The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-12-20
CHAPTER XilI-Ccntinued.

giddiness, at the thought of food, 50
that he was glad of the catboat for
support.
"Oh, you are" Compassion thrilled
her tone. I'm so sorry. Come-if you
can walk" She caught his hand as if
to help him onward. 1--WE can build a
fire and have something hot; there's
plenty of fuel"
"But-what did you do?"
'T-oh, took my eggs au natural
barring some salt and pepper. | was
in too much of a hurry to bother with
a stove"
why in a hurry"
She made no answer for an instant
He turned to look at her, wondering.
To his unutterable establishment she
not only failed TO meet his glance, but
tried to seem unconscious of it.
The admirable ease and gracious
self-possession which he had learned
to associate with her personality as in
alienable traits were altogether gone
just then-Obliterated by q singular,
exotic attitude Of cOnstraint and diff
dence, OF self consciousness She
seemed almost to shrink from his re
gard, and held her face little averted
from him, the full lips tense, lashes
low and trembling upon her cheeks.
Halfway up to the farmhouse mem
DRY shot through Whitaker's mind as
startling as lightning streaking athwart
II peaceful evening sky. He stopped
with an exclamation that brought the
girl beside him TO a standstill with
questioning eyes.
"But the Others-r' he stammered.
1.-The others?' she repeated blankly.
''They-the men who brought you
here"
Her lips frightened. She moved her
head in slow negation.
II have seen nothing of either of
them"
Horror and pity filled him, cOnjuring
up vision of wild, raving waters, mad
with blood-lust, and in their jaws, arms
and heads helplesSly whirling and toss
Ing
Poor devils!' he muttered.
She said nothing. When he looked
set and inscrutable.
He delayed another moment, think
ing that soon she must speak, offer him
some sort of explanation. But she re-
manned uncOmmunicative. And he
could not bring himself to seem anx-
ious to pry into her affairs.
He took tentative step onward.
She responded instantly to the sugges-
ton, but in silence.
The farmhouse stood on high ground,
commanding an uninterrupted sweep
of the horizon. AS they drew near it,
Whitaker paused and turned, narrow
ing his eyes as he attempted to read
the riddle of the enigmatic, amber-tint-
cd distances.
There was not q sail visible in all
the blue cup Of the sea.
II don't know" said Whitaker slow
ly, as much to himself as to his COM
panion. Its odd it passes
me
Cant you tell where we area" she
inquired anxiously.
mot definitely / know, of course,
we must be somewhere off the south
coast of New England. There are
islands off the south coast of MaSsa-
chusetts-a number of them: Nan
tucket, you know, and Martha's Vine
yard. This might be either-only it
isn't, because they're summer resorts
That"-he swept sis hand toward tae
land in the northeast-"migh be
either, and probably is one of 'egi. At
the same time, it may be the r.dinland
| don't know"
Then then Wis., are we to
do?"
He looked round. She king dubious
head. "Of course there's nothing like
a flagpole here. We might nail
plank to the corner of the roof and
table cloth to that, suppose"
''And build fires, by night?"
He nodded. BEST suggestion yet. I'll
do that very thing tonight-after I've
had a bite 20 eat
She started impatiently away. ooh,
come. comet What am l thinking Of
TO let gau stand there, starving by
inchesY'
They entered the house by the back
door Ending themselves in the kitchen
that mean and commonplace assem-
bly, room of narrow and pinched lives
The immaculate cleanliness of decent
close poverty lay over it all like a
blight. Whitaker busted himself i'm
mediately with the stove. There was
4 full woodbox near by: and within a
very few minutes he had a brisk fire
going. The woman had disappeared in
The direction of the barn. She returned
IN good time with half a dozen eggs
Foraging in the pantry and cupboards,
she brought to light quantity of sup
plies; side of bacon, flour. potatoes,
sugar, tea, small stores of edibles in
tins.
I'm hungry again, myself" she de-
clared. attacking the problem of simple
cookery with will and confident air
that promised much.
The aroma of frying bacon, the steam
of brewing tea, were all but intolerabln
to an empty stomach. Whitaker left
the kitchen nurriedly and, in an en-
deavor to control himself, made a
round of the other rooms. There were
two others on the ground floor; in the
upper story, four small bedchambers !;
above them an attic, gloomy and ech D
Ing. Nowhere did he discover aEy-