The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-04-20


EMN in cooler streaks across acres
marsh-grass. A dull light grew through
the sCudding clouds, then faded as the
midday sun went out in the smother,
leaving an ominous red smear overhead.
Gun in hand, Haltren stood up
among the reeds and inspected the
landscape. Already the fsh-crows
and egrets were flying inland, the peli-
cans had left the sand-bar, the eagles
were gone from beach and dune. High
in the thickening sky wild ducks passed
over Flyover Point and dropped into
the sheltered marshes among the
cypress.
AS Haltren stood undecided, watch
ing the ruddy play of lightning, which
came no nearer than the horizon, a
squall struck the lagoon. Then, amid
the immense solitude of marsh and
water, deep sound grew-the roar of
the wind in the wilderness. The
solemn paeOn swelled and died away
as thunder dies, leaving the air tremu-
lous.
I'D better get out of this" said
Haltren to himself He felt for the
breech of his gun, unloaded both
barrels, and slowly pocketed the cart
ridges,
Eastward, between the vast salt
river and the ocean, the dunes were
smoking like win flashed breakers; a
heron, laboring heavily, tapped inland,
broad pinions buffeting the gale
Something's due to happen" said
Haltren, reAectively, closing the breech
of his gun. He had hauled his boat
up an alligator-slide; now he showed
IT of the same way, and pulling up
hlp-boots, waded out, laid his gun in
the stern, threw cartridge-sack and a
dozen dead ducks after it, and embarked
among the raft of wind-tossed wooden
decoys.
There were twoscore decoys bobbing
and tugging at their anchor-cords
outside the point. Before he had
fshed up a dozen on the blade of
his oar a heavier squat struck the
lagoon, blowing the boat out into the
river. He had managed to paddle
back and had secured another brace
OF decoys, when a violent gale caught
HIM broadslde, almost capsizing him.
IF | don't get those decoys now |
never SHALL" he muttered, doggedly
jabbing about with extended oar.
But he never got them; for at that
moment a tropical hurricane, still
In its infancy, he managed to jam the
oars into the oar-locks, his boat was
half mile out and still driving.
For week the wind had piled the
lagoons and lakes south of the Matanzas
full of water, and now the waves
sprang up, bursting into menacing
shapes, knocking the boat about VIC
iously. Haltren turned his unquiet
eyes towards streak of green water
ahead.
81 don't suppos this catspaw is
really trying to drive me out of Coquina
Inlet!" he said, peevishly; al don't
suppose Pm being blown out to sea-"
1t was a stormy end for days
pleasure-yet curiously appropriate,
too, for it was the fourth anniversary
of his wedding lay; and the storm that
followed had blown him out into the
waste corners of the world
Perhaps something of this idea came
into his head; he laughed disagree
able laugh and fell to rowing.
The red lightning still darted along
the southern horizon, no nearer; the
wilderness of water, of palm forests,
of jungle, of dune, was bathed in q
sickly light; overhead oceans of clouds
tore through sombre sky.
After while he understood that
he was making no Roadway; then he
saw that the storm was shaping his