Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1917-03-01
Igga 0E ABABY HAND
y HELEN mERRlTr.


cling worry az the baek Of her brain
THAI she had Ignored for many months,
but that lately had forced itself into
tho foreground and compelled recog-
milton. When she found she must
take II seriously, she dropped her work
ana sailed for Newfoundland.
The first two days OUT she had deck
and dining saloon TO herself, and It
was not until the steamer reached Hal
flax that The tables began to III. Then,
TO her CONSERVATION, she saw the man
Of all others She did not wish to see
the man. In fact from whom she was
running away
lie was at dinner and his back wss
toward her, SO she slipped unseen from
The saloon TO her chair on deck TO face
her dllemaa There was no avoiding
him. Tint She fully realized, but be-
fore she could 70 further in her
thought She heard him say
Fright here. steward, there seems
room for another chair" and chair
anu tug anu Attti isuliHAAA1 A'fbh rvs
session of the space beside her,
There was no instant's silence as
they looked straight into each others
eyes and then he laughed.
"Did you think | would not find you,
Madcine?'
mot after knew you were on
board; before then, yes You have
givcnt me a surprise. Why did you
Gomez She asked the question pleas
antly, but She was tlngllng with i'll
suppressed irritation that she could
barely control The irritation was
against herself at the comfortable
feeling that had come over her at the
sound of his voice.
She loved him. This she acknowi
edged, but she felt that in marriage
she would sink her personality ana
become, If not a nonentity, something
very near TO It.
Il Ind the feeling you were going
away and made it my business TO find
out where. reached the pier as the
gangplani was pulled aboard. Do you
think ii was quite fair not to tell me
you were going away?' he asked alb
ruptly.
'It was sudden decision"
He did not seem to hear her. "You
ask me why came. Because l knew
you could not get away from me; that
we would have ample time to thrash
out our differences. Before we return
think our understanding Of each
other viii be perfect. lwill not revert
to this talk. II IS enough for you to
feel that | am here because Of you.
Thereafter there was nothing per
sonal in their conversation. So com
pletely I'D he ignore their talk on the
first niQlit out from Halifax that, even
In tie pleasure Of his constant com.
partnership she began to wonder over
his silence
Near Cape Race the steamer ran
into storm and from storm into
heavy, depressing fog that shut her
IN completely. Then when the fog
was thlckest. a horrible shiver ran
the length of the vessel. She had
been rammed by a steamer whose
ghostly shape could be seen family
through the thickness that enveloped
her.
This nearness to catastrophe left
Madeline trembling, and when Peter
Lansdae drew her away from the
quiet but terrified crowd, she chung to
him as II she would never let him go.
SHE. expected him to hold her close,
as If she was the most precious thing
in the world to him. Instead, he gazed
lntently over her head as he put her
into chair, and told her to stay
where she WAS until he returned.
Chilled even in her fright, she did
not mean TO be left alone by the one
| person upon VIII, IN she had the claim
Of friendship, and she followed him to
the rope that separated the first from
the second class passengers. Pande
monium was on the other side, and In
the midst was Peter, holding a babt
In his arms and frying to quiet the
! frightened mother. He saw Madeline
and before she could offer protest hat
| given the child into her keeping anC
disappeared.
II was the first time she had evel
held a little child, and she. looked
down upon 1t fearfully. She expected
1 it to cry but It polled at her eye.
and caught her fingers in its chubb,
hand.
Before she realized what she was
doing she was holding the little fac,
close to. her own and humming an all
she had not heard since she was /
child herself.
1t was then that she glanced up int
Peter Lansdale's face and the lool
in his eyes made her put the baby int
its mothers arms and turn qulckl!
/ toward the sea. she heard him sa,
there was no danger, but all else wa
/ lost in the sudden emotion that he'll
her In its grip For the first tim,
she was making the fight for a caree
or for the man she loved. Then cam
the memory of warm little bod,
pressed close against her heart. A
that thought claimed her she felt al
erm about her shoulders. Her fac
h,.,,ehed a rough sleeve as II was liff