The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1913-01-10
CHAPTER X.
The Homo Port.


The darkness OF the night slowly lift
ed, revealing only a gray, leaden sky.
There was no dawn such as had glad
dened their hearts the morning be-
fore, no fresh awakening of the day.
Instead, tho coldness and gloom OF the
night seemed but TO creep a little far
ther away leaving its shadow over the
world. A drizzling rain began to fall
and the wanderers on the beach were
destined to new draft Of misery,
Only Agatha watched, however; James
gave no sign of caring, or even OF
knowing, whether the sun shone or hid
its face.
He had slept ltfully 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
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 sick child
cajoled and commanded him; and
though he was restless and voluble,
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
heart. II Hand did not return
but there was no answer to that if.
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 it fiattened 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 out through the deep
curtain Of mist, remembering the
night, the Jeanne Dare, and her re-
cent peril Most vlvidly Of all sne
heard in her memory a voice shouting,
Keep Up! I'm coming, I'm coming"
All, what a 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 it |
should not be; she would save him II |
{ lay in human power to save.
Her hardest task was to move their |
lamp up into the edge Of the brush |
wood, where they might have the |
shelter of the trees. There was
llace, near the handle of the sickle, |
where the rock-wall partly disap- |
and the underground from the
.liff reached almost to the beach. It
vas from here that Hand had begun
lis ascent; and here Agatha chose
,lace under a clump of bayberry,
yhere she could make another bed for
ames. The ground there was still
dry.
She coaxed James to his feet and
elped him, with some difficulty, up to
he more sheltered spot. He was
tronger, physically, now in his deliri-
m than he had been during his period
I sanity in the night. She made him
it down while she ran back to gather
II armful of the fir boughs to spread
ut for his bed; but she had scarcely
tarted back for the old camp before
ames got to his feet and staggered
fter her. She met him just as she
as returning, and had to drop her
,ad, take her patient by the arm, and
uide him back to the new shelter
e went peacefully enough, but
aned on her more and more heavily.
ntll at last his knees weakened under
I'm and he fell. Agatha's heart smote
er.
(TO BE CONTINUED)