Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-03-25

satisfy it. Already his own throat was
parched The excitement of the early
struggle was in itself enough to en-
gender an acute thirst. He thought it
best to meet their absolute needs as
far as possible.
Bring the tin cup" he said. Let
us take half our store and use the
remainder when we eat. Try to avoid
breathing through your mouth. The
hot air quickly affects the palate and
causes an artificial dryness. We can
not yet be in real need of water. 1t
| is largely imagination"
Iris needed no second bidding. She
carefully measured out half a pint of
the unsavory f1uid-the dregs of the
casks and the scourings of the ledge.
II will drink first" she cried.
mo, no. he interrupted impatient
ly. "Give it to me-"
She pretended to be surprised.
"As a mere matter of politeness-"
ct am sorry, but 1 must insist"
She gave him the cup over his
shoulder. He placed it to his lips and
gulped steadily.
"There," he said gruffly. II was in
hurry. The Dyaks may make an
other rush at any uOueHI.
Iris looked in the vessel.
"You have taken none at all" she
said
"Nonsensei"
"Mr. jerks, be reasonable! You need
it more than l. I d-don't want to
live w-without-you."
His hands shook somewhat. 1t was
well there was no call for accurate
shooting just then.
81 assure you I took all | required"
he declared with unnecessary vehem-
! ence,
Eat least drink your share, to please
me-" she murmured.
"You wished to humbug me" he
grumbled. eff you will take the first
half l will take the second"
And they settled it that way The
few mouthfuls of tepid water gave
them new life One sense can deceive
the others. A man developing all the
symptoms of hydrophobia has been
cured by the assurance that the dog
which bit him was not mad. So these
two, not yet aflame with drought,
banished the arid phantom for a little
while.
Nevertheless, by high noon they
PebooON
very slowly. The sun rose to the zen
| it'll and filled earth and air with his
ardor. 1t seemed to be a miracle-now
appreciated for the first time in their
liyes-that the sea did not dry up,
and the leaves wither on the trees. The
silence, the deathly inactivity of all
! things became intolerable The girl
bravely tried to confine her thoughts
| - Il 81 70
| alert watchfulneSs, an instant readI-'
ness to warn her companion OF the
| slightest movement among the trees or
by the rocks to the northwest this
being the arc of their periphery as
! signed to her
| Looking at a Sunlit space from COW
er, and looking at the same place,
when sweltering in the direct rays OF
tropical sun, are kindred operations
strangely diverse in achievement. Iris
| could not reconcile the physical SEN
sitiveness of the hour with the care
less hardihood of the preceding days.
Her eyes ached somewhat, for she
had tilted her sou'wester to the back
of her head in the effort to cool her
throbbing temples. She put up her
right hand to shade the too vivid re-
H6CLlOu Ol lie SllSISllIlS oCtt, ohu "e'o
astouned to find that in few min
utes the back of her hand was
scorched. A faint sound of distant
shouting disturbed her painful rev.
erie.
"How is it." she asked, that we feel
the heat so much today? | have hard
ly noticed it before
"For two good reasons-forced Idle
ness and radiation from this con-
founded rock Moreover, this is the
hottest day we have experienced on
the island. There is not a breath OF
air, and the hot weather has just COM
menced."
Don't you think" she said huskily,
chat our position here is quite hope
less?'
They were talking to each other
sideways The sailor never turned his
gaze from the southern end of the
valley.
"It is no more hopeless now than
last night or this morning he re-
piled.
"But suppose we are kept here fer
several days."
"That was always an unpleasant
probability"
1--WE had water then. Even with an
ample supply it would be difficult to