Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-10

reached into his pocket, then remem-
bered that he had no knife. A. the
next best thing he knotted his hand
kerchief quickly above the ankle,
thrust q 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: II
must not be frightened. He doesn't
realize the danger, but I do! must
be quite collected. It IL a mile to the
Doctors. might run to the house
and send Unc' Jefferson, but it would
axe too long. Besides. the doctor
might not be there. There is no one
to do anything but me-"
She crouched beside him, putting
her hands by his on tho stick and
wrenching it over with all her
strength. Tighter, tighter" she said
1T 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.nke thudding
| He leaned back on one arm, trying
! to laugh. but she noted that his breath
came shortly as IL he had been run
ming. Absurd" he said, frowning.
How such-a fool thing-can hurt"
Suddenly she threw herself on the
ground and grasped the foot with both
hands. He could see her face twitch
with shuddering, and her eyes dilating
with some determined purpose.
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 SEN
fences:
"You must! It's the only way. It
was-a moccasin. and It's deadly.
Every minute counts!"
II won't. No. stop! How do you
know? It's not going to-here, listen!
Take your hands away. Listen!-Lis-
ten! can go to the house and send
Uncle Jefferson for the doctor and he
No! stop, say! OHM sorry If I
hurt you. How strong you are!"
Let mel"
mo! Your lips are not for that
good God, that damnable thing! You
yourself might be-"
Let me! Oh. how cruel you are!
It was my fault. But for me 1t would
never have"
mo! ! would rather"
Let me! Oh. II you died."
With all the force Of her strong
young body she wrenched away his
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
oil over Il. His foot had entirely lost
tts feeling. There was strange weak
ness in his limbs.
Moments Of half-consciousness or
consciousness tumbled 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 a white desperate face haloed with
hair that was q mist of woven spar
kles. At times he thought himself
a 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 q
vine with yellow leaves winding and
clinging about him. Then blank
q sense Of movement and Of troublous
disturbance, Of insistent voices that
called to him and inquisitive hands
that plucked at him, and then voices
growing distant again, and hands fall
ing away. and at last-silence.
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 filled with signing noises. She
walked warily. hating often at some
leafy rustic to catch . quick breath
of dread. Az she approached the tree
roots where the cape jessaminss lay,
she had to force her feet forward by
sheer effort Of will. At little dis
lance from them she broke q 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 q thunderstorm.
which had arisen almost without warn
ing to break with the passionate in.
tensity Of electric storms in the South.
There was no shelter. but even had
there been, she would not have sought
It. The turbulence Of nature around
her matched. In . way, her over
strained feeling. and she welcomed
the nerce bulge Of the wind in the
up.blow1ng whorls Of her hair and the
drenching wetness Of the rain. She
tried to FIX her mind ON near things.
the bending grasses. tho scurrying red
tunnels and tapping shrubbery. but
her thoughts wilfully escaped the
tether, turning again and again to the
events Of the last two hours. She pic
tured Unc' Js6ersonb eyes rolling up