The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-05-24

moment the thought that you are near
land, that you are almost there. we
are safe, you can go on-only Re"
moments more!"
Poor Agatha strove as Jim bade
her. CALAMITY, hearing his voice as
through a thickening wall; but she
had already done her best and more.
She struggled for few half-consclous
moments: then suddenly her arms
grew limp. her eyes closed, and her
weight came upon Jim as that OF a
dead person. Then he set his teeth
and nerved himself to make the effort
of his life.
1t is no easy thing TO strain for
ward. swimming the high seas, pear
ing above the surface a load whlcn
on land would make strong man
stagger One must watch ones Dur
den, to guard against mishap; one
must save breath and muscle. ana
keep an eye for direction, all IN
struggle against a hostile element.
The goal still seemed incredibly
far. farther than his strength couiu
90. Yet he swan on, fighting against
the rt-breaking thought that mis-
companion had perhaps gone down
to the dim sea-line" in very truth.
She had been so brave, so strong
She had buoyed up his courage when
1t had been fainting; she had fougnt
splendidly against the last terrlole
inertia OF exhaustion.
Courage" he told himself we
must make the land" But II tooK
a stupendous effort His strokes be-
came unequal, some OF them feeoie
and ineffective; his muscles ached
with the strain; now and then
strange whirring and dizziness In MS
head caused him to wonder dlmly
whether he were above or below wa
ter. He could no longer swim with
closed lips, but constantly threw MS
head back with the gasp that marks
the spent runner.
Holding Agatha Redmond In front
of him. with her head well above the
water and her body partly supported
by the life preserver. he swan some
times with one hand. sometimes only
with his legs. He dared not stop
now, lest he be too late in reaching
land or wholly unable to regather his
force. The dizziness increased, and
a sharp pain in his eyeballs required
again and again. He could no longer
see the land; il seemed to him that
II was blood, not brine, that spurted
from nose and mouth; but still he
swan on, holding the woman safe.
He made a gigantic effort to shout,
though he could scarcely hear his own
voice, Then he fixed his mind solely
on his swimming. counting one stroke
after another, like a man who is coax
ing sleep.
How long he swan thus, he did not
know; but after many strokes he was
conscious of a sense OF happiness
that, after all, il wasn't necessary TO
reach land or to struggle any more.
Rest and respite from excruciating
effort we're to be had for the taking
why had he withstood them so long?
The sea rocked him, the surge filled
his ears, his limbs relaxed their ten
sion. Then 1t was that a strong
hand grasped him, and a second later
the same hand dealt him a violent
blow on the face.
He had to begin the intolerable ex-
ertion OF swimming again. but he no
longer had a burden to hold safe;
there was no burden in sight. Half
he felt the earth once
more beneath his feet. but he could
not stand. He fell face forward into
the water again at his first attempt.
and again the strong hand pulled
him up and half-carried him over some
Shiny rocks. 1t was an endless jour-
ney before the strong hand would let
him sit or lie down. but at last he
was allowed to drop.
He vaguely felt the warmth Of the
sun drying his skin while the sea
hummed in his ears; he felt dis
tinctly the sharp pain between his
eyes, and a parching thirst He
CROPPED around in a delirious search
for water which he did not find; he
pressed his head and limbs against
the earth In an exquisite relief from
pain: and at last his bruised feet,
his aching bones and head constrain-
ed him to a lethargy that ended In
sleep.