The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-09-06
OF those three he had spent part OF
every evening in her company.

AOuNtll if6E " tktc dJHitb HAAiN ~
compliance did mt surprise sisi. for
he cpnsidered himself an adept il
these matters.
At the club It was favorite sayirs
IF his that "One woman does rot make
d summeri"
He qnite understood sc force OF tic
impression which he, rs city mar
of strong win and certain polish.
was able to make on simple country
girls.
There were good reasons not entire
~ understood by the menabers of his
family, why he always went duck
shooting alone, and each year IN d,s.
ferent locality But this Gertie-mas-
netic little thing he had believed ne
really liked, as much rs man can
like one Of these curious, earnest, ua-
reasonable creatures.
Now she had repaid him by keep
ing him out in the deadly night dews
of the Croppie country. But she
must have known city man could
not stand that sort of thiRgl
Why, she had let him catch feyeFl
And feyers are sometimes fatal.
Well. since she had got him into this
mess. shs better come and get him
out of it. Yet he knew how little
this was likely.
The Schneiders were not a wor-
rying sort. Their boarders might
be absent two or three days at a
time without giving them the least
alarm. as long as enough baggage
remained to cover the board bill
So Blame cursed the whole lot
OF them for their unnatural indiner-
ente.
After a while lie became calmeR
His head reeled. he felt somewhat
weak, but he knew he must try te
do something. he could see that very
clearly.
All around HIM lay the marsh,
with here a patch of waving. green
gray wild rice. there a clump Of lilly
pads or an expanse of black water.
The distant shores were rich
with autumnal reds and yellows
and bronzes, softly offended under a
haze Of purple.
Near by, level with the surface, lay
the duck boat. The ducks he had Slot
were floating within it, more grue-
some now than admirable.
( Finding In none of these obserya
lions any offer OF hope, Blame leaned
down and felt the water.
lie was so cramped with cold that
il seemed to him the water was warm
or than the air. At least he could es-
cape the wind@
Painfully he let himself down be
side the stump until he was submefg
I'd to his neck. supporting himself b.
tagging to a root Of the stump.
At first the sensation was luxurious.
but by the end of an hour he became
JULY aware of numbness. HIS skin
felt as If 1t were crimping all over
him
lie was considering vaguely what 70
10 when he felt a violent shock In
his drowsiness be had allowed his
head to sink until he had breathed in
water His subsequent chokings and
,oughlRgs stimulated him so that he
was at last able, by a great output
Of effort, to Chamber up to his old po-
sition on the stump.
Then came the wind through his
wet clothes again and the accompany
ing fits OF chill. His teeth chartered
until he thought they would fall from
his head. Prolonged tremors traveFs-
ed his huddled body.
He tried to sit Up and cry out in
the wild hope that somebody would
hear him, but he was hardly aware of
his own voice.
Finally, in fit of swooning weak
ness, he sank like bag across a
crotch of roots, and lay quite still.
There are moments between sleep
ing and waking VIXEN it seems that
nothing could be so sweet. IN life or
beyond it, as state of undreanlne
semiconsciousness.
Thus did it seem to Blame. when, an
indeterminate time later he began TO
realize that something was disturbing
him. Yes! Something had hold Of his
arm! He was being shaken!
AT first he did not remember where
be was; but as his sensations of pain
and stiffness quickened, remirdine
him only too wildly Of his hopeless
blight he became alarmed.
What was il had hold of his arm?
With difficulty he turned his head.
and found himself looking UP into tie
face of-Gertie!
Her features were somewhat dis
torted, he thought. but there was &c
doubt 1t was Gertie. She was speak
ing to him.
Without knowing or caring wlai
she was saying. he smiled at her. clos
ed his eyes and let her drag him
where she would
When he awoke he was in his bed
IN his room at the Schneider farm
A stranger with white beard was
sitting beside him holding w2teh