Show 11 I 1 A I 1 aa 1111 III it I 1 2 wjk 5 i J n iu i isi TI t Q w tj jiin 11 tia M 1 11 w M ts yM iti jk t s 1 1 l in ili merk and a wa on a I 1 rn i in A t aj i W beben AMES WILLIAMS W j BEH amea WILLIMS I 1 w N ta li service SYNOPSIS george mcausland Ausland Me was 38 years old when he sailed from america to undertake his post as at a missionary in the fiji islands A crime he be had committed in a fit ot of excitement had shattered all his confidence in himself lie he felt elt forced to avoid pretty mary doncaster who boarded the ship at honolulu she was e en n route to visit her parents who were missionaries on gilead island mary was attracted by georges attempts to avoid her one day george accidentally fell overboard mary unhesitatingly dove into the sea to rescue george now george had to talk to her his fears were realized when he began to fall fail 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 charge odthe of the mission which had been vacated by their deaths george and mary were married then left the ship to uve live in her former home on the island A ship stopped in the harbor in search of pearls but soon sailed to the other side of the island here it was attacked and sunk by pirates george went to the beach alone to meet the pirates when they approached the village natives carried him back to mary hours later shot through the shoulder in revenge natives attacked and killed the pirates that night the next day the long await ed whaler arrived richard and peter corr were its new captain and first mate CHAPTER VII continued with you so nearl near she whispered ruefully you do anything 1 I close enough to do anything peter asserted arguing as much with himself as with her the whale smashed them and then he s started looking for more trouble did you kill him no I 1 stayed to pick up the men 1 I dont see that there was anything you could have done peter blast it there he cried too tar far away she nodded shivering faintly at something in the man they were both killed did you get them no they sank he added richard got an iron into him hall 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 to he said it if you call that being brave you always thought a lot of richard she smiled a little 1 I certainly did of course he never knew I 1 existed but I 1 used to worship him from a distance he chuckled remember that letter you wrote him when you were a young one her cheeks burned 1 I write it to him it meant for him it was 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 knew perfectly well it meant for richard peter corr peter touched her hand leaning near her poor kid you were a great little girl mary you know youve grown up mighty beautiful he leaned back again its always griped me to hear richard read that letter of yours to people and laugh about it I 1 know it any joke to you she whispered in a sort of terror does he read it to people he chuckled oh yes he kept it hes got it now somewhere probably she rose hurriedly blindly escaping so he would not know her hurt ill see how george is she said ad took the lamp and went to the other room jeorge george was asleep but she stood beside him for a while deeply shaken wishing to be alone it seemed incredible that richard could have made a jest of her letter some of the absurd phrases which once had seemed to her so beautiful returned to torment her 1 I have ventured to disclose my excessive passion oh do not slight a passion so ardent the tyrant love she was hot with shame the letter was silly of course she knew that now but it had seemed to her then like a wonderful poem CHAPTER VIII she did not sleep that night sitting by georges bed she had time to put all these new things in order in her mind uncle tom dead captain corr in 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 which he had made a jest she had found it in a book called the complete letter writer it was headed A young man seeks the acquaintance of a lady he loves she had thought it beautiful had 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 for whom it was intended mary prayed him not to and secretly hoped he would maybe richard would read it and come to her and take her in his arms but next day peter brought her richards scrawled answer dear mary dont be a little fool wait till you grow up dick she had cried then and hated 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 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 while mary kept her vigil ashore richard corr sat 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 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 conscious of the fact that his father was dying and that mat and every man aboard looked to him now for command and leadership hiram minick and isaiah capples carpenter and cooper oldsters who had sailed with captain corr tor for manya many a voyage and who loved him were here in the common room sharing baring his vigil standing by and hiram crossed now to look in at the sick man richard asked mat my brother come back himself no he and tommy stayed ashore well theres nothing could be done anyway richard decided ira corr spoke isaiah and old hiram heard him and came to the cabin door but captain corr looked only at his son he asked wheres ies peter ashore father were at gilead hes gone to get help for you im past help dick he said be caan by morning richard had never lied to this old man ill do the best I 1 can then he said humbly look out tor for peter ill take care of him 1 I mean look out for him captain corr repeated in clear warning youre mine but hes not dick not my son his mother was a widow woman the old man said she made me claim him or she marry me I 1 was young wanted a woman any price at an all and for all I 1 knew then peterd make a man and a good son for me I 1 gave him and you alike always richard but youre a man 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 fooled he said so I 1 cast him out its all in 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 he did not speak again he did not know when 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 went on deck he saw their position said to mat forbes mr forbes my father is dead keep her off and on ill 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 and dressed him in seemly garments while he was alone with his father he had considered the problem which the old mans revelation presented there had been no chance to ask captain corr whether peter knew 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 loser and then he and peter could share alike as legal heirs he fixed on this intention but if We decre cre we re to be kept isaiah chiya to tk si I 1 lahce ence so he told them p crisply that they what e had heard they assented alq sirapi with a word isaiah more vo george gerige for much tf bf the night had been restless and muttering in toward morning he fell so deeply asleep that mary leaned over h him im to make sure he was still br breathing e athing mary emerged from the jungle w which aich cloaked the path in time to see richard ichard catch the rope jaram bo dropped to him a and nd a m oal moment nt later as the whaleboat lifted on the swell he stepped nimbly ashore mary had forgotten how tali rich ard was how tall and bronzed and dark he carried a gun under his arm and he wore a cap too small for him herh his shirt was open his lean hips tight in trousers that seemed too toa scant for his powerful thighs he came striding up the path and she waited without moving watching the way his feet seemed to grip the ground the swelling muscles above his knees as he climbed she thought halt half smi smiling ing how often two people thus poor kid you were a great tittle little girl mary 11 drew together without speaking each trying to decide when to call a word of greeting or to lift a hand of welcome she said ive had bad 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 asked for his father and he said he died about daylight im sorry he nodded yes he died the sun shone boldly the dingy graceless bluff of bow and stern with draggled dragg led sails half furled lay to her short anchor in the bay richard said peter sent word your folks were dead too you been here all alone have you not alone she said my husbands with me we took fathers and mothers place husband she saw his pupils widen like a cats chos he she smiled at the sudden question hes george mcausland a missionary a state of maine man he was on the sunset we came from honolulu together hes fine like each other he looked around as though trying to discover the answer to some obscure enigma where aishe is he he asked wheres peter and tommy where are the natives wrong here mary told him what had happened when she spoke of fritz Aul gurs first coming to hunt pearls richard asked quickly pearls did he find any yes here on this island he frowned at his own thoughts as she went on she told him she and george had half forgotten fritz because there were so many people sick on the island and dying and he asked c atch i ax baatu bac tU biant adhere ed here hes not very well even n now im 5 him she went on on to leuia 0 kofl t the other schooner and ani th tha men a board aboard her kigel Atit gAT AM aad shot george and lowthe islanders surprised bd that schooner in hi the night and clubbed the teen men arid burned her afterward i she saw him more and more alert as she proceeded that wy why hiding now he decided afraid ot of us us too it if we give them a chan chance ce scared and when natives ate are scared you cant gant figure gure ern em he asked mary have you you told peter about the pearls 9 llo I 1 tell hini him muy anything n ay well dont then ihen he hb directed dont tell him or anyone about the pearls the men will be wanting 9 to turn divers if they katow 1 i all tight 1 Is your husband badly hurt 1 I think hell be all right but hes sick too richard richard will you take us home with you his eyes lighted sure now youre sensible you dont bel belong ong here mary how about your bus 1 band will he go he wants to yes he swung to look vigilantly toward the ve at anchor hall half a mile off and she said george amow what happened I 1 mean about the massacre then tommy came down the 10 la 11 t to tell mary that george was adaid and calling her and a moment later peter appeared he saw richard and hesitated and richard said briefly father died about daylight peter well bury him here this morning and pull out this afternoon peter protested the hurry the natives here killed three wh white ite men a couple of days ago traders richard looked at mary warningly and burned their schooner that was the smoke we saw why hiding now it be safe to lie in the bay overnight peter stared at his brother and mary saw his lips white killed them he whispered hoarsely and looked quickly around say are they laying for us he swung toward mary blast it why you tell me im not afraid of them mary explained 1 I never thought of telling you she said 1 I must go to george dont tell him about the killing peter he nodded at the house she went in first she found george in his right mind his fever gone but he demanded at once who was that boy here mary marup that was tommy hanline my cousin dont you remember I 1 told you the is here 1 I dont remember much of anything what happened to themen from the schooner the men who shot me she told him less than the aboa tr tra 0 they took some girls george but gone now 1 I tried to stop them but I 1 man enough where are the people from the please bring them in so she called them into the little room where he lay they seemed to fill it and george on the bed was very small mary said this is richard corr george and peter and my cousin tommy glad youve come george told them weve had trouble here we saw no sign of them when we came in richard assented mary looked at him gratefully george asked wheres your uncle mary uncle tom was killed by a whale months ago george she said and caan corr died last night nigh she looked at richard richa lichaa Ri chaA 1 captain of the now ivy i vy im sorry he spoke apologetically im not in shape to play host im afraid but youre welcome here how long can you stay with us peter and I 1 want to bury my father ashore here mr mcausland he said 1 I thought id see to that first this morning TO BE CONTINUED |