Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-02-28
CHAPTER Ix.-contInued.

had made a path for himself up the
steep bank through the underbrush.
and now Agatha went with him to
the 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 its
Goals once more before returning to
James. He was sleeping. but his
flushed face and unnatural breathing
were signs of i'll. Now and then he
moved restlessly, or seemed to try to
kspeak, 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. 1t 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
while Hand had rubbed and pun
meled James until the blood flowed
again. It had flowed too freely. in
deed, 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. rum
ming lightly over the slippery rocks.
They had come In on the flowing tide.
which had aided them greatly: and
now Hand helped her the short dis
tance to the cove and mercifully let
her lie, while he went back to his
work for James.
Later he had got 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
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 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
stronger; 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 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
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
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 D'Arc; 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 a 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 a 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 sweetncss OF temper that was Itself