leave
to look at her. In those silent min
utes, however long they were, her face
had changed. It was grave now, In
tensely thoughtful, but the color had
come back into it. 1t was alive again.
When l asked you a while ago II
there were any chance, you asked me
If ! meant a chance for the return OF
the Aurora, and said there was none.
That was what l meant then, but it's
not what l mean now. Is there any
chance at all? | haven't been able tc
see any myself, and I've been over II
all pretty carefully. Do you see any
You-you must tell me the truth
please"
Il haven't been trying to assess the
chances. I spent my hodr thinking
; about something else, and | can't an
swer your question really with a yei
or a no."
mot with a yes, but can't you an
4 swer it with a no? Aren't you per
fectly sure, in your heart, that there
no chance at all?"
t Not yet" he answered, There ma
be a chance, and If there Is, W
e can meet 1t half way" Then h
stretched out his hand. THAT rec
b bound book there is our Bible nov
Do you remember what your fathe
said? We can live like Christians, an
o we can always hope He though
.e when he put that bottle, which col
d tanned his message, into the sea, tht
there was hardly n chance in a mi
lion of it's resulting In an effectual r
lief. Yet he went or living as a bray
man lives, a day at a time. And whe
he died, he died without fear. Doir
that, he not only helped himself, b
he helps us in a way that he couldn
is possibly have foreseen."
m Her eyes filled suddenly with tear
rs and a smile, Of a divine sad tende
ness, touched for an instant h
d. mouth. But that isn't our case, "
of know. Ours isn't as simple as that"
err What makes the differencef
nd Your wings" She said 1t hard
above a whisper, and as she said
lis she turned a little paler and her bra
"a lips trembled. But in an instant h
'st will had taken command again.
ad am sure you see. It's quite plail
she went on steadily. IF you "
spread them, those great wings
n yours, and take to the air with the
and fly away, as you are free to
. and leave me here alone, as l rea
am alone, the only person maroon
here-if you'll do that, then I'll
low my fathers gospel,-But you VIC
go away. You can't-not a man L
you, and l know that. know
mustn't even suggest It,"
Her voice sank again and grew
steady. while l am starving, !
will be starving, too. And while I
freezing, you will freeze" {
- stopped there with a shudder anC
= deep, gasping sob; then, Wont
go?" she cried out. you said O
that one of us might be dreaming,
that one was not l, Can't you bell
L it's so? Can't you wake up from
dream that is turning into a nil
mare, and fly awayH.-No, you ca,
Z You can't!-There is only one way
\ of it,"
VI There was the conclusion he
n ~foreseen, had foreseen long before
could formulate 1.-THE inevitable
IA clusion that had led him to pray
"a an hour. And now he thanked
that the answer was ready.
VA But before he could speak
turned to him with a sudden ira
ton of mood, which left him gasp
n The face she turned upon him
Fl was radiant, flushed with life, I
Nj less. She held out both hands to
M Come" she said; that's over. Yo
~ to forget it yer happened, and yo
to do something for me that l W
VIII you? l want this for a holi
Just as 1 set out to make it VIII,
saw the yacht was gone. The d
as bright as 1t was then, and
can make the hours pure gold. l
depends on us. Come, will you do
} for me?"