Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-01-28
BLOOMINGTON

cred delightfully."- now.
'T will come with you," she an
nounced.
very well. I will wait for you. The
tide will serve for another hour"
He knew he had decided rightly. She
could not bear to be alone-yet. Soon
the bandage was adjusted and they
returned to the reef. Scrambling now
with difficulty over the rough and
dangerous track, Iris was secretly
amazed by the remembrance of the
daring activity she displayed during
precarious roadway.
Then she darted from rock to rock
with the fearless certainty of a
channels. Her only stumble was caused,
she recollected, by an absurd effort to
avoid wetting her dress. She laughed
nervously when they reached the
place. This time jerks lifted her
across the intervening channel.
els this the spot where you fell?" he
asked, tenderly.
Eyes; how did you guess it."
II read it in your eyes"
"Then please do not read my eyes,
but look where you are going"
Perhaps 1 was doing that too" he
said.
They were standing on the land
ward side of the shallow water in
which he fought the octopus.
Already the dark fluid emitted by
his assailant in it's final discontinue
was passing away, owing to the slight
movement of the tide.
iris was vaguely conscious of a
double meaning in his words. She did
not trouble to analyze them. ALI she
knew was that the mans voice con-
veyed a subtle acknowledgment of
her feminine divinity. The resultant
thrill of happiness startled, even dis
mayed her. This incipient Irritation
must be put a stop to instantly.
"Now that you have brought me
here with so much difficulty, what are
you going to do?" she said. cit will be
madness for you to attempt to ford
that passage again. Where there is
one of those horrible things there are
others, I suppose"
jerks smiled Somehow he knew that
this strict adherence to business was
a cloak for her real thoughts. Already
these two were able to dispense with
spoken word.
But he seduously adopted her pre-
text.
"That is one reason why brought
the crowbars," he explained. IF you
sit down for a little while I will have
everything properly fixed"
He delved with one of the bars I'M
til it lodged in crevice Of the coral
Then few powerful blows with the
back of the axe wedged it firmly
enough to bear. any ordinary strain
The rope-ends reeved through the pull
| ley on the tree were lying where they
! fell from the girls hand at the close
of the struggle. He deftly knotted
them to the rigid bar, and few rapid
turns of a piece of wreckage passed
between the two lines strung them in
| to a tautness that could not be at
tanned by any amount of pulling.
! Iris watched the operation in 81
lence The sailor always looked at his
best when hard at work. The half-sul-
len, wholly self-contained expression
| left his face, which lit up with en-
| thusiasm and concentrated intelli-
gence. That which he essayed he did
with all his might Will power and
| physical force worked tremendously
| She had never before seen such a man
At such moments her admiration OF
him was unbounded.
He, toiling with steady persistence
| felt not the inward spur which sought
relief in speech, but Iris was COM
PEELED to say something.
II suppose" she commented with
an air of much wisdom, you are con-
irving an overhead railway for the
safe transit for yourself and the
goods?"
yves"
"Why are you so doubtful about it?''
walk across. The ropes will serve to
convey the packages"
She rose imperiously. II absolutely
forbid you to enter the water again.
Such suggestion on your part is
quite shameful You are taking a grave
risk for no very great gain that I can
see, and if anything happens to you
I shall be left all alone in this awful
place."
She could think of no better argu-
ment. Her only resource was wO-
mans expedient-a plea for protec-
ton against threatening ills.
The sailor seemed to be puzzled how
best to act.
miss Deane," he said, there is no
such serious danger as you imagine.
Last time the cutie caught me nap
ping. He will not do so again. Those
rifles I must have. If it will serve to
reassure you, will go along the line
myself"
He made the concession grudging-
ly. In very truth, if danger still
lurked in the neighboring sea, he
would be far less able to avoid it
whilst clinging to rope that sagged
with his weight, and thus working a
slow progress across the channel, than
If he were on his feet and prepared to
make a rush backwards or forwards.
Not until Iris watched him swing
ing along with vigorous overhead
clutches did this phase of the under
taking occur to her.