Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-12-11

back o. her head! She's struck one
O. them floats all right Where's tn
arnica?"
Barnes turned to his locker and rum
mayed about. finally producing an an
cient bottle and some passably clean
cloth used frequently for bandages.
Sometimes a man grew careless with
his knife or got in the way of pulley
block. With blundering kindness the
two men bound up the girls head, and
then went about their duties.
For three days Florence evinced not
| the slightest inclination to leave the
bunk She lay ON her back either
asleep or with her eyes staring at the
I beams above her head. She ate Just
enough to keep her alive: and the
strong black coffee did nothing more
than to make her wakeful. No one
knew what the matter was. There was
the bump, now diminished; but that
it should leave her in this comatose
state vastly puzzled the men. The
! truth is she had suffered slight con-
cussion of the brain, and this, atop of
all the worry she had had for the last
few weeks, was sufficient to cause this
blankness of the mind.
The final cod was cleaned and
packed away in salt, the mudhook
raised, and the schooner Betty set her
sails for the southwest. Barnes real
lied that to save the girl she must
have doctor who knew his business
Mrs. Barnes would know how to care
for the girl, once she knew what the
trouble was. There would be some
news in the papers. A young and
beautiful woman did not jump from q
big Atlantic liner without the newspa
pers getting hold of the facts.
A fair wind carried the Betty into
her haven, and shortly after Florence
was sleeping peacefully in feather
bed. ancient, it is true, but none ths
less soft and inviting. In all this time
, she had not spoken single word.
! "The poor young thing!" murmuret
! the motherly Mrs. Barnes. "Wha
y beautiful hair! o, John, l wish yo'
would give up the sea. l hate it. l
, is terrible. / am always watching
J
! | er, in storms. Pieces of wrecks COM
ashore, and | always wonder over tn
r death and terror back of them"
n Don't y worry none about m
+ Betty. | never take no chances. No
). I'm goin' int tn village an brin
O back th' sawbones He'll tell us wha
q t do"
v The village doctor shook his grizzle
r head gravely.
r She's been hurt and shocked at tn
q same time. 1t will be many days b'
fore she comes around to herself. Jus
If let her do as she pleases. Only kee
e an, eye on her so that she doesn't wal
e der off and get lost I'll watch th
It newspapers and if 1 come across an,
d thing which bears upon the case L
Ie notify you"
k But he searched the newspapers
S. vain for the simple fact that he di
Ie not think to glance over the old one
The village took a good deal of il
terest in the affair They gossipe
about it and strolled out to the Barne
n cottage to satisfy their curiosity. Or
N thing was certain to their simp
minds: some day Barnes would get
le great sum of money for his kindnes
They had read about such things
ee the family story paper. She was ric
mans daughter; the ring on the u
,e known's finger would have fitted o.
r. fleet
ne Florence was soon able to wa
about. Ordinary conversation 81
- seemed to understand; but whenev
ne the past was proacned she won