@@@@@She couldn't read hisexpression"I didn't
@@@@@She couldn't read
hisexpression"I didn't want to wake you," he said
"Try to get some more rest if you canI'm going to look for some
place to dry out and build a fireThere are shacks on all these
islands Scarlett struggled to get upRhett's sweater was
across her legs, and she was still wearing hersShe felt burdened by
their water-laden weight He was walking away,
up the steep dunesScarlett gaped foolishly, not believing her
eyes
"Rhett! You can't leave me
But he kept climbingShe could see only his broad back with his wet
shirt clinging to itAt the top of the dune he haltedHis head
turned slowly from side to sideThen his hunched shoulders squared
He turned and slid recklessly down the steep slope Rhett held his
hand out to help Scarlett riseShe clasped it eagerlyThe cottages
that some Charlestonians had built on the nearby islands were
designed
to capture the cooler sea breezes in the hot humid days of the long
Southern summerThey were retreats from the city and the city's
formality, little more than unornamented shacks with deep shaded
porches and weathered clapboard siding perched on creosoted timbers
to
raise them above the blistering summer sands
In the cold driving rain the shelter Rhett had found looked derelict
and inadequate to stand against the buffeting windBut he knew
these
island houses had stood for generations, and had kitchen fireplaces
where meals were preparedExactly the shelter needed for shipwreck
survivorsHe broke open the door to the cottage with a single ki