Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-13

best thing he knotted his handker.
chief quickly above the ankle, thrust
a stick through the loop and twisted
It till the ligature cut deeply, while
she knelt beside him, her lips moving
soundlessly, saying over and over to
herself words like these: "I must not
be frightened. He doesn't realize the
danger, but I do! I must be quite
collected. It is a mile to the doctors.
might run to the house and send
Unc' jefferson, but it would take too
long. Besides, the doctor might not
be there. There is no one to do any.
thing but me-"
She crouched beside him, putting
her hands by his on the stick and
wrenching 1t over with all her
strength. Tighter, tighter" she said.
"It must be tighter" But, to her dis.
may, at the last turn the improvised
cord snapped. and the released stick
few dozen feet away.
Her heart leaped chokingly, then
dropped into hammer-like thudding.
He leaned back on one arm. trying to
laugh, but she noted that his breath
came shortly as If he had been rum
ming. "Absurd!" he said, frowning.
"How such-a fool thing-can hurt"
Suddenly she threw herself on the
ground and grasped his foot with both
her hands. He could see her face
twitch with shuddering, and her eyes
dilating with some determined pur-
pose.
what are you going to do?"
"This," she said. and he felt her
shrinking lips, warm and tremulous,
pressed hard against his instep
He drew away sharply, with savage
denial "No-no! Not that! You
shan't! My lord--you shant!" He
dragged his numbing foot from her
desperate grasp, lifting himself, push
ing her from him; but she fought
with him, clinging, painting broken
sentences:
You must! It's the only way. It
was-a moccasin, and it's deadly.
Every minute counts"
IT won't. No stop! How do you
know? It's not going to-here, listen!
Take your hands away. Listen! I
can go to the house and send Uncle
Jefferson for the doctor and he-No!
stop, I say! Oh-Tm sorry if hurt
you. How strong you are!"
Let mel"
"No! Your lips are not for that
good God, that damnable thing! You
yourself might be"
Let me! Oh, how cruel you are! 1t
was my fault. BMut for me it would
never have"
mo! I would rather"
Let me! Oh, If you died."
With all the force of her strong
Nod r1@ h1I a.;
protestant hands. A thirst and sick
ish feeling were upon him. curious
irresponsible giddiness, and her hair
which that struggle had brought in
tumbled masses about her shoulders,
seemed to have little flames running
all over it. His foot had entirely lost
it's feeling. There was a strange weak
ness in his limbs.
He felt It with a cool thriving sur
prise. Could it be death stealing over
him-really death, in this silly inglori-
Gus guise, from a miserable crawling
reptile? Death, when he had just be-
gun life that seemed so worth
living?
A sense of unhealthy came. He was
asleep! The failure, the investiga-
ton. Virginia-all was dream.
Presently he would wake in his bache,
lor quarters to find his man setting
out his coffee and grapefruit. He SET
tied back and closed his eyes.
Moments Of half-cons ciousness. or
consciousness jumbled with strange
imaginings, followed. At times he
felt the pressure upon the wounded
foot. was sensible of the suction OF
the young mouth striving desperately
to draw the poison from the wound.
From time to time he was conscious
of white desperate face halOed with
hair that was mist of woven spark
lies. At times he thought himself
recumbent stone statue in wood, and
her a great tall golden-headed flower
lying broken at his feet. Again he
was a granite boulder and she vine
with yellow leaves winding and cling
ing about him. Then blank-a sense
Of movement and of troublous distur.
bance, of insistent voices that called
to him and inquisitive hands that
plucked at him, and then voices grow
ing distant again, and hands falling
away, and at last-silence.
CHAPTER XXI
After the Storm.
Inky clouds were gathering over the
sunlight when Shirley came from
Damory Court. along the narrow wood
path under the hemlocks. and the way
was striped with blue-black shadows
and filed with signing noises. She
walked warily, hating often at some
1eafy rustic to catch a quick breath
of dread. AS she approached the
Itree-roots where the cape jessamines
lay, she had to force her feet forward
by sheer effort of will. At a little dis
lance from them she broke a stick and
with it managed to drag the bunch to
her, turning her eyes with shiver
from the trampled spot near by. She
picked up the flowers, and treading
with caution, retraced her steps to the
wider path.
She stepped into the Red Road at
length in the teeth Of a thunderstorm,
which had arisen almost without
warning to break with the passionate
~,