The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1917-01-25
CHAPTER xIII-continued.

ID
The reminder had an effect singular
~ distressing He turned little faint,
was seized with slight sensation of
giddiness, at the thought of food, so
that he was glad of the catboat for
support.
'Oh, you arel" Compassion thrilled
her tone. "rm so sorry. Come-if you
can walk" She caught his hand as If
TO help him onward. "We can build a
fire and have something hot; there's
plenty of fuel"
'But-what did you do?"
'I-oh, / took my eggs au natural
barring some salt and pepper. 1 was
I'm too much of a hurry to bother with
a stove"
"Why in hurryT"
She made no answer for an instant.
He turned to look at her, wondering.
To his unutterable astonishment 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
aiienable traits were altogether gone,
just then-obliterated by a singular,
exotic attitude of constraint and diff
dGnce, of elf-consciousness. She
seemed almost to shrink from his re-
gaT1, and held her face little averted
from him. the full lips tense, lashes
dow and trembling upon her cheeks.
Halfway up to the farmhouse a men,
ory shot through Whitaker's mind as
startling as lightning streaklng athwart
a peaceful evening sky. He stopped
with an exclamation that brought the
girl beside him to q standstill with
questioning eyes.
.'But the others-i" he stammered.
"The others" she repeated blank1y.
Ihey-the men who brought you
here-2"
Her lips tightened. She moved her
head In slow negation.
Il 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 devllsl" he muttered.
She said nothing. When he looked
Tor sympathy I'm her face, he found 1t
set and inscrutable.
He delayed another moment, think
ing that soon she must speak, offer him
some sort of explanation. But she re-
mained uncommunicative. And he
could not bring himself to seem anx-
tous to pry into her affairs.
He took a tentative step onward.
She responded Instantly to the sugges-
uon, but In silence.
The farmhouse stood on high ground,
commanding an uninterrupted sweep
or the horizon. AS they drew near IL,
Whitaker paused and turned narrow
ing his eyes as he attempted to read
che riddle Of the enigmatic, amber-tint-
ed distances.
There was not sail visible in all
the blue cup OF the sea.
II don't know" said Whitaker slow
W as much to himself as to his com
Panion' TITS odd 1t passes
Ue ."
Can't you tell where we are?" she
inquired anxiously.
Not definitely. I know. of course.
we must be somewhere off the south
coast Of New England. There arc
islands of the south coast of Massa-
chusetts-a number OF them: Nan
tueket you know, and Martha's Vine
yard. This might be either-Only Il
ISN'T because they're summer resorts.
Ihat'-he swept his hand toward the
'and In the northeast--"might be
either, and probably is one of 'em. At
the same time, 1t may be the mainland.
don't know"
"Then then what are ve IN
do7o 0
lie looked round. shaking a dubious
nead. "Of course there's nothing like
Ilagp0le here. We might nail
plank to the corner Of the roof and a
tahlo cloth to that, / suppose"
And build fires, by uight?"
,he nodded. "Best suggestion yet. I'll
go that very thing tonlght-after I've
nad a bite 20 eat"
She started impatlently away. ooh,
come, comet What am ] thinking OF,
20 let you stand there, starving by
inches?o
They entered the house by the back
uoorl finding themselves I'm the kitchen
that mean and commonplace assem-.
oiy room Of narrow and plnched lives.
me immaculate cleanliness Of decent, [
ciose poverty lay over II all like a
pngnt Whitaker busled himself Inn
uediateiy with the stove. There was
Iul woo6box near by; and within a
very few minutes he had n brisk fire
solng The woman had disappeared in /
,'~Nuirection OF the barn. She returned /
,l good time with half n dozen eggs
ofaglng 10 the pantry and cupboards I
.ne Drought to light a quantity Of sup.
'ues q side u bacon, -four, potatoes, I