The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1915-02-24

g | them. lney run us down an never
! stop. What tn tarnation we goin
. to do? She'll haff t. stay aboard til
/ tn run is over. | can't afford { yank
! up my mudhook this time o. day."
: Guess she can stand three r four
J days in our company, smellin' oil
cloths, fish, kerosene, an punk t'bac.
, CO."
. IF y don't like tn kind o. tbacco
! buy buy your own. amt objectin'
, none"
The mate stepped over to the bunk
and gingerly ran his hand over the
girls head Gods whiskers, capn.
they's a bump as big's a cork on tn
back O. her head! She's struck one
O them foatssall 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 a pulley
block. With laundering 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
J bunk. She lay on her back either
asleep or with her eyes staring at the
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
Darkness of the mind.
The final cod was cleaned and
packed away in salt the mudhCok
raised, and the schooner Betty set her
sails for the southwest Barnes real
lied that 70 save the girl sne must
have a 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
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 a feather
bed ancient, it is true, but none the |
less soft and inviting. In all this time
she had not spoken a single word.
1.-THE poor young thing" murmured
the motherly Mrs. Barnes. what |
beautiful hair o. John, | wish you
would give up the sea. | hate it. 1t
is terrible. ! am always watching
you in my minds eye, in calm wealth
er, in storms. Pieces of wrecks come
ashore, and always wonder over the
death and terror back of them"
Don't y worry none about me
Betty. ! never take no chances. Now
I'm goin' int tn village an bring
back tn sawbones. He'll tell us what
t do"
The village doctor shook his grizzled
head graveiy.
She's been hurt and shocked at the
same time. 1t will be many days be-
fore she comes around to herself. Just
let her do as she pleases. Only keep
an eye on her so that she doesn't wan
der off and get lost. I'll watch the
newspapers and il come across any
thing which bears upon the case I'll
notify you"
But he searched the newspapers in
vain. for the simple fact that he did
not think to glance over the old ones.
The village took a good deal of in
terest in the affair. They gossiped
about 1t and strolled out to the Barnes
cottage TO satisfy their curiosity. One
thing was certain to their simple
minds: some day Barnes would get a
great sum of money for his kindness.
They had read about such things in
the family story paper. She was a rich
mans daughter; the ring on the I'M
known's finger would have fitted out
a fleet.
/
about Ordinary conversation she
seemed to understand; but whenever
the past was preached she would
shake her head with frowning eyes.
Her main diversion consisted of sitting
on the sand dunes and gazing out at
sea.
One day stranger came to town.
He said he represented life insur-
ance company and was up here from
Boston to take little vacation. He
sat on the hotel porch that evening,
surrounded by an admiring audience.
The stranger had been all over the
world, so it seemed. He spoke famil.
iarly of st, Petersburg. Vladivostok
Shanghai, as the villagers-some of
them-might have spoken of Boston
There were one or two old timers
among the audience. They had been
to all these Darts The stranpar knaw |