Evening star., 1922-04-10
HE SCULPTOR TO THE RESCUE


n ERRIAM LINDSAY and Arthur
| N Mallory, silent pair, sat in
| the rear of DR.. Lanes closed
car with precious little to
say to each other during the hours
ride from town to the Lindsays' little
| house in the country.
1t was hard for young Mallory to
realize that the desolate woman be-
side him was the same mischieyous
girl who had jumped from a hanson
cab into his stable studio the evening
previous. She had been all gayety and
solor' hef bronze curlS flying. her
proMn us eyes sparkling; she had been
gaudily decked in an orange smock
that belonged to her cousin Cecilv
Leland But now she was a wan and
bedraggled person, colorless. forIorn: ::
her brown frock, drenched from the
downpour the night before, was a
crumpled. shapeless thing. Cecilv had
loaned her tan coat that accentlated
her frightful pallor.
merriam had known since morning
that her husband and the Blajsdai1
men and their boatmen had been
marooned all night on a treacberoms
sandbar in Great South bay, and that
though rescue parties had been work,
ing all day, the wind and tides had
prevented their getting to the bar.
She had faithfully promised DR.. Lane
that she would not try to get to the
other side of the island where Nan
Blaisdell was making every nossihln
effort to spur the rescuers to their
dangerous task. 1t was taking every
ounce of self-control that Merriam
possessed to obey her physicians
orders
She scarcely thought of young. NAL
automatic thing; somewhere in the
pack of her mind was registered DR.
Lanes information about Mallory
That he was literally on the verge Of
breakdown from malnutrition. But
just now her love for her John and
her great anguish over his predica-
ment blotted every other though from
her heart She could not really think
she could only feel
She let Mallory help her from the
car: The Pumpkin Shell, under the
delicately etched branches of the
spring budding elms. looked s1ddenIv
very dear to her. 1t was luxury, in
deed, compared to Sadie Farrelrs
dingy quarters. in which she had spent
the night, or Mallory's bleak studio
susan Sue was in the doorway,
twisting her hands in her apron, her
eyes red with weeping. She adored
the two Blaisdell boys, she was de-
voted to her Mister Thorne," and
was honestly fond of John Lindsay.
1t almost broke her heart to have to
tell Merriam that there was still no
news.
Mrs Blaisdell called me about
twenty minutes ago" she droned
mournfully. The tide still is run
ming out. and it's no use trying
again until nearly high tide. which
won't be till dark. The sand is
drifting bad in the inlet: they can't
get even a fiatbottom boat across.
and the bar is more than mile out"
The rain had ceased, but the sky
was still heavy 1t was uncannily
cold for May. Merriam shivered as
she walked into the living room.
Il can't stand il so gloomy" she
cried passionately. Lets pull the
shades and turn on the lights; let's
light the fire. Susan- she paced
nervously about. Make some tea or
something. Oh. 1 do beg your par
don. Mr.. Mallory. What a wicked
kind of welcome! Susan Sue. come
back here. Susan is our blessed. old,
household engineer. Mr.. Mallory.
Susan, this is the man who took such
good care of me in the storm last
night. He's going to stay with us
till DR.. Lane comes over from Baby
lon. DR.. Lane took the train out: he
thought it was quicker. Now. run
out and make us some tea: it might
help a little if we had something
hot"
Susan eyed the sepulchral-looking
stranger suspiciously.
Got the CONF" she whispered to
Merriam a moment later. when Mer-