The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1913-01-08

and tiny trickles OF blood showed ON
his lipsS 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 fde
which had aided them greatly; and
now Hand helped her the short dis
lance to the cove and mercifully let
her lie, while he went back to his
work for James.
Later he had got a little bucket.
used for bailing out the rowboat, and
dashed hurriedly into the thicket
above after some tinkling cowbells
Though she was too tired to question
him, Agatha supposed he had tied one
lof the cows to a tree, since he re-
turned three or four times to fill the
pail. What a wonderful llfe-giver
milk wasl She had drunk her fill
and had tried to feed 1t to James,
who at first 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
sironger; and she and Hand set to
work to prepare the fire and the bed
Almost while they were at this labor,
he 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 as Agatha herself felt
the cold more keenly she tucked 1t
closer about him. Alone as she was
now, in solitude with this man who
had saved her from the waters, with
darkness and the night again coming
Ion. 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 Jims side, cover
ing his feet with the coat and heaping
the fir boughs over him, she paused
to look at his UNCONSCIOUS face. She
knew now that he did not belong to
the crew of the Jeanne Dare; but
Of his outward circumstances she
knew nothing more. Thirty she
guessed him to be, thereby coming
within four years of the truth. His
short mustache concealed his mouth,
and his eyes were closed. 1t was
almost like looking at the mask of
a face. The rough beard Of weeks
growth made a deep shadow over the
lower part of his face; and yet, be-
hind the mask, she thought she could
see some token of real man, not
without his attributes of divinity. In
the ordeal of the night before he had
shown the highest order of patience,
Endurance and courage, together with
a sweetness of temper that was itself
lovable. But beyond this, what sort
tell She had seen many men Of many
types, and perhaps she recognized
James as belonging to type; but
| il SO, 1t was the type that stands
for the best Of New England stock.
In the centuries back 1t may have
brought forth fanatics and extrem-
lists; at times it may have built up
It's narrow walls of prejudice and
pride; but at the core 1t was sound
and manly, and responsive to the
call of the spirit.
Something of all this passed
through Agatha's mind. as she tried
to read Jims face; then. as he stirred
uneasily and tried to throw of the
| light boughs that she had spread over
him. she got up and went to the edge
of the water to moisten afresh tho
bandage for his forehead. Involuntar-
| lily she shuddered at sight of the dark
water, though the tapping waves,
pushing up farther and farther with
the incoming tide, were gentle
enough to soothe a child.
She hurried back to Jims couch
and laid the cooling compress across
his forehead. The balsam boughs
about them breathed their fragrance
on the night air, and the pleasant
gloom rested their tired eyes. Grad
ually he quieted down again; his rest
lessness ceased. The long twilight
deepcned into darkness, or rather into
that thin luminous blue shade which
is the darkness of starlit summer
nights. The sea washed the beach
with it's murmuring caress; some
where in the thicket above night
bird called.
In a Granny of the rocks Agatha
followed out the sand, still warm be-
meath the surface here where the sun
had lain on 1t through long summer
days, and made for herself bed and
coverlet and pillow all at once. With
the sand piled around and over her,
she could not really suffer; and she
was MORALLY tired.
She looked up toward the clear
stars, Vega and the jeweled cross al
most in the zenith, and ruddy Antares
in the body of the shining Scorpion.
They were watching her, she thought,
tonight in her peace as they had
watched her last night in her strug-
gle, and as they would watch after
all her. days and nights were done.
nd tbot, he Thought No mora GlAnn