Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1915-10-28

reach. Hold he: there--steady-
steady!" He had thrown himself fiat,
face down, on the half-deck forward
and was clutching at something in the
heaving seas. 1--we got him!" he
cried, and moment later he was work
ing his way aft, holding the mans face
out of water.
1t asked for their united strength
to get the gray-haired, heavy-bodied
victim of the capsize over the Clytie's
rail. They had to bring the lifebelt
too; the old mans fingers were sunk
into 1t with dying grip that could not
be broken. At first Griswold was too
much preoccupied and shocked to rec
ognize the drawn face with its hard.
lined mouth and long upper lip. When
he did recognize 1t the gripping fear
was at his heart-the fear that makes
cruel coward of the hunted thing in
all nature.
What might have happened II he had
been alone; If Margery, taking her
place at the tiller and busying herself
swiftly in getting the catboat under
way again, had not been looking on;
he dared not think. And that other
frightful thought he put away, fighting
against 1t madly as condemned man
might push the cup of hemlock from
his lips. Forcibly breaking the drowned
ones hold upon the lifebelt, he fell to
work energetically, resorting to the
first aid expedients for the reviving of
the drowned as he had learned them
in his boyhood. Once, only, he flung a
word over his shoulder at Margery as
he fought for the old mans life. Make
for the nearest landing where we can
get a doctor!" he commanded; and
then, in a passion of gratitude: 20
God, thank thee that am not MUIR
derer!-hes coming back! He's
breathing again!"
A little later he was able to leave off
the first-aid arm-pumpings and chest
DRESSINGS; to straighten the limp and
sprawling limbs, and to dive into the
cuddy cabin. under Margery's direc-
tons, for blankets and rugs. When all
was done that could be done, and he
had propped the blanket-swathed body
with the cushions so that the crash
and plunge of the pitching catboat
would be minimized for the sufferer,
he went aft to sit beside the helms
woman, who was getting the final
wave-leap of speed out of the little
vessel.
He is alive?" she asked.
yes; and that Is about all that can
be said. He isn't drowned; but he Is
old, and the shock has gone pretty
near to swapping the thread"
"Of course, you remember him?" she
said, looking away across the leaping
waters
Griswold, with his heart on fire with
generous emotions, felt the cold hand
gripping him ag%n.
"He is the old gentleman you intro
duced me to at the Inn the other day:
Galbraith; is that the name?"
Eyes" she rejoined, still looking
away; that is the name"
Griswold fell silent for the time; but
little later, when the catboat was
rushing in long plunges through the
entrance to the Wahaskan arm Of the
lake, he said; "You are going to take
him to Mereside"
yes. He Is a friend of poppa's.
And, anyway, it's the nearest place,
and you said there was no time to
! lose."
Griswold helped the bearers lift the
blanketed figure out of the Clytie's
cockpit, and while he was doing it,
the steel-gray eyes Of the rescued one
opened slowly to fix stony gaze upon
the face Of the man who was bending
over him. What the thin lips were
muttering Griswold heard, and 80 did
one other. $50 it's you, is 1t, We MUIR
dering blue-eyed deevil?" And then
"Eh, man, man, but I'm sick!"
Griswold walked with Margery at
the tail of the little procession as 1t
wound its way up the path to the great
house.
"You heard what he said?" he in
quired craftily.
"Yes; h9is out Of his head, and no
wonder" she said soberly. Then:
you must go home and change at
once; you are drenched to the skin.
Don't wait to come in. I'll take care
Of your manuscript"
CHAPTER XXI.
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