A Day of Punishment 



stones, with no sound near save that of the 

 tide I was waiting for, and the tempest of 

 my ow^n pulses, I do not know. But a 

 sudden shock of deadly cold brought me 

 to my feet in a second, w^ashing away with 

 it all thought of suicide. In a panic of 

 cold, terror, and isolation I instinctively 

 made for the blessed lights of the town, 

 and, drenched to the very skin, blundered 

 headlong up the beach, and found myself 

 in a few mjnutes in sight of home. 



I turned the handle of the door and 

 slipped in softly, hoping to crawl up to bed 

 without being observed. But Mary heard 

 me, and called me by name, so I thought 

 it best to walk with what dignity I could 

 into the kitchen where she and Sukie were 

 preparing supper for my Father. 



" Why, what has kept you so long, 

 child ? " she said. I think in the fulness of 

 her busy day she had forgotten the 

 morning's storm. That is just the way 

 with^ grown people. The event which fills 

 a child's day with black tragedy is for- 

 gotten by them in the making of puddings, 

 or the sewing on of buttons. 



That was too much for me. In a last 

 flare of blind passion I sent my satchel fly- 

 ing into one corner, flung my cap into 

 another and tore at my shoestrings that 

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