Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-10-22

A Female Robinson CrusOe.

.Scribner's has wonderfully romantic
story of an occurrence which happened
on the Santa Barbara islands, cluster
off the California coast, which,
in the fifteenth century, were densely
peopled by superior race, described
as white, with light hair and rudy
cheeks, the women with fine forms,
beautiful eyes and modest demeanor,
who dressed in petticoats and capes of
sealskin, embroidered with pearl and
small pink shells. But in time the in
habitants mysteriously melted away,
and in 1885 schooner was sent to bring
the remnant to the main land. After
the ship had sailed, it was found that a
child had been left behind, the mother
supposing it to have been carried aboard
by an old sailor. She frantically i'm
plored the captain to return, but, a
storm threatening, he refused. She
became desperate. and jumping over
board swan for the shore. No attempt
was made to rescue her, and the captain
of the schooner, although promising to
visit the island and take her off, never
did so, his vessel shortly after being
destroyed in a storm. There being no
other sea craft on that coast, and no one
caring to attempt passage of seventy
miles in an open boat, the event faded
out of interest and finally out of memory
until fifteen years afterward, when,
under promise of 5000, the island was
visited and searched, but with no re-
suits. The attempt, however, revi, ed the
story and three years afterward captain
and crew of otter hunters, walking along
the beach in Zone of those limpid
nights of which California knegs" sew.
on the lonely. shore the print of q
slender naked foot. Search was begun,
and after a several days march a
dangerous climb brought Brown, the
captain, to spot where there were fresh
footprints, which he followed up the
cliffs anil they were lost in the thic ok
moss. Then his eyes caught q small
object long way off on the hills. 1t
appeared like crow at first glance, but
advancing steadily he found it was the
head OF woman barely visible above
the low-woven brash sides of her
roofless retreat in she bushes. Her
complexion was much fairer than the
ordinary Indian, and she had regular
features, and thick brown lair, which
fell about her shoulders in tangled
mat. She was talking to herself and
watching with alarm Browns compan-
ions on the plat below. When he
stepped forward and spoke to her she
ran few steps, thea, controlling her
self, stopped and answered him in an
unknown tongue. She was dressed in
tunic-shaped garment made of birds
plumage, low in the neck, sleeveless,
and reaching to the ankle. She greeted
them all with simple dignity, and
set about preparing food for them.
They made her understand by signs
that she was to 60 with them, and
she gladly did so. By signs she, on
on her part. told her history. She had
never found her child, which was
probably destroyed by the wild dogs of
the island. She made fire by rubbing
sticks together, and for eighteen years
had kept it slight like a vestal
flame, and had lived on roots, fish,
seals blubber and shell-fsh. Her
return to the combining and unhealthful
conditions of civilization after her free
outdoor life soon killed her. The
story. Of which this is only q brief
sketch, is wonderfully fascinating from
beginning to end.