The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-04-29
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ILLUSTRATED 81 LAUREN STOUT

realize the danger but do! I must
he quite collected. 1t is a mile to the
DOCTORS. l might run to the house
and send Unc' Jefferson. but it would
take too song. Besides, the doctor
might not be there There Is no ono
10 60 anything but me-
She crouched beside him. puttine
her hands by his on the 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 a dozen feet away
Her heart leaped chollingly, then
dropped into hammer.like thudding.
lie leaned back on one arm, trying
10 laugh, but she noted that his breath
came shortly as if he had been run
ming. Absurd" he said frowning.
"lIow such-a fool thing hurt!"
Suddenly she threw herself on tho
ground and grasped the foot with both
hands. He could see her face twitch
with shudderfng, and her eyes dilating
with somc 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. Mono! Not that! Yon
shant! My lord-you shan't!" 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
,tences:
You must! It's the only way. 1t
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, l say! Oh-Im sorry IL
hurt you. How strong you are!"
Let mel"
No! Your lips are not for that
good God, that damnable thing! You
yourself might be-
Let me! Oh how cruel you are!
1t was my fault. But for mo it would
never have"
mo! I would rather"
Let me! Oh, If you died!"
With all the force of her strong
young body she wrenched away his
protestant hands. A thirst and a sick
1sh feeling were upon him, curious
irresponsible giddiness, and her hair
which that struggle had brought in
tumbled masses about her shoulder
seemed to have little flames running
all over 1t. His foot had entirely lost
it's feeling. There was strange weak.
ness in his limbs
Moments Of half.consciousness, or
consciousness jumbled 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 white desperate face haloed with
hair that was a 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 n granite boulder and she a
vine with yellow leaves winding and
clinging about him. Then q blank
q sense Of movement and Of troublous
disturbance, OF .insstent 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-slence.
.
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, halting often at some
leafy rustic to catch quick breath
of dread. AS she approached the tree
roots where tho cape jessamines lay,
she had to force her feet forward by
sheer effort Of will. At little dis
tance from them she broke stick and
with 1T managed to drag the bunch to
her, turning her eyes with shiver
from the trampled spot near by. Sho
picked up tho flowers, and trcading
with caution, retraced her steps to the
wider path.
She stepped into the Red Road ct
length in the teeth Of a 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
1t. The turbulence Of nature around
her matched, in a way, her over.
strained feeling, and she welcomed
hn L,,1n~ no t.,