The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-05-04

him. "'Twill be the triumph of my
herbarium," she laughed, and stopped
to pick the blossom, which nodded it's
gaudy head in the wind, courtesying
like some mad fairy, swinging as far
away as it's delicate stem permitted.
From below the tide began to below
at the full. The wind walled as it
snoopcd around the curves of the
crags.
She had just plucked the orchid,
root and all, from its Granny and
was shaking it in victory over her
head when the accident happened.
The ledge, long soaked by the rains,
had rotted to the core; the weight
of the girls body looscned the lump
of s. ne beneath her feet from its
clutch upon the cliff. 1t gave way
and, even as he sprang forward, rat
tied with roar of rubble down to the
boom of the waves below. He shut
his eyes lest he see her plunge.
She did not plunge.
In moment he beheld her, pale
determined, unafraid, hanging by the
young fir. The sapling had dug it's
roots far into the rocks and held
The girls body swayed across the
face of the precipice, slowly, slowly
with hideous pendulum motion. lr
her fingers, knotted around those III
branches, she still held the scarlet
flower.
To the man, agonizing over the
edge, the flower flashed up as a sym
boil. She was like that; she wouldn''
easily let go of anything she wished
she wouldn't let go of life or Of
him.
Courage, old man." she cried up a
him, "and give US hand"
He threw himself prone upon tn
ground, searching for some hold fo
his feet. He almost reached tn
trunk of that cowardly pine behind
almost, but not quite. He dug nj
ties into the turf upon the SUNNI
and grabbed the surface Of the shall
with tense and straining muscles; HI
hands dropped down until he jus
seized her wrists. For an instant h
Law there, feeling his hold, gathere
his strength, then, with one wrenc
of his whole body he lifted her
the brink. His wrists were drawn
. his chin and her strenuous finger
grappled with the brim. She ease
the burden from him as best sh
could.
"Well done, old MANI
81 can't live without you," he gasl
ed, II can't can't"
5 The girl smiled radiantly.
Again he rested, painting. Then h
: crawled backwards, digging his toe
( into the yielding crust of moss an
, grass, until his feet grabbed the tre
! behind. Once more he threw her uI
+ wards with a gigantic effort. TIN
; time IS he paused for breath the bul
,, den lightened to nothing; for MAJ
/ garet had twisted her firm youn
knees about the fir to which she tirs
, had clung Her face, unfinching an
checry, was drawn close to his. Tn
scarlet flower was still IN her hand.
This time, writhing slowly back, h
wound his own knees about the pin
lbchind and then pulled the whole Sllr
length of her across the ridge, unit
she lay, weary, palpitating, breathln
in retches, along the grass.
Knccling on the ground, he seize
her in his arms, drew her almos
roughly to his breast, pressing ne
hard against him to assure hlmsel
that she was real, her own dear, he
roic self, that he now held secure a
last. He babbled out his love. 1e
it was many minutes before she drop
ned her arms around his neck and re
spondcd to his kisses. That first kis
Of hors was timid-wondering-al
most frightened.
"I'll face it like man." he whis
pered, "even if I'm not a man."
"a man? Beloved, you're Who'll
one
"And we can fight it out?"
"WeIl fight it out together, and
won't be-won't be-awful. 1o
have courage enough"
"Whithcr thou goest, | will CO." h
spoke solemnly, "and where tho
lodgest, will lodge; thy people sha
be my people; and thy God, my God.
The tension was too great for hel
she laughed merrilv. 81 won't as
ell that of you. You can stay a
Episcopalian since Daddy is deat
I'll even go over myself"
He frowned, not understanding he
,,L;,,,rsae. ca cba cnhnrnd
Tomorrow I start for home"
Tomorrow we start for home"
corrected.