The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1914-03-20


my ears; then darkness, out of which
came voice, empty, meaningless
finally soundless.
| After a while | realized that / was
| in pain; that, at intervals, somebody
forced morsels of ice between my
| lips; that the darkness around me had
| turned 'grayer.
Years and years later yellow star
rose and stood still before my open
eyes; and after a long while | saw
| it was the flame of candle: and
somebody spoke my name.
Il know you, Speed" l said drow.
silly.
"You are all right, Scarlett?"
eyes, all right. What time
! is it?"
1 heard the click of his hunting
case. Eleven o'clock"
what day."
Saturday"
when was l hurt? Many days
ago-many weeks?"
You were hurt at half-past three
this afternoon"
I turned on the white pillow.
Where is this bed? Where is this
room?"
"Shall I tell your"
I was silent, struggling with mem.
DRY.
"Tell me-" said, whose bed is
this?"
cit is hers"
The candle-fame glimmered before
my wide-open eyes once more, and
ooh, you are all right" he muttered,
then leaned heavily against the bed.
side, dropping his arms on the. cover
let.
That is all I remember that night,
all l remember clearly, though it
seems to me that once I heard drums
beating in the distance; and perhaps
| did.
Dawn was breaking when l awoke.
Speed, partly dressed, lay beside me,
sleeping heavily. idiot, get up!"
cried, hitting him feebly.
He was very angry when he found
out why had awakened him; perhaps
strained him from violence.
| He stumbled to the floor, bathed
grumbling all the while, and then, to
my surprise, walked over to fiat
trunk which stood under the window
and which / recognized as mine.
"I'll borrow some underwear" he
remarked viciously.
Whats my trunk doing here"
demanded.
Madame de Vassart had them
bring it,"
Had who bring it?"
"Horan and McCadger-before they
left"
Before they left? Have they gomez
II forgot" he said, soberly. "Of
course you don't know that the cir
Gus has gone"
"Gone!" echoed, astonished.
"Gone to Lorient. Buckhurst is in
town again with raft of picturesque
rufians," he said. "They marched in
last night, drums beating, colors I'M
furled-the red rag, you know-and
the first thing they did was to order
Byram to decamp.
"Byram's people, elephant and all,
struck the road little after three
not tent-peg nor a frying-pan miss
ing. They ought to be in Lorient by
early afternoon"
Gomez I repeated, blankly.
lay looking at him, striving to real
ize the change that had occurred in
so brief time-trying to understand
the abrupt severing of ties and condi-
tons to which, already, / had become
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS attached.
They all sent their love to you,'
he said. "They knew you were out
of danger-I told them there was no
fracture, only slight conclusion.
Byram came to look at you; he
brought your back salary-all Of it.
I've got it."
After moment I said: HAS Jacque-
line gone with them?"
Eyes. They sail today from Loris
ent. The governor made money yes
terday-enough to start again. Poor
Byram! He's frantic to get back to
America; and, oh, Scarlet, how that
good old man can sweari'
Speed, did you say that little JAG
queline went with Byram?"
He looked at me miserably.
YES" he said.
/ was silent.
"Yes," he repeated, "she went, lug
ging her pet cat in her arms She
would go; the life has fascinated her.
I begged her not toAI felt was dis
loyal to Byram, too, but what could /
do? I tell you, Scarlet, wish l had
never seen her, never persuaded her
to try that foolish dive. She'll miss
some day-like the other one"
He walked to the window and stared
moodily at the sea. :
Meanwhile" l said, quietly, 81 am
going to get up"
He gave me a look which / inter-
preted as, "Get up and be damnedl"
] complied-in part
CHAPTER XIX.