Show BEN AMES WILLIAMS 1 1 bo 0 wiliams THE STORY STORT SO FAR robin dale a young artist goes to moose day bay to see her fiance will mcphail BIc Phail when will is accidentally killed his brother angus blames robin she goes to angus fishing cruiser to see him while she Is on board the boat sails carrying her angus pat donohoe and romeo toward labrador the boat Is seized by a man named jenkins who Is trying to escape from a government patrol the boat runs aground and sinks when jenkins tries to steal the last of the food there Is a free for all fight and pat and mr air jenkins are both hurt romeo escapes in a passing fishing boat without telling the others now continue with the story CHAPTER ya ddn there was no relenting in the N leather fog shrouded the island a dripping black fog with a cold spit of rain or a lashing of sleet from the northeast now and then when angus roused without speaking to her thinking her still asleep he climbed up to the ledge above them she watched him go and after a while she followed him she found him adding more boulders to the monument and she wished to scream with derisive laughter at their folly in working so hard to build this absurd cairn which no one would ever see he told her to go back to the cave lie down he said save your energy she shook her head 1 I dont dare she con confessed fese d for fear maybe I 1 cant get up again cold 1 I suppose so ive forgotten what it feels like to be warm he nodded well have a fire he be said come along back at the shelter mr jenkins was asleep did not rouse when they returned he tried two or three matches but although one fizzed weakly no flame showed angus squatted for a moment thinking he looked at pat we might manage something with powder out of the cartridges in the pistol angus said pat using romeos knife had managed to split some flakes of dry wood out of the heart of one of the chunks of drift and to prepare fine dry shavings angus removed the bullet from one of the shells and mixed powder and shavings together and flashed the primer into the mixture the experiment peri ment succeeded they brought to life a little flame and they nursed it for an hour adding one sliver of precious wood at a time it was not enough to warm them but the cheerful flame was somehow comforting for ting and when the fire burned out they put matches in the warm abes to dry against another occa lu paulc i on also pat gave robin a piece of chocolate he had saved from his portion she was so hungry that she wolfed wilfed it before protesting that he should have eaten it himself he laughed at her scruples lord love you miss im all right the mcphail will take care of me and the both of us will take care of you she looked at mr jenkins slumped down behind pat his face turned away he ought to have it she protested Is he asleep aye pat said simply let him rest poor man angus said abruptly well have a bigger fire tonight but well need more wood for that izes dale you and I 1 can go hunt some if oy youre oure not too tired ashe ah lira 1 e was sure she was not they ascended esc ended the broken rocks slope below the shelter till they came to the shingle beach exposed at low tide and they followed it along sal caging small bits of drift here and there angus was able to carriun carry under his arm what little wood they found in their progress around aroun d the northern end of the island but at last they came upon a real treasure a spruce bolt four feet long and almost a foot thick angus picked it up and turned to fac face e her and his eyes were shining well be warm tonight he told her strong in triumph this will be enough to dry our clotheil cloth esl well have a regular bonfire she came toward him to put her hands hanas on the smooth peeled surface of the wood patting it as though it were alive she wanted to hug it to hold it in her arms then beyond him fifty yards away she saw something else this was a gray old driftwood stump with straggling roots the root stubs were broken off with splintered ends the stump itself tremendous she cried out and pointed and angus turned and saw it they were as happy as children over their find angus dropped dro aped the bolt of pulpwood and went to heave at the stump 1 I can carry it he decided ill get it on my shoulders he turned it on end the roots uppermost and squatted and chose his hand holds and stood erect with the burden on his back ill come back for the other he said she was sure she could carry that angus said already panting dont if its too heavy he strode strongly away along the beach when they came to where that stick of spruce lay she picked it up in her arms like a baby and tried to follow him but the bolt was terribly heavy her arms ached as though they were being stretched on the rack her legs were weak and her knees almost refused to support her weight when she came to the foot of the rubble slope below the shelter angus was already half halfway way up it she climbed slowly she drove herself by saying ill go as far as that big rock before I 1 rest then ill go ten steps then ill go five this time in the end she was concentrating on one step at a time when angus came back down to meet her and relieve her of her load she had not till then seen pat donohoe busy at some strange task on the slope below the shelter on his knees he was building a rock pile long and narrow laying g each boulder with care when she came up to him she asked what are you doing pat avo he looked at her gravely without replying but his silence answered her question and her eyes filled she went on hurriedly looked past angus into the shelter mr jenkins was not there they had a fire presently in the mouth of the shelter with a crevice at the top of the barrier to let the smoke circulate she and pat stayed there drying their clothes drying the seaweed that served as their mattress re velling in the delicious scalding warmth of the flames choking in the smoke angus had departed again to see what he could find she was asleep when he returned with another log and some smaller stuff and looking up at him she realized that he had grown terri bly thin his eyes were sunken as though the flesh back of them was gone she was full of a great compassion a rich tenderness she wished to take him in her arms he dropped his burden and stepped over their fire into the shelter and began to fumble in his pockets brought our supper he said triumphantly antly he produced handfuls nand fuls of diminutive snaillike snail like shellfish the seaweeds full of them be said wela live high she watched him carefully break the snail shells collecting the tiny bits of flesh on a flat rock he tilted the slab to face the lire fire and the snails shrivelled shrivel led and charred in the reflected heat robin thought the odor of them delicious but they proved thin and watery containing no real sustenance the bit of food served only to awaken hunger pangs that had begun to dull they allowed the fire to go out weve none too much wood angus said and well have to keep some for a signal fire when it clears he left them presently to go tirelessly questing around the island that was their prison and pat slept and robin thought wearily that the sun would never shine again the wind without ever rising to gale force yet persisted out of the northeast it spat rain at them it brought a sprinkle of sleet or snow on an occasional colder gust life slipped out of her that afternoon till now she had been hungry and kf f irv T 4 wt T VI SU she laughed in flooding happiness cold but also she had wished to live had fought to live now she no longer greatly cared whether she lived or died angus came back at dusk and she slept between him and pat and when she woke it was broad day and he was gone again she spoke his name and pat said hes up on top maam keeping watch case anyone comes handy by she lay for while awhile a her eyes half open sometimes conscious sometimes not and slowly her senses cleared and her thoughts put on a pellucid placid clarity she realized that she was going to die to die was nothing but she did not want to die till she had told angus something and angus was not here she must go to him when she moved pat protested but she emerged from the shelter on hands and knees and began laboriously y to climb toward the ledge above them site she crawled like a lazy bear with hanging swaying head she reached the ledge and crawled on toward the cairn she did not see angus till she came close to him he sat on the shoreward side of the monument his back against it his chin on his chest when she touched him he roused instantly 1 I was resting he confessed ashamedly sham edly 1 I went to sleep she said 1 I want to tell you something angus ill get you back to shelter it raining she protested weakly be still my dear and hear me she smiled a little thinking of old jeff plaisted 1 I told you once about that old map she said remember angus the one who said apple trees try to have children when going to die he thought she was delirious held her close tried to lift her she shook her head no dont she said im all right only im dying of course she smiled wrinkling her eyes at him like the apple trees angus im dying dont you think bearing apples is their way of loving it angus I 1 love you he said after a moment roughly youre out of your head miss dale ill get you back where be warm he lifted her stood erect she wondered how he could how can you still be strong she whispered he bore her down toward the shelter do you love me she asked quietly he said hush well be all right so she knew that some things could never change yet when he brought her back to the cave under the ledge she made him hold bold her till she fell hard asleep in his arms robin knew nothing after that till she woke between rough sheets with something warm and delicious trickling down her throat she tried to call angus and her closed eyes filled and tears welled out between her lashes and sor someone neone said tenderly there poor lamb robin wanted to be comforted and petted and tended so she cried a little more and a woman with rough hands was kind to her and she slept for hours or days and woke to a room full of sunshine and the woman said well my dear youve a bright eye on you this morning youre better im thinking they went along the rugged coast to corner brook in a lubberly motorboat that smelled most mightily of cod and it rolled and tossed on the greasy seas and pot potted at its business in a humdrum way pat sat with his leg in splints stretched out before him and angus stayed near pat and he had no word for robin at all she had to content herself with watching the bristling brow of him the firm jaw the sensitive lip P that line of pain beside his nostril she thought miserably I cant help it angus whether you do or not I 1 do my dear I 1 do angus scarce spoke all that journey but pat talked to her pat was an understanding big brute of a man at corner brook he insisted they leave him there till his leg could mend he said she and angus must take the train and catch the boat at port aux basques sure and im fine pat declared ill let you hear when im fit for traveling again now be off and see the young lady safe home so she and angus took the train together and at dusk that evening they stood on the after deck of the caribou watching the last lights of port aux basques turn yellow and then disappear in fog behind them robin hobin had accepted defeat angus would never change he would never love a woman he would see her safe on her homeward way but that was all safe she thought she would never be safe and at ease again she asked how did they come to rescue us angus by the time they got romeo ashore he was delirious angus replied something he said started them wondering and they finally sent a second boat to the island to check his story robin pondered this a moment then asked how can I 1 get to ri houski my car is there she wore a dress bought in corner brook ive no clothes nor money you had to pay for these things im wearing and have to lend me money for a railroad ticket if you write a cheque the purser will cash it she felt a miserable pang you mean to pay you back 1 I dont want you under obligation to me she nodded waiting till she could speak easily all right I 1 win will now he suggested she stared at him in the darkness hurt beyond words then she turned and he went with her to find the purser she asked for a blank cheque filled it in with the money in her hands she turned to angus now how much was it she asked clothes tickets everything he told her to the penny youre 0 re scotch arent you she reflected gravely and gave him bills and waited for her change then she said good night and went to her cabin and hoped she need not see him again but in the morning when she appeared he was waiting at the end of the corridor were we re in he said were tied up at the dock waiting for the immigration men are we yes he spoke almost roughly he said youre safe now you dont need me any more you dont owe me anything youre not dying youre all right robin looked up at him with a sudden beating interest yes she assented of course I 1 am why his hand gripped her arm so hard she wished to cry out but she was not sure whether she felt rapture or pain he said harshly you were crazy delirious on the island but were both sane now theres no apple tree business in this I 1 want to marry you at his own words perspiration beaded his brow and his lips were white with fear he was a little boy she laughed in flooding happiness heavens to betsy etsyl 14 she whispered what a blessed danl THE END a aa ar |