Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-02-09
CHAPTER xIIl-continued.

giddineSS, at the thought or IoO0s so
that he was glad of the catbOat for
sUt port.
"Oh, You are!" Compassion thrilled
her tone. ''Tm so sorry. COme-if you
czn walk" She caught his hand as If
70 help him onward. "We can build
Ore and have something hot; there's
plenty of fuel"
"But-what did you doT"
"I-oh, / took my eggs au natural
barring some salt and pepper. l was
in too much of hurry to bother with
a stove"
''Why In a hurryf"
She msde no answer for an instant.
lie 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
eelf-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 a men,
ory shot through Whitakers mind as
startling as lightning streaking athwart
a peaceful evening sky. He stopped
with an exclamation that brought the
girl beside him to a standstill with
questioning eyes.
''But the others-i" 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 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!" H5 nuttered.
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 Ia silence.
The farmhouse stood on high ground,
commanding an uninterrupted sweep
of the horizon. AS they drew near 1t,
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.
81 don't know" said Whitaker slow
ly, as much to himself as to his COM
panicn. tits odd 1t passes
me
Cant 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 are
aslabds off the south coast of Massa-
chusetts--a number of them: Nan
fuckef, 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.
don't know"
Then then what are we to
dot"
He looked round, shaking a dubious
head. "Of course there's nothing like
a fagpOle here. We might nail a
plank to the corner of the roof and
liable cloth to that, suppose"
And build fires, by night?"
He nodded. BEST sug estion yet. I'll
DO that very thing tonight-after I've
had bite to eat"
She started impatient4y away. "Oh.
come, come! What am thinking Of,
TO let you stand there, starving by
fnchesp
They entered the house by the back
door. finding 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 Inn
mediately with the stove. There was
a fun woOdbox near by; and within 8
very few minutes he had a brisk firC
going. The woman had disappeared ii
the direction of the barn. She returned
in good time with half a dozen eggs
Foraging in the pantry and cupboard'
she brought to light quantity of SUI
piles; a side of bacon, flour, potatoes