The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-03-01
CHAPTER I-contlnued.

curious how much you depend on meals
to break up the day. All the morning
long you keep thinking, II must Let
so much done before lunch" and then
in the afternoon you spur yourself on
to an extra effort with the thought
of better dinner than usual when you
get through. Take these meal land
marks out of your day and what is
left? Nothing hut dreary. dead level
desert of time, day whose limits seem
interminable.
How many days is It until we eat
again" asked hopelessly.
six and a half" Lucille computed.
"Then we get some orange juice and a
few kernels of popcorn"
Then what"
That's all for the first day."
few kernels of popcorn! Can you
imagine u kernel of popcorn floating
hither and yOn in all that sea of water
aud finally giving up with a despairing
shrek when it finds there is no place
70 land?
you mustn't think of things to eat
ANu &C uOl lCdilg huuBlJs II 10 JOuI
Imagination. Tighten your belt and
you won't know that you haven't
eaten"
/ followed her advice. True enough,
The belt was quite loose. A terrible
thought struck me-a few days Of fast
ing and l would have to wear suspend
ars! / had always prided myself on a
self supporting figure, as it were, and
had jeered at the fence rail build which
is obliged to hang all its garments
from its shoulders. Already with one
meal missing | was up to the last
notch In my belt.
Along toward noon l noticed a dis
tinct headache.
THAT will pass away" Lucille assured
me. "Lipton S. Clair says so, and be
ought to know"
why ought he to know?" snapped
Did he invent headaches, or is he just
generalizing from reading about some
body elses headache? This pain I've
got here has settled in my region of
thought for long run, and defy any
Upton S. Clair to drive it out"
Don't be cross" Lucille soothed. let
me dip my handkerchief in this spring
here and wet your forehead with it."
She did, and while it didn't do any
good always like to have her fussing
around me.
The spring is one that every one Wis.,
its who comes to the island, and there
Is tin cup sitting on rock near by.
l started to get drink.
you mustn't drink that water" Lu-
cile stopped me- You must not drink
anything but distilled water while you
are fasting"
"Why not?"
Because when there is nothing else
in it the stomach is particularly sus-
ceptible to disease"
That was more Of L. S. Clair's maya
zine stuff. knew it. Probably he got
about 8 cents a word for it too.
THAT water, pure as it is, may have
microbes in it," she continued.
What chance would a microbe have
against my stomach?" l returned bit |
terly, but 1 refrained from drinking |
the water. In those days that woman |
had me under her thumb.
At nightfall we sat around that white |
enthusiasm was wavering. 1t seemed
distinctly more of an effort to be cheer
trl than it had at breakfast. Her moth
sr was frankly miserable and eyed me
with a glance which warned me that
we're we cannibals the laws of hos
Ditality would hardly protect one of
ny build.
"Have some water, Mr.. Blainey,'
lucille said
II won't drink another drop tonight"
{ declared unless | can have some
davoring extract in it,"
After that we sat around thinking
about sweet potatoes and hash and
steaks. but talking about the latest
books and the moonlight through the
trees. But what is moonlight on an
empty stomach? Merely moonlight.
nothing more.
whats that?" demanded Lucille,
strGining her ears to catch lone sound
1ut on the water. There was faint
'put-put" out somewhere.
ITS Johnson's launch" said Mrs.
Green. 81 can tell because, it misses
every tenth explosion
"Lipton S. Clair says that fasting
makes all the senses extraordinarily |
acute" Lucille explained.
| know Mrs. Green said g. Upton
5 Clair. under her breath. but l did
rot hear it.
~ wonder what Johnson's boat can |
,e doing out here at this time of
light" Lucille speculated. {
HE must be bringing some one over '
Iere," said her mother. "Ours is the 1
'nly island for miles which is inhab- a
ted as late as this in the season" c
'It can't be father" Lucille unused.
He said he wouldn't be home until U
sunday" X
So we went down to the dock. 1t
vas moonlight, and the old launch
Oming in looking some way romantic.
What was she bringing us? Some
hing within me suggested food. s.
The launch came alongside; a man u
nth couple of grips jumped ashore; D
len the boat backed away and llmped
q again into the darkness d
"Why. Frank Boppr' exclaimed Lu-
lie. greeting the newcomer. 1--WE n