Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-05-23
CHAPTER Ix.-Contlnued.

Hand already, earlier In the day,
had made a path for himself up the
steep bank through the underbruM'
and now Agatha went with him to
che edge OF the thicket. She watched
and listened until the faint rustling
of his footsteps ceased, then turned
Back to the camp on the beach. She
went to the fire and stirred up It's
Goals once more before returning to
James. He was sleeping, but his
flushed face and unnatural breathing
werc signs Of Ill. Now and then he
moved restlessly. or seemed to try to
epeak, but no coherent words came.
She sat down to watch by him.
After Agatha and James had been
brought ashore by the capable Mr..
Hand, It had needed only time to
bring Agatha back to consciousness.
both she and James had practically
tainted from exhaustion, and James
had been nearly drowned. at the last
minute. Agatha had been left on the
rocks to come to herself as she would,
N lille Hand had rubbed and pun
meled James until the blood flowed
again. II had flowed too freely. In.
decd, at some time during his ordeal:
and tiny trickles OF blood showed on
his lips. Agatha. dazed and aching.
was trying to crawl up to the sand
when Hand came back to her, run.
ming lightly over the slippery rocks.
They had come In on the flowing tide,
which had aided them greatly; and
new Hand helped her the short dis
Fance to the cove and, mercifully let
her lie. while he went back to his
work for James.
Later he had got a little bucket,
nsed for balling out the rowboat, and
dashed hurriedly into the thicket
above after some linking cowbells,
Though she was too tired to question
him, Agatha supposed he had tied one
of the cows to a tree, since he re-
turned three or four times to fill the
pail. What a wonderful life-giver
milk was! She had drunk her fll
and had tried to feed It to James,
who at frst tasted eagerly, but had,
on the whole, taken very little. He
was only partly awake. but he shiv.
cred and weakly murmured that he
was cold. Agatha quickly grew
vi onger; and she and Hand set to
work to prepare the fire and the bed.
Almost while they were at this labor,
the sun had gone down.
Sitting by Jim's couch, Agatha grew
sleepy and cold, but there were no
more coverings. Hands coat was
over Jim, and al Agatha herself felt
the cold more keenly she tucked II
closer about him. Alone as she was
now, In solitude with this mar who
had saved her from the waters, with
darkness and the night again coming
on, her spirit shrank: not SO much
from fear, as from that premonition
OF the future which now and then
Assails the human heart.
AS she knelt by Jim's side, cover
ing his feet with the coat and heaping
kuc III UOubuo ONST It'll, bH0 paused
10 look at his unconscious face. She
knew now that he did not belong to
the crew Of the Jeanne D'Arc: but
lbf his outward circumstances she
knew nothing more, Thirty she
Kuessed him to be, thereby coming
within four years Of the truth. His
short mustache concealed his mouth,
and his eyes were closed. It a
almost like looking at the mask Of
D face. The rough beard Of a weeks
growth made a deep shadow over the
tcwer part of his face; and yet, be-
hind the mask, she thought she could
Q some token of a real man, not
without his attributes Of divinity. In
he ordeal of the night before he had
hli0wn the highest order of patience.
endurance and courage, together with
: svsstnsss Of temper that was itself