two men reentered the room and found Helen clinging
to Minnie's hand on the sofa. She looked up at them quickly.

"Do you think--do you--what do you--" Her voice shook so that she could
not go on.

The judge pinched her cheek and patted it. "I think he's home and dry,
but I think he got wet first; that's what I think. Never you fear, he's
a good hand at taking care of himself. Sit down, Lige. You can't go for
a while." Nor could he. It was long before he could venture out; the
storm raged and roared without abatement; it was Carlow's worst since
'Fifty-one, the old gentleman said. They heard the great limbs crack and
break outside, while the thunder boomed and the wind ripped at the
eaves till it seemed the roof must go. Meanwhile the judge, after some
apology, lit his pipe and told long stories of the storms of early
days and of odd freaks of the wind. He talked on calmly, the picture of
repose, and blew rings above his head, but Helen saw that one of his
big slippers beat an unceasing little tattoo on the carpet. She sat with
fixed eyes, in silence, holding Minnie's hand tightly; and her face was
colorless, and grew whiter as the slow hours dragged by.

Every moment Mr. Willetts became more restless, though assuring the
ladies he had no anxiety regarding Mr. Harkless; it was only his own
dereliction of duty that he regretted; the boys would have the laugh
on him, he said. But he visibly chafed more and more under the judge's
stories; and constantly rose to peer out of the window into the wrack
and turmoil, or uneasily shifted in his chair. Once or twice he struck
his hands together with muttered ejaculations. At last there was a lull
in the fury without, and, as soon as it was perceptible, he declared his
intention of making his way into town; he had ought to have went before,
he declared, apprehensively; and then, with immediate amendment, of
course he would find the editor at work in the "Herald" office; there
wasn't the slightest doubt of that; he agreed with the judge, but he
better see about it. He would return early in the morning to bid Miss
Sherwood good-by; hoped she'd come back, some day; hoped it wasn't her
last visit to Plattville. They gave him an umbrella and he plunged out
into the night, and as they stood watching him for a moment from the
door, the old man calling after him cheery good-nights and laughing
messages to Harkless, they could hear his feet slosh into the puddles
and see him fight with hi