The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-02-16
CHAPTER xiIl-Continued.

CHAPTER xiIl-Continued.
10
The reminder had an effect singular
~ distressing. He turned little faint,
was seized with a slight sensation OF
giddiness, at the thought of food, so
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. "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 sait>and pepper. / was
in too much of a hurry to bother with
q stove"
'Why in q 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 a 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 men,
ory shot through Whitaker's mind as
startling as lightning streaking athwart
q peaceful evening sky. He stopped
with an exclamation that brought the
girl beside him to standstill with
questioning eyes.
'sBut the others" 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.
Il have seen nothing of either of
Them
Horror and pity filed 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
for sympathy in her face, he found it
set and inscrutable.
He delayed another moment, think
ing that soon she must speak, offer him
some sort of explanation. But she re-
manned communicative. And he
could not bring himself to seem anx-
ious to pry into her affairs.
He took a 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-
ed distances.
There was not sail visible in all
the blue cup of the sea.
ST don't know" said Whitaker SLOW
~, as much to himself as to his COM
panion. Its odd it passes
Cant you tell where we arc:" she
inquired anxiously.
Not 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 his hand toward the
land in the northeast-"might be
either and probably is one of 'em. At
the same time, it may be the mainland.
I don't know"
Then then what are we to
DOR
He looked round, shaking 4 dubious
head. 'Of course there's nothing like
II flagpole here. We might nail
plank to the corner Of the roof and a
table cloth to that, 1 suppose"
"And build fires. by night?"
He nodded BEST suggestion yet. I'll
10 CnlL very tulHS IoAiShL-o Ilei VIC
had bite to eat"
She started impatiently away. "Oh,
come. comet What am I thinking OF,
TO let you stand there, starving by
inches?'
They entered the house by the back
door. finding themselves in the kitchen
that mean and commonplace assem-
hly 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
lnediately with the stove. There was
u full woodbox near by; and within a
very few minutes he had brisk fire
going. The woman had disappeared in
The direction of the barn. She returned
in good time with half q dozen eggs.
Foraeing in the pantry and cupboards,
She brought tn light quantity of sup
plies; q 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 u will and confident air
that promised much.
The aroma Of frying bacon. the steam
of brewing tea, were all but intolerablr
to an empty stomach. Whitaker left
+b. kitchen hurriedly and. in an en-
denvor to contror himself, made q
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 echo
ing Nowhere did he discover ary.