Show r I dl a q N t Y 1 V J 1 Y CYllUS 10lVNSIND Y y BRADY L1utsTQAriays 3Y 7Ai iljrRj fYAItmol rWnPylyCaLXTh1CRtA14fIiA1 SYNOPSIS A Young jnnn cWt asliore on a lone ly Island 11Il1s a 1 < illtu > Inhabitant a young athlto mall > dressed like a mivino and unllble to spcak m Known any Ian UIe She lIlchJe9 to ItIUcntrf Ilm IInll moldehlslihihtlctosher idetilati his mind to her own idetilatiShe 111110 evidence lint 1llIlIs her VMV iiitun to believe thllt the man Is Joan Itevcll Charnock of y 1111 eel that ho was cast nshoro a child Katlmrlnu Hrenton wits a y specialized product ot a lending erslty Her wrltltiRg on tho sox prob n nLnfmlc rmltlmllllonalro will e attention bceomes infatuate f With her and they decide to j > ul her the oriel Into practice A few days on Ills yacht reveals to her that ho only pro fessed lofty Ideals to possesj her AVhllo + 1 drunk ho attempts to kiss her She knocks ulm down and leaves him uncon scious and escaies In the diukness In a Mia Basollno launch DurliiR a storm she Is cast ashore on an Island Three years tpachliiR Rives the man a splendid educa I lion Their love for each other lit revealed when ho rescues her from a cave where > oho had been Imprisoned by an tftirth quake A ship Is sighted anil they light n f beacon to summon it IxxnRford on his yacht sights the beacon and orders his Or yacht put III The woman recoRiiires the Iii yacht and tells her companion that a man on board had Injured her In tho greatest I way Longford recognizes Katharine He 1 tells the mini that she had 1 been hIs this tress and imnowly escapes belni killed An Aineileun cruiser appears Ofllcers near the whole stoij and inRford auks YS Katharine to marry him Katharine do clarcq that she will marry no one but her 4 Island companion The latter says i he still I loves her but that tho revellltiolls have p mlllle a change CHAPTER XVIII Continued Is the present Chnrnock married No returned the chaplain he Is an old bachelor That will make It easier for our h friend here said Mr Whlttakor provided pro-vided the evidence is thought convinc ing The best evidence that he could pro d sent returned the chaplain is In his vo face Ho Is tho living image of his father as I knew him and he has fam ily characteristics which I think would enable almost anyone to Identify him without question j Sir said the Islander addressing I the chaplain did you know my I tnntlinp 7 1 That I did returned the old man I Her name was Mary Page Thornton Y and she was one of the sweetest girls l In Virginia And will you tell me about her t and about my father and my people With the greatest pleasure said the chaplain kindly Meanwhile Capt Ashby and these gentlemen will I wish to hear your story Take him to your cabin said the f captain promptly and tell him the lq 1 r I things he wants to know We can wait No returned the Islander I can wait I have waited all these years and a few hours more or less will make little difference You have aright a-right to know my story and here it is I Rapidly concisely with a fine dramatic dra-matic touch he told the story as he knew It of his life on the Island He was so entirely unconventional that he interwove the bare details of the strange relation which he gave them with personal touches He made no secret of his love and worship for the girl of the belief In her which he had cherished of the reverence In which t had hold her He exhibited that f I I range commixture of feeling with U he regarded her as a human t an and as a denul goddess Heed c He-ed that he was at once her mas wr and her creature yet through It all there ran such a thread of bitterness of grief of resentment of shame that his auditors at first unpossessed of I the key to his feelings listened to him with amazement and could scarcely realize or comprehend Ho told the story of the two lives up to the sighting sight-ing of the ship upon the Island and then his heart failing him ho turned to Vhittaker and bade him take up q the relation It was a delicate matter of which to speak but the simplicity with which the first part of the tale had been presented sented gave the officer his cue Ho of was a man of retentive memory quick apprehensive power and with n nice sense of discrimination a rare man indeed And he told the rest of tho tale with a subtle sympathy for f situation and the actors that en Jled him so to present It to the Inter isted litttlo group of olllrers that lie almost made them see It I as It I transpired trans-pired AnTwlmt asked the captain when t I the final word had been said do you propose to do now Mr Charnock It was tho first time that he had been so addressed and the man started start-ed Ho had heard Mr Whittakors Ho had been words as one In a dream going over that dreadful scene on the Lands His heart was lacerated and He was blind to every fern butnthelpastaslie her face Ho saw thing but the past Ho could see limly In the present In thu future happiness of lolhhlg 1 he answered know I i dont this has not made any Hut surely feelings 1 in your IICO dfferenro The difference is In I cant tell h7 not In men frightful mistake said + Slio made a ely LJUt she lulls 1111111t881volj tfd captain t atoned and lily n thuught she syts what I lot ighoit and tr I love her I love sad tile t mall because but In spLte of Ihofnew not thero Is a difference Vvldi sho is tol ihitOrpo d Whltta I ton 1 lis hires ture has settled the kit at this putcturo She says that site will hersdf matter l tic fo no mans pity no mans con tlmpt that no man shall marry her uu suffranro and that Hlght said the surgeon who was a man of very few words and generally general-ly I good ones My young friend broke In tho haplaln If I might advise Hut this returned the Islander with fierceness Is not a mattor for vice I dont know tho world or Its ustoms I must appear strange to ycu men Hut I take It that a mans choice of a wife a mans settlement of his future Is not a thing that he brooks counsel over At any rate 1 want none of It Como with me said tho chaplain ve will talk It over I have lived In tho world lie went on gently Perhaps I can help you have we your permission to withdraw Capt shby T Certainly said tho captain Pardon me a moment chaplain Interposed Whittnkcr but tho young lady has asked that some of us go shore to take her deposition as to the matters that have been alleged oncoming our friend here Capt Ashby will you Certainly Mr Whlttaker I will go And if you will accompany mo doctor and you chaplain I shall be glad Mr Whittaker you nro n notary public and can administer the necessary oaths Very good sir returned Mr Whit taker Tho other gentlemen bowed their acquiescence Tho lady said she would like to bo undisturbed until evening At two bells In the second dogwatch dog-watch then have the cutter called away returned the captain Beg pardon captain said tho surgeon sur-geon but do you or any of you know this lady to be Miss Hrenton No said tho captain I dont know her Do you Mr Whlttaker or you chaplain Well then said the surgeon as both the olllcers shook their heads It will be necessary to have some one ashore who does know her In order to swear to her Identity to make her deposition worth anything There is Langford said Whittn leer ho knows her Very good said the captain send a boat over to the yacht and present my compliments to Mr Langford Ask him If he will meet us ashore at quarter quar-ter after five oclock Say to him also that I should be glad to have him dine with mo tonight at seven Chaplin will you and Mr Charnock take luncheon lunch-eon with me later Now to go back to the Island Tho woman stood on the strand proudly resolutely sternly erect without a sign of unbending until the boats reached the sides of the two ships Even then she kept herself In the bonds of a control of steel She turned slowly walked up the beach entered the grove of palms mechanically found the path and plodded along it still erect and unbending until the windings wind-ings of the trail and the thickening of tho grove hid her from any chance watchers on the ship Then and not until then did she give way completely She threw herself her-self down upon the sand in the cool shadow of the great rocks in what to her had suddenly become a weary land and outstretched her arms as It 1 to clasp the earth to her breast in default de-fault of tho man she had dreamed of and trusted she had loved and lived for and lay there a silent shuddering wretched figure Her crushing disappointment at his failure to rise to the measure of her Ideal of him the total end of her dream of happiness the breaking of all her hopes the closing of all her Tiinbltlons the tearing asunder of her heartstrings whelmed her In agony She had thought that never could hu inanity experience more than the pain superinduced by the horror of her position po-sition upon the ship but that pain to the present was like a caress For to all that old horror was added a new sense of loss of dlsappolnmont and despair Like Elijah of old dismayed disheartened broken she prayed that she might die there on the sands CHAPTER XIX t The Mans Failure At five oclock a boat put off from the big white cruiser conveying the Islander the captain the other olllcers and Langford to the shore Tho woman met them on the sand She had discarded dis-carded her woven tunic and was dressed In tho laded blue blouse and skirt which she had worn when she had loft the yacht and which she had over since preserved with such scrupulous scru-pulous taro for an emergency like this Well was It for her that the garments wore loose and easyfitting else she could not have put them on so SIll en dilly had she developed In waist and chest and limb Sho woro stockings and shoos and save for a certain Jill tural elegance and freedom In her bearing she looked much as any other woman except that few women were as beautiful as she After a momentary hesitation and a glance at tho Islander who after his first swift comprehending survey of tho woman stood with averted head she conscious painfully of his every gesture and movement the lleuton nut commander performed the necos jmry Introductions This ceremony over It wan tho woman who spoke I sent for you gentlemen she bo Ban In order that a necessary dopos tlon might be made to enable If possl tile toysho paused and bowed for c l > t 1 I mnlly toward the Islander this gen tlomnn to establish his Identity upon which as I learn from Mr Whittaker much seems to depend I Imvo hero Out could you not do this more conveniently con-veniently later on tho ship Miss Bren ton Interposed the captain Ho had been > told that she Intended to stay on he Island but ho could not believe It Wo shall bo very glad Indeed to otter you passage homo The ship Is fitted for a flag and the admirals quarters are yours to command We art sailing direct to the United States with a stop at Honolulu and will bo glad to restore re-store you to your friends Sir said the woman I havo no friends who care enough about mo to welcome mo or whom I rare enough about to wish to see My mind Is made up I shall stay on the Island at least for tho present But my dear young lady began he officer < Capt Ashby said the woman you lire the commander of that ship I am t To you Is committed tho ordering of her course To mo alone Miss Uronton You ilccldo all questions connected with her on your own responsibility I do certainly but Sir this Is my ship t this Island If 1 choose to stay here I cannot think you will endeavor to take mo hence jy force Dy no means Nor have I any more fondness for laving my decisions discussed than you f would have for hearing your I orders argued or questioned I It Is my Island cried tho man roughly and If you stay I stay Vc lose time said the woman shortly I nm here to glvo my testimony testi-mony you arc prepared to take It I am said tho lieutenantcorn No returned the woman quietly my mind Is made up Katharine exclaimed Longford extending his hand In otio Html appeal ap-peal Not with you cither said the woman My dear young lady began the old chaplain think what It is you do Has any human being with such t sera s-era as you possess a right to bury herself her-self In this lonely Island Is there no call Sir the woman Interposed your plea might move me If anything could but Indeed tis useless as tho rest Hear mine then said tho man abruptly even harshly Tho woman turned and faced him as unrelenting and as determined as she had faced tho others What could ho say There was but one plea that could snow her Was ho about to make that We havo loved each other he went on brokenly It was my dearest dear-est wish my most settled determination determina-tion to make you my wife That wish I still entertain that determination has not departed from me You have refused to marry that man And would you have me do bo naked the woman No a thousand times no Ian sorrier every moment that I look at him that I did not kill him But hayIng hay-ing refused him there Is nothing now that you can do but marry me And as you have refused him It makes It I the more Incumbent upon mo to marry you and totake you away Your honor demands It My honor flamed out tho woman Indignantly I have said It returned the man doggedly Gentlemen you will forglvo our frankness said tho woman turning ki r ILj i7 1 ill 4t r y r r t r 1 tI I Is the Present Charnock Married 1 mander stepping forward notebook In hand Captain will you conduct the necessary neces-sary Inquiry Certainly said the captain Mr Langford do you Identify this lady I do sir answered Langford She is Miss Kathcrlno Hrenton of San Francisco You say this of your own personal knowledge Yes sir You will make affidavit to that factWith With pleasure I wondered said tho woman bitterly bit-terly why you cnmo back It was at my wish madam returned re-turned Capt Ashby formally Ho was not greatly prepossessed with the Imperative manner and demeanor de-meanor of this young woman but he did not see exactly how he could resent re-sent It or force any Improvement in It Will you proceed now with your story ho continued Will you speak slowly so that Mr Whlttaker who does not write shorthand can take It down Thereupon the woman told l that portion por-tion of her tale which related to the evidence which sho exhibited the piece of the boat with tho name of tho ship upon it the dog collar the silver box the Hlblo the two rings These were marked set down and sworn to The nllldavll to which sho subscribed her name and to which she took oath on tho very Bible of the Island was brief though comprehensive and the little ceremony was soon over Mr Whlttakor assihned charge of all the exhibits Tho tale having been completed com-pleted and all the little formalities got through with tho little party stood around in awkward silence wondering what was next to come Miss Bronton said tho captain at last breaking the pause it seems n shame For Gods sake reconsider your ship decision and como off to the I I to the little group who waited all ex copt Langford who had walked away out of earshot and who resolutely kept his back toward the party but this thing has to be settled Now said the woman here is no question of honor but of love I ask you Man do you I love me as you did last night I 1 he began falterlngly I You have never told mo a lie she continued You have never known anything but the truth Until I learned from you cried the man what you had concealed Tho woman smiled bitterly waving aside this cruel stab Tell mo the truth Do you love me as you did last night If you will love It no said tho man rushing to his doom Men have taken a bullet In tho breast a shot in the heart and for a moment have maintained their erect position Tho woman knew In that moment how such things could ho Hut I love you still said the man And I still want you for my wife Last night went on the woman as if In a dream I seemed to you tho embodiment of every excellence that humanity can possess short oC tho divine i Yes said tho man I loved you as Do I still possess those qualities in your oyos He hesitated Ho strove to upealc The truth I The truth whlsporoi the woman Nothing else so help you God No said the man but I love you still and you ought to marry mo you must Cant you understand Listen said tho woman fiercely I did not go to that man yonder although al-though he offered mo everything that honor could dictate and that true affection af-fection could suggest I do bollovo bo cause I did not love him although I havo since come to respect him after I have thought It 1 over It Is not duty but love which Is the compelling motive mo-tive Ip this matter And 1 wont take J a i I J you I would not take an angel from heaven unless ho thought mo In ov cry particular J nil that n woman hould bo to a man unions ho loved no with his whole heart and soul nb olutoly unfelgnedly completely You lont I dont eon think that I lovo you now You have been tried and tested and you have falhd Gentle mien will you take him navy I stay hero said tho man bluntly blunt-ly drawing apart from tho others and 1 will kill with my own hands the man who lays a linger upon me Sir said the captain this land I tithe It Is tho United States As tho ranking ofllcer present 1 represent Its hiss It Is under my rule As to your choice I have nothing to say but ns far as regards other things you will have to obey mo hero us any i other citizen of our ootintry And I know nothing of the United States or Its laws unswered tho man proudly I am a law unto myself Tho first lesson that tho world will teach you sir returned tho captain cap-tain pointedly Is that that position cannot bo maintained that tho whole fabric of civilization depends upon concession by Individuals of natural rights and upon the enforcement of I these concessions by other Individuals to whom has been delegated that paw c1 I dont wish to learn It and that Is why 1 will not leave this Island persisted per-sisted the man It was the woman who Intervened She stepped closo to tho man and laid her hand upon his arm You said that In somo fashion you loved me she urged In some fashion I do he replied It grows late Captain can your ship lie by tho Island until morning If you wish certainly returned tho captain Very well Man will you then go aboard tho ship with these gentlemen and leave mo alone here for the night Alone madam cxcalmcd tho cap 4 nn Certainly sir returned tho woman wom-an There Is not a harmful thing upon the Island You can como back In tho morning and we will discuss then what Is best to be done Really gentlemen shin went on with a lute ous tremble of her lip for one moment mo-ment losing her control I have been tried beyond tho strength of woman today If I can havo a quiet rest Ir In tho morning That Is reasonable said tho surgeon sur-geon The lady Is In no state for this discussion nor Indeed are you sir he continued looking hard at the man Very well said the captain Come Mr Charnock you cannot refuse that request gentlemen Madam goodnight good-night He turned away followed by the others Charnock for tho moment lies l Itated I give you one more chance whispered whis-pered the woman In his ear I think myself fit for the wife of any man do you think so Do you love me Do you care for mo ns you did last night Can you think of mo ns all that is sweet and lovely and noble and pure and worthy of any mans affection She bent closer toward him In the Intensity of her feelings The words rushed from her The man passed his bund over his forehead I can only say what I said before that I love you still that I will marry you and that you ought to be That Is enough Interrupted the woman Goodby She drew Instantly apart from him Mr rhnrtmMr rang the captains voice Imperatively l i 0 m Slowly the Islander turned and made his way to the sea after the others The wotnnn thus left alone upon tho Island was face to face with a crisis which could only be met in two ways Either she must go away with the man or they must both remain on the island It was possible that the captain might be Induced to use force to take the man away but that was not likely and It It were attempted she believed with much foundation for her belief that the man who had never been coerced by a human being except her would light until he died Sho could not go away with him she could not live with him on tho Island A future opened before him She had learned that afternoon on tho sand that If his Identity could bo established estab-lished he would be a man of great wealth a power a factor In the worlds affairs She had had her experience ex-perience In life her taste of power It did not matter about her It mattered greatly about him She hat given him a nnal chance lie did not love her as she would ho loved lIe could not lovo her It was evident to her that ho never would SIll had nothing to live for nothing to hope for nothing to dream about There was one way of cutting tho Gordlan knot sho could die And yet somehow tho Instinct of life wan strong in her heart She crossed the Island to nor side whore sIlO was hidden from the ship and went down to the edge of the water wa-ter Sho oven slipped off tho garments of civilization and stood forth a primitive primi-tive Eve and waded out a little way into tho lagoon Tho night had fallen and sjio was calm In the screen of tho darkness She could oaclly swim out to the barrier reef clamber upon It and then pluiigo Into tho blue Pacific nnd swim on and on and light and light until the last vestige of her strength was gone and then sink down leaving him free and settling tho question And yet the waters lap f 1 ping about her foot held her back drove her back retarded her In her advance Could she do It Should she do It At least sho would not glvo up tho idea for want of trying Sho resolute Iy set herself to wade Into tho deeper i deep-er sea That sho waded was ovl deice of her Indecision Under other circumstances or had sho been clear I 111 her mind na to her course a quick riot a spring a splash and she would invo been in the midst of tho lagoon She went slowly and as the water grew deeper she went moro slowly It was warm and pleasant In the lagoon la-goon The slight difference ol tem icraturo between tho water and tho air ordinarily was only stimulating1 And yet tho sea had novel seemed so cold to her as It was In that hour By and by she stopped tho wa tore now up to her breast Tho wind blew gently toward tho land and ho waves struck her softly and beat her back She stopped dead still and bought and thought wrestling with her problem full of h passionate disappointment disap-pointment vain regret despair conscious con-scious that life held nothing for her and yet clinging to It f unknowing what would bo tho outcome of the Titanic struggle raging In hor breast between primal passions lovo of life and lovo ot man I CHAPTER XX The Repentance That Came Too Late For tho first time In his life tho man of tho Island played tho coward Ho was afraid to bo alono Tho others tho odlccrs of the ship that Is not Langford ho had gone back to his own yacht declining tho captains Invitation In-vitation to dinner would have respected re-spected the Islanders mood and havo left him to himself but It was evident evi-dent that he craved their society Whlttakor and the old chaplain suspected sus-pected how It would be with him but they knew that sooner or later he would havo to retire to rest arid sooner soon-er or later ho would bo alone And then his grief was so obvious that In accordance with a natural and commendable tendency they strove to cheer him up They encouraged him to ask questions They told him many things In reply that the woman could not have told him that he had half dimly suspected but had not known They cleared up to him many things which had Deemed mysterious and strange to him And on their part they marveled at p the things ho did know at the thoroughness thor-oughness with which ho hat been taught and at tho Wonderful acuteness acute-ness of perception which he displayed Tho woman had marveled at It too hut sho had become used to It In three years of Intimacy They saw It Immediately Im-mediately with greater surprise A spare cabin In tho wardroom had been arranged for the Islander and there provided with the unwonted luxury lux-ury of night wear after a hearty Goodnight from the lieutenant commander com-mander and a fervent God bless you from tho old chaplain ho was loft to his own devices The strangeness of his situation tho soft bed tho snowy linen the silk pajamas tho confining con-fining area of the cabin tho sudden touch with luxuries of civilization would In Itself have kept him awake had ho been as heart whole and as care free as when the woman had landed upon the Island But Indeed the strangeness of these things aroused no emotions In his mind at all for the moment ho was alone his thoughts which he had been fightinG desperately to keep upon other things reverted to her What was she doing for the first time alono upon that Island Is-land What was sho thinking Ha realized that no moro than he could she be sleeping Unflinchingly he reviewed with what calmness he could muster tho scenes of the morning and the day Ho forced himself to consider In all Its lights and bearings the Information Informa-tion that had been given to him Ho tortured himself by the deliberate slow recalling of every detail and then quivering as If I under the stimulus stimu-lus of some blow upon a raw wound ho reviewed his own conduct Enllghtt cnment came to him in that dark and silent hour Ho discovered first of all that he loved her that tho check and countercheck and variation and alteration alter-ation In his emotions had been swept away in n great development ot n moro transcending feeling If shun should ask him that question on tho morrow as to whether he loved her ns ho had on that nevertobeforgot ten night ho would still answer no because ho loved her more TO BE CONTINUED |