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Show (WW CLARK MCMEEKIN jfc- THE STORY THIS FAX u,,,. It-t-l w. N U . S C V I C x THE STORY THUS FAR: While vov Mine from England to America Lark Shannon'! ship foei down. She I, cast upon an l.land, and Gait W.the, a bound servant, rescues her. Lark It made prl,. oner at the inn by Cony and Mag who are holding her for ransom. She escape, and Is found by David North, her sweetheart, disguised as a ti,y to ret line on the activities ol one Dr Mat on. Gait arrives on the scene and agrees to get Lark to Norfolk, but on entering the boat find Cony concealed In It The two men light, while the boat drifts bark to the Inn. Dr. Matson spares Gait's lire at Lark's pleading, and later while In a gypsy camp, Dr. Matson en-' deavors to Identify David. CHAPTER XIV His face fell. "Your thoughts be ver on him, Lark," he said glumly, "and his but on his business. No, I don't think we can overtake him. Not tonight. "Twill be all we can do to save our own skins." "He's right," Ginko said. "For-get "For-get about David and get a quick start before the alarm goes out. Take the downhill path and work toward the beach. Matson, like as gate and ran across the patch of open ground that lay between them tcthereV01'5 Wh"e hrSeS Wer They could hear the farmer, searching around the house, seeking tor a trace of them. They paused ! with their hands on the horses' bribes bri-bes as the blast of an old-fashioned ! olunderbus shattered the silence of the night. The horses shied nerv- jously. They whispered to them soothingly and patted their flanks. Gait said, "We'd best be off, Lark. The stars are clouding over and it looks as If we might have a smart shower of rata. I'D feel better if we put this place behind us soon." He deposited the knife and the coins safely in the pouch at his waist. The rain caught them before they had gone many miles and forced them to seek shelter in a barn on the far side of Longboat Creek. They were drenched and shivering, but crept deep into the hay and found what warmth they could. Lark awoke next morning with chattering teeth and a hot flushed face. Her legs were cramped and "Now do! Listen to the woman!" The man grumbled. "How in land sakes do we know this boy ain't a thief? How do we know he ain't that very chap Sheriff told us to be on the lookout for, who stole a horse up Horntown-way? Fellow in town t'other t'oth-er day tole me to be on the watch. Come inside now, an' let us get a good look at un." He held the door wide open. Gait felt the red blood mounting into his unshaven cheeks. He took a step back out of the light "Do I speak like a bound boy?" he said haughtily. "My wife and I are gentlefolk, both of us. If you have food and a blanket to sell . . ." "What price un give me?" the man asked, his face lighting up with greed, his suspicions now evidenUy allayed. "Til pay you fair," Gait said, in an agony of impatience, as he stuck his hand in his pouch and jingled the coins. The woman said, "I've got an ex-try ex-try homespun blanket and plenty meal an' larded fowl, Tom. We could use a bit of cash money with the taxes coming due. ... I could add a bottle of my root tonic. It's mighty good for sick folks." She smiled at Gait. When Tom didn't answer her, but Just stood there considering, she fetched the things and tied them In a bundle which she held out with some eagerness to Gait. When the man, more slow-witted than his wife, still didn't say anything, any-thing, Gait held out one of his coins. The woman smiled contentedly and passed him the bundle as Tom, suddenly sud-denly coming to life, snatched the coin and slammed the door in Gait's face. Her chills and fever ran their course for ten full days, and she was weaker than a new-born kitten by that time. Anxiously, Gait guarded guard-ed her for another three or four days until he felt her now returning strength would make It possible for them to continue their journey. At last, on the fifteenth day, she said, "Gait, I can make it now. Really, I think I can. Let me try." She stood up and took a few wobbly steps. His arm was around her, supporting sup-porting her and giving her courage. He swung her up and Into Dosta's saddle, steadying her for a moment as she swayed weakly and clung to him. He patted her knee and spoke as If he were talking to a small child. "You're all right, Lark. You can make It, darling. It won't be very long now. Tonight will see us at not, will think you've taken the high-I high-I way to Norfolk and search that first." For hours they raced their horses along the shore where the beach was firmed by the creeping tide. Red Raskall was by far the swifter Of the two horses, and Gait had to horten his stride so that the smaller small-er black Dosta might keep by his tide. As the sun reddened the eastern aky, they reached Cockle Creek and the Black Narrows. Gait said he had fished all up and down this coast and knew every little bay and inlet. Here was a good place, he told Lark, to water their horses and rest till noon. Gratefully they curled up In the and and were soon fast asleep. Lark wakened first and, rising on her elbow, lay watching Gait. How long he looked, lying there, how relaxed re-laxed . . . how beautiful. What latent strength he possessed, what manliness, she thought. In a moment he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I'm hungry," he laid, "simply starving. Looks like we'll have to find us some oysters, oys-ters, Lark, do you mind?" "Anything would taste good." She at up and shook the sand out of her hair. "Oh, Gait, It's so good to be alive, to be free. Do you think those men will come back? Do you think Matson will send out others?" "I doubt they'll find us," Gait aid sturdly. "We can make a race for it, if they do. Our horses are wifter than any of his, and now that we've found our freedom, both you and I, by God, we're going to keep it." Lark thought, he said that not like swearing, but almost like a prayer. "I'm beautifully hungry now," Lark said. "Where's your cobby-knife, cobby-knife, Gait? You must teach me to open oysters so the next time I am hipwrecked. ..." In an instant his mood veered with hers and they were laughing together, wading down to the water's wa-ter's edge, here in this hidden cove, and scooping up handfuls of oysters, tearing them loose from the sandy beds, opening them and lapping up the rich food. Carried her tenderly inside the little lit-tle shelter. her shoulders ached unbearably. It took all the strength she could muster mus-ter to suck one of the handful of eggs which Gait found in the hay and to allow him to help her mount Dosta In the early gray of the bleak autumnal morning. The long day's riding was complete com-plete misery and, except for Gait's kindly consideration, would have been unendurable. The two horses, with the feeling of the road in them now, set their pace at a steady even gait. That night they were lucky enough to come on a hunter's lean-to in the woods. Gait lifted Lark from the saddle and carried her tenderly in- i J ,u lutla oholtar rtllinff what the ferry. Tomorrow we'll be in Norfolk. David will be there, waiting wait-ing for you." "David!" Lark repeated the name slowly, stupidly. "David will be there waiting for me." "David Isn't here? He hasn't been here?" Lark asked anxiously. "Oh, I'm so dreadfully worried." She sat on the very edge of Mara Hastings' horsehair sofa in the prim parlor of the house set a little way back from the tree-lined street in Norfolk. Nor-folk. "David . . . Captain North is not here." Mara pursed her lips and tranquilly continued to net a small silk purse. "I thought I made myself my-self quite clear on that point a few moments ago. I did not say he had not been here. You did not ask me "Look!" Lark pointed to a nearby near-by scrub which was laden with red berries. "Do you think they're poi-on?" poi-on?" "No, they're not poison. They're ground-apples. Plenty of 'em on Assateague. I've tasted them often." of-ten." He pulled cluster after cluster and loaded her lap with the wild fruit. "They're good," she said, miling at him companionably. "Taste!" She put one in his mouth. She followed him to where they had hobbled the horses near a small stream of water which meandered ' down to the shore. The horses were : hidden here and could crop the ten-'der ten-'der shoots of marsh grass which peared up through the sandy soil. Darkness found them skirting 1 westward behind Gargathy Inlet Once during the afternoon, they had eeen a lone horseman and crept into the tangle of undergrowth till he was safely past them. "There's a cottage yonder, Lam aid "Maybe we can get Into it. It would be fine to make a fire in a fireplace and curl up on a dry floor In front of it." Gait nodded and they circled the darkened cottage. A shout from within stopped them. "Who's there?" A sleepy voice called roughly, and a man came out and stood under the gabled roof which protected the colonade, peering peer-ing out into the night. Lark and Gait crouched low in the tangled undergrowth, thankful that they had left the horses tied some little way off in the woods, me f.mr stood for a moment 1 rtenmg intently as they clung close togeth IT, scarcely daring to baw- "I heerd un," he shouted. I heerd un plain, poachin' and thievta try Z to find thet ole treasure thet ain't here. I'll get un. swear to God I will. Ml blast un sure! turned back into the house. ,, We'd better make a run for Gait whispered. "" he e gun, he'll tramp about till dayng and find us sure." Br(,fuuy They got to their feet rrfuuy. pullln. their woolen clothes from toe horn bushes, shaking the dne leaves from their hair. er5 out through the broken-down iron Slue U1C imit aij.fc., i-----e dry boughs and leaves he could find, for a couch. He laid a snare in the undergrowth and was fortunate enough to catch a wild rabbit. He slivered and whittled a branch into fine shavings with his cobby-knife, and, when he had started a fire with his flint and tinder, nursed it along with Infinite care until it would take hold of a sizeable dry log he had been able to find in a corner of the lean-to. For a time the hot strengthening meat seemed to put fresh life into Lark, but toward midnight her fever rose and the chills gripped her once more. Gait sat helplessly by, chafing chaf-ing her cold hands and calling her name over and over again as she tossed and raved about the shipwreck, ship-wreck, and about that first dreadful dread-ful night on Ghost Island, when she had found Clink Swalters and had been unable to save him. Next morning there could be no thought of their continuing their Journey. Lark was dreadfully 111, that was plain to be seen, and Gait was in a frenzy of anxiety. His nursing was awkward, but tenderly loving It comforted him considerably consid-erably that in her raving she made no mention of David North's name. When night came he knew he would have to have help If he were to save Lark's life. She seemed asleep fcr the time being, or else she was sunk in a dreadful, deep uncon-sciousness. uncon-sciousness. He wasn't sure but he had to leave her for awhile. He knew that. He had scarcely thought what sto-rv sto-rv he would tell when the man of the house confronted him with the suspicious surliness accorded strangers strang-ers in this section of the country. My wife is sick." Gait heard his own hurried voice mumbling those words, and knew in that instant that he wished they were the truth "We're headed north from Norfolk toward Snow Hill Landing where her folks live. Can I buy a blanket and some food from you?" "Un don't look old enough to have a wife " the man said consideringly. "Bring her here, now do." A kind-iv-faced small woman pushed up behind be-hind him and peered out at Gait that." "I would have thought. Miss," Gait said, with obvious irritation, "that you would have volunteered the information when Lark first asked you." "Captain North was here last week," Mara said. "He has gone back up the coast now." "Looking for us, of course." Lark smiled at Gait. "Poor, dear David, I'm sure he was frantic with worry. I was ill, you see, Miss Hastings, and that delayed our arrival. ..." Mara smiled patiently, as if she were humoring an excitable child. "You needn't worry," she said with, a slight edge to her tone. "Captain North did not go back to look for you, Miss Shannon. He went to Baltimore Bal-timore to attend to important business busi-ness for the Cargoe Riske Company." Compa-ny." "Important business Oh, I see," Lark said flatly. She glanced down dejectedly at her hands which she was twisting In her lap. She felt suddenly very tired and very weak. "You will both want baths," she said, with her hand on the painted china door-knob. "I will have warm water sent to your rooms and will find some more suitable garments 1 for you, Miss Shannon." Lark glanced down in quick confusion con-fusion at her tattered gipsy finery. "Oil, " she said, "I'm so dreadfully orry. We've disgraced you by com- ! ing here like this, haven't we? We didn't stop for a minute to think. We were so tired. . . . I've been so gick." "I hope that no one saw you enter." en-ter." Mara led the way up the nar- j row carpeted stairs. "I believe all the children were engaged in their classes and there are not many of my friends on the streets at this j early morning hour. One does have to be careful of appearances when their school has as select a reputation reputa-tion as mine. You understand that, of course. Miss Shannon?" Gait stopped stock-still a few feet below them on the landing. "Lark," he said, "since David isn't here, I'd say we tell Mistress Hastings good-by good-by and take our foot in hand." (TO BE CONTINUED) |