Oh, my God! Scarlett willed her lifeless legs to...
Oh, my God! Scarlett
willed her lifeless legs to move and forced terror away with iron
determination"I don't need courage half as much as something to
eat," she said"Why the devil didn't you grab that dirty old bag of
yours when we turned over?"
"It's stowed under the bowBy God, Scarlett, your gluttony may be
the
saving of usI'd forgotten all about itPray it's still there
The rum spread life-restoring tentacles of warmth through her thighs,
her legs, her feet, and Scarlett began to push them back and forth
The pain of returning circulation was intense, but she welcomed itIt
meant she was alive, all of herWhy, rum just might be better than
brandy, she thought after a second drinkIt sure did warm a person
upToo bad that Rhett gucci g watch insisted on rationing it, but she knew he was
rightIt would be too awful to run out of the warmth in the bottle
before they were safe on landIn the meantime she was even able to
join in Rhett's tribute to their prizeY0, ho, ho, and a bottle of
rump" she sang with him when he finished each verse of the sea
chanty
And afterwards Scarlett thought of "Little brown jug, how I love
thee
Their voices echoed so loudly inside the hull that it was possible to
pretend that they weren't growing weaker as the cold gripped their
bodiesRhett put his arms around Scarlett and held her close to
his body to share its warmthAnd they sang all the favorites they
could remember, while the sips of rum came closer together with less
and less effect"How about 'The gold gucci watches Yellow Rose of Texas'?" Rhett
suggested"We sang that twice alreadySing that song Pa loved so
much, RhettI remember the two of you staggering down the street
together in Atlanta bellowing like stuck pigs Sure and we sounded
like a choir of angels," Rhett said, mimicking Gerald O'Hara's
brogue
"'Whenfrst I saw sweet Ieggv, ,twas on a market day
" He sang the first verse of "Peg in a Low Back'd Car," then admitted
he didn't know the rest"You must know every word of it, Scarlett She tried, but couldn't find the strength"I've
forgotten," she said, to cover her weaknessIf
only she could rest her head against Rhett's warmth and sleepHis
arms felt so wonderful holding herIt was too
heavy to hold up any longer"Scarlett, do you hear
me? chanel 2.55 Scarlett! I feel a change in the current, I swear it, we're very
near shore
You can't give up nowCome on, my darling, let me see some more of
that gumption of yoursHold up your head, my pet, it's almost
over
"Damn you for a quitter, Scarlett O'Hara! I should have let Sherman
get you in AtlantaYou weren't worth saving The words registered
slowly in her fading consciousness, and produced only a feeble stirring
of anger
Her eyes opened and her head lifted to meet the dimly sensed
challenge
"Take a deep breath," Rhett commanded
He put his big hand over her nose and mouth and dove under the
water
with her feebly struggling body held closeThey surfaced outside the
hull, near a line of tall, cresting combers"Almost there, my love,"
Rhett chanel necklace gaspedHe bent one arm around Scarlett's neck and held her
heavy head in his hand while he swam expertly through a breaking
wave
and used its power to carry them into the shallowsA thin rain was
falling, blown almost horizontal by the gusting windRhett cradled
Scarlett's limp form to his chest and huddled over it, kneeling in the
white frothing edge of the water
A comber rose far behind him and raced toward the beachIt began
to
curl over on itself, then the foam-streaked gray water crashed, surged
toward land, and the rolling, roiling forces in it struck Rhett's back
and roared across his sheltering bodyWhen the wave had passed
over
and spent itself, he rose unsteadily to his feet and stumbled forward
onto the beach, clasping Scarlett to prada logos