The Call of the Cumberlands

She knew that to Horton, who played polo like a fiend incarnate, the

figure would be effective, and she whipped out her words with something

very close to scorn.

"Duck your head!" she commanded shortly. "I'm coming about."

Possibly, she had thrown more of herself into her philippic than she

had realized. Possibly, some of her emphasis imparted itself to her

touch on the tiller, and jerked the sloop too violently into a sudden

puff as it careened. At all events, the boat swung sidewise, trembled

for an instant like a wounded gull, and then slapped its spread of

canvas prone upon the water with a vicious report.

"Jump!" yelled the man, and, as he shouted, the girl disappeared over-

side, perilously near the sheet. He knew the danger of coming up under

a wet sail, and, diving from the high side, he swam with racing strokes

toward the point where she had gone down. When Adrienne's head did not

reappear, his alarm grew, and he plunged under water where the shadow

of the overturned boat made everything cloudy and obscure to his wide-

open eyes. He stroked his way back and forth through the purple fog

that he found down there, until his lungs seemed on the point of

bursting. Then, he paused at the surface, shaking the water from his

face, and gazing anxiously about. The dark head was not visible, and

once more, with a fury of growing terror, he plunged downward, and

began searching the shadows. This time, he remained until his chest was

aching with an absolute torture. If she had swallowed water under that

canvas barrier this attempt would be the last that could avail. Then,

just as it seemed that he was spending the last fraction of the last

ounce of endurance, his aching eyes made out a vague shape, also

swimming, and his hand touched another hand. She was safe, and together

they came out of the opaqueness into water as translucent as sapphires,

and rose to the surface.

"Where were you?" she inquired.

"I was looking for you--under the sail," he panted.

Adrienne laughed.

"I'm quite all right," she assured him. "I came up under the boat at

first, but I got out easily enough, and went back to look for you."

They swam together to the capsized hull, and the girl thrust up one

strong, slender hand to the stem, while with the other she wiped the

water from her smiling eyes. The man also laid hold on the support, and

hung there, filling his cramped lungs. Then, for just an instant, his

hand closed over hers.