Show dij ai i 44 0 M IT I 1 I 1 BEN ames WILLIAMS F V bea amea AK 5 N W ic e I 1 SYNOPSIS P george mcausland was 38 years old when he sailed from rom america to undertake his post as a missionary in the FIJI stands islands achime A crime he had committed in a fit of excitement had shattered all his confidence in himself he felt forced to avoid pretty mary doncaster who bum boarded the ship at honolulu she was en route to visit her parents who were mis elon lo arlea narles on gilead island mary was attracted by georges attempts t to 0 avoid fel d her one day george acci accidentally derit a lly tell 1 0 overboard ver board mary unhesitatingly unhesitatingly unhesitating lK dove into the sea bea to rescue george w who 0 falls in love with her when the boat approached her home on gilead island they learned that marys parents had both died george volunteered to take charee charge 0 of 1 the mission and asked mary to be a his wife she accepted his clumsy proposal and they left the V ship to live in her tor fos mer home on th the i stand island the ne scanty dr dress al of the natives shocked george at firt first but he toon soon became reconciled to their customs mary discovered that corkran a sailor friend of georges had come there to help george and mary it they needed him their peaceful life was interrupted one day when a ship stopped in the harbor in search of pearls they see the pearl divers attacked and their sc sunk by a gra pirate e ship the pirates head their boat toward we rd the bay near inear their heir village george sends mary inland tor for safety and walks down to the beach alone and defenseless to meet the unwelcome visitors natives carry him back to mary hours later shot through the shoulder natives killed th the pirates that night and net get their boat afire re the boat we was till still burning when the long awaited whaler the arrived CHAPTER VII continued 8 sat together in the big war ar enough george to hear ment he might make or mary said im sorry corr peter I 1 11 he told her im 4 f that he added been mate since your led ed im second and me att aft to take my br dies richard will this was a curious T r to say he seethed seemed at hla his fathers prospective ath aas was merely incidental to richards advancement thinking of tommy she suggested tell me about uncle tom peter hesitated why I 1 did tell you he said after a moment I 1 1 I mean all about it she urged and smiled it if we dont talk well go to sleep peter well it was a bowhead 11 peter reluctantly explained we were on japan this was a lone bull we I 1 r A all lowered but we had a long pull a and no w we e r spread pread out and when he c came ame up to blow it was your uncles a boat oat was nearest the whale was kween between him and me richard off to windard in dard I 1 put for or the whale s did your uncles boat but he pe e by a little Y you ou so nearl near she whis u you do V nt t close enough t to 0 do any peter leter asserted arguing as i himself as with her the shed them and then he king for or more trouble u kill him eyed ayed to pick up the men see that there was any could have done peter hasl it there was he cried 1 I was 00 oo fail ar away she nodded added shivering faintly at something in the man they were t both killed did you get them no they sank he added richard got an iron into him half an hour after killed him richard she spoke her thought not reflecting that he might think her word an implied criticism hes very brave he peter laughed angrily dick brains enough to be afraid when he ought t U he said it if you call that being bravel brave you alwa always Ys thought a lot of she smiled a little 1 I certainly did I 1 of course he never knew I 1 existed but I 1 used to worship him ahlm from a distance he chuckled remember that letter you wrote him when you were a young one her cheeks bur burned ried 1 I write it to himl it meant for him it was lust just an old letter I 1 read in a book a love letter and I 1 thought it was sweet so I 1 copied it you anew perfectly well it meant for richard peter carrl peter touched her hand leaning near her poor eidl you were a great little girl mary you know youve ou ve grown up mighty beautiful lie he leaned back again its at al ways griped me to hear richard read that letter of yours to 19 people and laugh about it I 1 know it any joke to youl she whispered in a sort of terror does he read it to people he chuckled oh yes he be kept it hes got it now somewhere probe proba bly a she rose hurriedly blindly y ing so he would not know her hurt ill see how george Is the she said and took the lamp and went other ether roon room 1 i 1 george was asleep but she ithoc booc beside him for or a while deeply shaken wishing to be alone it seemed incredible that richard could coul d have hav made a lest jest of her letter some ol at the absurd phrases s which once hat hai seemed to her so beautiful returned to torment her 1 I have ventured ti it disclose my erces sive passion oh do a not a t slight takht a passion si it 6 ardent T the lie tyrant lovel level s she he was hot with shame the lei ter was 1 11 tilly illy she knew that abw now but it had teemed to hei bet then like a wonderful poem f CHAPTER VIII she did not el bleed bleep beep that night sitting by georges bed she had time to put all these n new ew things in order in her mind uncle tom dead cap tain corr ill dying perhaps dead even now peter with that vein of malicious humor in him still that trick of teasing her in ways that hurt peter was uncomfortable about her uncles death as though he felt some doubts of his own conduct on that occasion tommy hated him that was clear tommy blamed him but tommy was young his emotions likely to overrule his judgment probably peter deserved no blame at all but mary thought most of all of richard somewhere outside the bay in the probably watching his father die just as she watched beside george here she would see him in the morning and she was at once eager and uneasy remembering that letter of 0 which he had made a jest she had found it in a book called the complete le letter writer it was headed A young man seeks the acquaintance of a lady be loves love she had thought it beautiful had bad copied it using richards name and her own in a sort of make believe never meaning it to be seen by anyone and in school next day she was reading it secretly behind the screen of her geography when peter reached over her shoulder and snatched it away after school was out she begged peter to give the letter back to her but he refused insisting that he would deliver it to richard tor for whom it was intended mary prayed him not to and secretly hoped he I 1 poor milt you were a great little girl mary would maybe richard would read it and come to her and take her in his ar armal but next day peter brought her richards scrawled answer dear mary dont be a little tool fool walt wait till you grow up dick she had cried then and hated hirn him yet except for that cruel note he had always been in a gruff shy way nice to her she was glad she would see eee him in the morning the captains cabin on the was on the starboard side opening off the common room aft into which the companionway descended sc ed while mary kept her vigil bend shore ashore richard corr tat sal there all that night watching his father die it was clear to richard that no medicines now could help his father yet when he heard the boat alongside he went to the toot foot of the companion to meet ephraim doncaster but only mat forbes descended mr Don casters dead mr corr he said and so is mrs doncaster your brother sent word their daughter mary Is there richard dropped his eyes seemed to consider this but actually he was only conic conscious ious of the tact fact that his father was dying and that mat and every man a board aboard looked to him liow now for or command and leadership hiram orarn minick and isaiah capples carpenter and cocher oldsters who had sailed with captain corr for many a voyage end who loved him bere were here in the common room sharing his vigil standing by and hiram crossed now to look in at the sick man richard asked mat my brother come back nim himself self no he and tommy stayed a ashore s e nr well ell theres nothing could be lone inoway anyway richard decided ira corr spoke isaiah and old hiram heard him and came to the cabin door but captan corr looked ply at his son he asked wheres peter ashore father were at gilad hes hei gone to get help tor for you im past help dick he said be caan by mor morning riling richard had never tied to this old nan ill ID do the best I 1 can then ie said humbly look out tor for peter ill take care of him 1 I mean look out tor for him cap am ain corr repeated in clear warn ng youre mine bu but thes he not dick not my son his hii mother was a wid widow 0 w woman 0 man the old man said she made d me claim him or she marry me I 1 was young wanted a woman any price at oil all and for or all I 1 knew then peterd make a man and a good son tor for me I 1 gave him and you alike always richard Kl chard but youre a man arid and hes not I 1 knew that sure after his first time at sea the sea winnows minnows a man richard blows the chaff away and shows you what he Is underneath it need that business of tom hanline to show me the inwardness of peter I 1 knew before I 1 tooled fooled he said so I 1 cast him out its all in I 1 my will dick lawyer ashburne Ash burns got it at home A dollar to peter that was never mine and the rest to you that was always my own son richards pulse beat choked him captain borrs eyes were closed now but the old man said softly 1 I could always brag about you dick he seemed to smile but h he a did not speak again he did not know when II 11 his father died till isaiah came at last to peer over his shoulder and to say hes gone richard looked down and he saw this was true his father was dead he was captain now he rose he went on deck he saw their position said to mat forbes mr forbes my father is dead keep her off and on ID DO be busy for a while he returned below he went into the cabin and closed the door alone there tender as a woman he shaved his fathers dead face ace and dressed him in seemly garments while he was alone with his father he had considered the problem which the old mans revelation presented presented there had been no chance to as ask 5 captain corr whether peter kne knew w the truth about himself but richard was sure he did not richard even thought peter need never know when they reached new bedford he might go first to lawyer ashburn and arrange for the destruction of the will since he himself would be the only lo loser and then he and peter t er could share alike as legal heirs he fixed on this intention but if the secret were to be kept isaiah and hiram must be warned to silence allence so he told them crisply that they were to forget what they had heard they assented hiram with a word isaiah more volubly george tor for much of the night had been restless and muttering in delirium but toward morning he tell fell so deeply asleep that mary leaned over him to make sure he was still breathing she was sticky hot ho and she thought of the swimming pool that was cool and solitary she took a towel and went down the path the was moving into the bay but there was time to be fresh and clean before richard came ashore she slipped out of her clothes and swam lazily like a seal as often under water as not carambo came seeking her to say the had anchored and a boat was approaching she told him to go meet them and help them land when he was gone she came out of the water she dressed and turned toward the landing place she emerged from the jungle which w aich cloaked the path in time to see richard catch the rope jere jaram momen bo dropped to him and a moment nt later as the whaleboat lifted on the swell he stepped nimbly ashore mary had forgotten how tall richard was how tall and bronzed and dark he carried a gun under his arm and he wore a cap too small tor for him his shirt was open his lean ean hips tight in trousers that seemed too scant for his powerful thighs he came striding up the path and she waited without ma moving V watching the way his feet seemed to grip the ground the swelling muscles above his knees ss as he climbed she thought half smiling how often two people thus drew together without speaking each trying to decide when to call a word of greeting or to lift a hand she said ive had a swim it was so hot he said felt good ill bet she offered him her hand his was hard and heavy and firm she sh a asked s ked for his bis father and he be 8 said aid he died about daylight im sorry 11 he nodded yes he died the sun shone boldly the dingy graceless bluff of bow and stern with draggled dragg drag glod led sails half furled lay to her short anchor in the bay richard said peter sent lent word your folks were dead too you been here all alone have you not alone she ibe said my bus bands with me we took fathers Fat hert and mothers Mother 1 place husband she saw law his pupils widen like a caas cat chos he be I 1 she smiled at the sudden question hes george mcausland a missionary a state of maine inan blain he was wai on the sunset we came cam from honolulu together hes fine like each other he looked around as ai though trying to discover the answer to tome some obscure enigma where it is be he asked wheres Wh erea peter and tommy where are the natives wrong here TO BE |