Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-08-31

brought her to the desired state OF
compliance did no, surprise him, for
he considered himself an adept in
these matters.
At the club it was favorite saying |
of his that zone woman does not make |
summer!"
He quite understood the force of the |
impression which he, as a city man |
of strong will and a certain polish, |
was able to make on simple country |
girls.
There were good reasons not entire |
iy understood by the members of his
| family, why he always went duck
shooting alone, and each year in diff.
| ferent locality. But this Gertie-mag
netic little thing-he had believed he
really liked, as much as a man can
like one Of these curious, earnest. un
reasonable creatures.
Now she had repaid him by keep
ing him out in the deadly night dews
of the Croppie country. But she
must have known city man could
not stand that sort of thing!
| Why, she had let him catch fever!
| Anu leNSIS dIe oOhCliluSS ldloi.
Well, since she had got him into this
mess, she better come and get him
out of it! Yet he knew how little
this was likely.
The Schneiders were not a wor-
| rying sort. Their boarders might
be absent two or three days at a
time without giving them the least
alarm. as long as enough baggage
remained to cover the board bill.
So Blame cursed the whole lot
of them for their unnatural indiffer-
ente.
After a while he became calmer.
His head reeled, he felt somewhat
weak, but he knew he must try to
do something, he could see that very
clearly.
All around him lay the marsh,
with here a patch of waving, green.
gray wild rice, there clump of lilly
pads or an expanse Of black water.
The distant shores were rich
with autumnal reds and yellows
and bronzes, softly blended under
haze of purple.
Near by, level with the surface, lay
the duck boat. The ducks he had shot
were floating within it, more grue'
some now than admirable.
Finding in none of these observa.
tions any offer of hope, Blame leaned
down and felt the water.
He was so cramped with cold that
It seemed to him the water was warm
er than the air. At least he could es
cape the wind!
Painfully he let himself down be-
side the stump until he was submers
ed to his neck, supporting himself by
hanging to a root of the stump.
At first the sensation was luxurious
but by the end of an hour he became
DULY aware of a numbness. His skin
felt as If it were crimping all over
him.
He was considering vaguely what t.
do when he felt violent shock. In
his drowsiness he had allowed his
head to sink until he had breathed ir
water. His subsequent chokings and
> coughings stimulated him SO that he
was at last able, by a great output
!, of effort, to Chamber up to his old po
sition on the stump.
Then came the wind through his
: wet clothes again and the accompany
ing fits of chill. His teeth chatteret
until he thought they would fall from
! his head. Prolonged tremors travers
: ed his huddled body.
He tried to sit up and cry out il
the wild hope that somebody woult
hear him, but he was hardly aware o
4 his own voice.
Finally, in fit of swooning weak
# ness, he sank like bag across
o crotch of roots, and lay quite still.
There are moments between sleeI
# ing and waking when it seems tha
nothing could be so sweet, IN life o
S beyond it, as state of undreamln
l. semiconsciousness.
l. Thus did it seem to Blame, when, a
indeterminate time later he began t
v realize that something was disturbln
Is him. Yes! Something had hold OF HI
arml He was being shaken!
s At first he did not remember wheI
& be was: but as his sensations of pal
IL and stiffness quickened, remindin
ID him only too vividly of his hopeles
id plight he became alarmed.
ID What was it had hold of his arm?
With difficulty he turned his hea
le and found himself looking up into II
face of-Gertie!
1e Her features were somewhat di
- torted, he thought, but there, was I
Id doubt it was Gcrtie She was spea
IN ing to him.
IS without knowing or caring VIII
ly she was saying, he smiled at her. clio
is ed his eyes and let her drag hi
where she would.
p When he awoke he was in his b'
e. in his room mt the Schneider farm
at A stranger with white beard W
sitting beside him holding a watc