Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-05-23
CHAPTER xl.
Tho Home Port.

The Home PORT.
The darkness of the night SLOWLY LII
ed. revealing only a gray, leaden SKY
There was no dawn such as had glao-
dened their hearts the morning Dc
fore, no fresh awakening Of the DAY.
Instead. the GOODNESS and gloom or the
night seemed but to creep a little Tar
Their away, leaving It's shadow over the
world. A drizzling rain began to fall'
and the wanderers on the beach were
destined to a new draft OF misery
Only Agatha watched, however; James
gave no sign OF caring, or even OF
knowing, whether the sun shone or Mo
its face.
He had slept fitfully since their hour
of wakefulness together in the night
and several times he had shown signs
of extreme ~restlessness. At these
periods he would talk incoherently,
Agatha being able to catch only q
word now and then. Once he endeaV'
ored to get up, bent, apparently, upon
performing some fancied duty far
away. Agatha soothed him, talked to
him as a mother talks to a sick child,
| catoled and commanded him; ana
though he was restless and voluDie'
yet he obeyed her readily enough.
AS the rain began to descend. Aga
tina bethought herself earnestly as to
what could be done. She first per.
suaded James to drink a little more Of
the milk, and afterward took what was
left herself-less than half a cupful.
| Then she set the bucket out to catch
the rain. She felt keenly the need OF
food and water; and now that there
was no one to heed her movements,
she found It difficult to keep up the
show of courage. She still trusted In
Hand: but even at best he might yet
be several hours in returning; and
cold and hunger can reduce even the
stoutest heart. If Hand did not return
but there was no answer to that II.
She believed he would come.
The soft rain cast a pail over the
ocean. so that only a small patch OF
sea was visible; and 1t fattened the
waves until the ~blue-1ashing, white.
capped sea of yesterday was now a
smooth, gray surface, touched here
and there by a bit Of frothy scum,
Agatha looked ont through the deep
curtain Of mist, remembering the
night, the Jeanne D'Arc, and her re-
cent peril. Most wildly Of all she
heard In her memory a voice shouting.
Keep up! I'm coming, I'm coming!"
| All. what q welcome coming that had
| been! Was he to die, now, here on
! her hands, after the worst OF their
| struggle was over? She turned quickly
back to James, vowing in her heart 1t
should not be; she would save him II
it lay in human power to save.
Her hardest task was to move THUR
camp up into the edge Of the bruhh-
wood, where they might have the
| shelter Of the trees. There "a Q
place, near the handle Of the sickle.
where the rockwell partly disnp'
peared. and the underground from inc
cliff reached almost to the beach. II
was from here that Hand had began
his ascent; and here Agatha chose q
place under a clump Of bayberry,
where she could make another bed for
James. The ground there was ssill
comparatively dry.
She coaxed James to his feet and
helped him, with some difficulty, up to
the more sheltered spot He was
stronger, physically, now in his delifi.
um than he had been during his period
of sanity in the night. She made him
| sit down while she ran back to gather
an armful of the fir boughs to spread
out for his bed; but she had scarcely
started back for the old camp before
James got to his feet and staggered
after her. She met him just as she
was returning, and had to drop her
load, take her patient by the arm, and
| guide him back to the new shelter.
He went peacefully enough. but
leaned on her more and more heavily,
until at last his knees weakened under
him and he fell. Agatha's heart smots
her.
CTO BE CONTINUED.)