The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1919-02-13

hurts much to be drownd-ed7"
Hurts muchi" gasped the old sea-
man.
Eyes, sir. DO people that get
drownd-ed feel much painf Is 1t a suf-
ferin' way to die? i want to know,
Benjamin, cause my papa and mamma
died that way" continued the child,
choking q little. 'Tt does as
though I'd just got to know"
AYE, aye" muttered the man. II
see. An i kin tell ye. Car'lyn May, as
clos't as anybody kin. I've been so
near drownin' myself that they thought
| was dead when l was hauled lnboard.
Comm back from drowning is a
whole lot worse than bein' drowned.
You take II from me-"
We'll" sighed Carolyn May. I'm
glad to know that. It's bothered me a
good deal. If my mamma and papa
had to be dead. maybe that was the
incest way for them TO GO"
/
Since Joseph Stasg had listened to
the rambling tale Of the sailor regard
Ing the sinking OF the Dunraven, he
had borne the fate Of his sister and
her husband much In mind.
He had come no nearer to deciding
what to do with the apartment In New
York and Its furnishings.
After listening 10 Benjamin Hardy's
| story, the hardware dealer felt less in
clined than before to close up the af-
fairs Of Carolyn Mays small estate"
Not that he for q moment believed that
there was q possibility of Hannah and
her husband being alive. Five months
had passed. In these days Of wireless
telegraph and fast sea frame such q
thing could not be possible. The imag-
nation of the practical hardware mss~
! chant could not visualiss Il
One day when Carolyn May vas Vic
iting Mrs. Gormley Chet burst In quite
Unexpectedly. for It Was not yet mid
afternoon.
"Mr. Stage has let me or 10 take
Carolyn May slidin'. The Ice s.nse
goin' to be safe In ths cove for long
now. Springs in the air o'ready. Both
brooks ara runnin' full"
Carolyn May was delighted. Al
though the sky was overcast and a
storm threatening when they rot do wn
on the lee. neither the boy nor the lit
tie GIRL gave the weather q second
thought. Nor had Mr.. Stage consid-
cred the weather when he had allowed
Chef to leave the store that afternoon.
Chef strapped on his skates. and
then settled the little girl firmly On her
sled. with Prince riding behind.
The boy harnessed himself with the
long towrope ana skated away from
the shore. dragging the sled after him
at q brisk pace.
"Oh, my" sQuealed Carolyn May.
"there isn't anybody else on the ice"
"We won't run into nobody, then"
laughed tho boy.
II ri too misty outside the cove to
see the open water: but 1t was there,
and Chef knew It Al well an anybody.
| He had no intention of taking any
risks-especially with Carolyn May In
his charge.
The wind blew out of the o too,
As they drew away from he shelter OF
the land they felt its strength.
Naturally. neither the boy nor the
little girl--and surely not the dog
looked back toward the land. Other.
wise. they would have seen the snow
furry that swept down rel the town
and quickly hid 1t from the cove.
Chef was skating his very swtftest,
Carolyn May was screaming with de-
light. Prince barked joyfully. And,
suddenly. In q startling faahion. they
came to q assure In the icsl
The boy dartet to one side. heeled
On his right skass, sac stopped He
had jerked the sled ABIDE. too. yelling
to Carolyn May to shold fastT But
Prince was fiung from 81, and scramE
hicd over the ;cs, barking loudly
"Oh, dear mel" cried Carolyn May
"You stopped too quick. Chef CORN
ley. Goodnessl There's . hole In the
ice
and 1 didn't see IL till we was al
most In It." Acknowledged Chef. "Iti
more'n q hole. Whyi there's q great
Hsid OF ice broke on ami saiiin' oui
Into the lake"
-Oh. my" gasped the little girl
The boy knew 1t once that he mus
be careful In making his way HON,
with the little girl. Having see ONT
great assure In the lee. he might com,
upon another. II seemed to him ~
though the Ice under his feet wa 4
motion. In the distance vas the sount
OF . rsverberating crash that coult
mean but one thing. TAs Leo II tn
cove was breaking upl
The waters ef tie TIVE brooks wsr'
pouring down Int the eovs. SpriAl
had really come. ana the annual freshe
was likely now to force the ice entirel,
out Of the cove ana opsA the way foI
trafie In . few hours.
cHAprER KIN.