Evening star., 1915-03-07
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR MARCH z. l!
Conajl,ed rom page 8

restored vitality by taCklng the work IN re-
lays. So the Hirondelle made fast trip.
lngersoll, who had taken his turn at the
oars with the others, contrived to choke his
impatience until the pollard oaks on the
Chernin du Halage silhouetted their gnarled
branches against the sky. That night the
weird arms, swaying and creaking in wind
that was, if anything, increasing in force,
had a sinister aspect in his troubled eyes
Each oak looked like some dreadful octopus
whose innumerable suckers were searching
vindictively for an unwary victim. With an
effort he brushed aside the evil fantasy, and
was about to summon Yvonne when a weird,
uncanny, elin shrek came from the shadow
of the largest and blackest tree.
20 ma Donel' Breton for 20 mon Dien!"l
was the cry. "There he is! See him then,
my brave Jean!' Peridot's mother was
greeting her son in a voice rendered eldrich
by hysteria.
oh, BEN Maman!" the Breton shouted
back. what art thou doing there at this
time of night2'
A number of running black figures ap-
peared on the quay, an unprecedented thing.
"Qne diable!" growled Peridot, who had
not bargained for popular ovation. ",They
know all about us. Someone must have tele-
phoned from the signal station at Brigneau."
He had summed up the position of affairs
to nicely. Brgneau had told the whole
story to Pont Aven, and assuredly it had
lost nothing in the telling The signalers
had seen every detail of the rescue through
their telescopes, and were of course keenly
alive to the peril into which the Hirondelle
had plunged so gallantly and effectively.
The news had not long arrived; but suf-
tcient time had elapsed so that Pont Aven
was stirred to its depths. Even old Madame
Larraidou, crippled with rheumatism and
ctyt,, - ,1nx1
down to the quay to welcome her own special
hero. Even the local gendarmes had pro-
cured stretchers, and three automobiles were
in waiting.
TNGERSOLL, whose nerves were already
on a raw edge, nearly abandoned the
struggle against Fate when he saw the dense
concou1se of people. "Lorry," he said in an
agonized tone that the younger man had
never before heard on his lips, "Lorry, help
me now, or I'll crack up! Jump ashore and
ask those good folk to clear path. You
know what it means if we get among them.
l can't stand it. can't! Bid them let III;
pass, for the love of Heaven. Tell them we
have to deal with death and broken limbs.
You go first. They'll listen to you"
Tolemache obeyed without demur. He
was completely at a loss to understand his
friends collapse; but its undoubted serious
ness called tor decisive action His vibrant,
ringing tones dominated the cheers that
burst forth when the Hirondelle bumped
into the quay.
"Mes aMis," he cried, shear me one mo-
ment, pray you! The people we have res
cued are suffering. One is dead-others are
in great danger. Unless you make way and
permit us to bring the injured ones quietly
and speedily to the hotel some may die on
the road
1t sutficed The cheers We're hushed The
throng yielded place. a low susurrus of talk
and the sobbing of women were the only
sounds that mingled now with the unceasing
chant of the gale
Ingersoll had literally forced himself to
stoop into the companion hatch. "Yvonne,"
he said in a curiously muffled voice
"Yes, Dad came the girls answer.
"Come now, Dear Come at once!" he
appealed.
Again Yvonne's head and shoulders
emerged. "Oh, Dad" she almost sobbed,
"Mrs.-NIrs. Carmac is conscious now She
beseeches me to remain with her until
Ingersoll literally pulled his daughter up
the few remaining steps "We are going
straight home!' he cried, savagely impatient
at the resistance his plans were encountering
at every turn. Il am-ill--nearly de-
mented! You must come now!"
Still clasping her arm in a grip that left
marks on her white skin for davs thereafter