The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-08-22
EXPERIMENTATION of DELIGHT.

/ After he had satisfied his Curiosity. q
| long consultation was held between
| him and the leader of the captors,
wholly unintelligible to our friends.
| though they knew from the violent
gestures made no good was BODIED
| them.
Briefly told, at its conclusion three
| of the savages seized Robert Perley
and led him to huge cocoanut-tree.
where he was compelled to stand up
right against its trunk.
Charlie and Jack were then placed
| one on each side of him, when three
spearsmen with their rude weapons
were stationed a short distance of,
ready to send the instruments through
their bodies.
The doomed men looked in vain for
mercy from the swarthy visages before
them, and their lips moved in prayer.
At this critical juncture sharp cry
| was uttered, and looking up, the
whites saw the beautiful maiden rush.
| ing towards them.
She did not pause until she reached
their side. when she placed herself in
front of Robert, and waved her hand
| frantically to the spearsmen.
| The old chief came forward with an
angry frown, and ordered her to stand
aside, but with flashing eyes she met
him unfiinchingly.
"Warana no warrior to kill helpless
whiteface,'' she cried. in broken Eng
| lish. s'See, they like Star Singer
much! She not let Warana kill"
Maddened by her defiance, the chief
commanded his followers to take her
away.
Her shapely foot stamped the ground
| impetuously, as she cried:
warrior, touch Star Singer and she
kill quicki See, she 90 if white-faces
| dol'' and the defiant maid held sharp,
Misunderstanding weapon over her
| own heart. ssShe no more sing for
| Waranar'
Evidently the chief did not care to
lose her, for he hesitated in his designs.
! 1t is doubtful if the heroic girl could
| have rescued the captive sailors, but
she had saved their lives by delaying
| the execution.
! Wild shouts rung ON the air, and
| body of the s'Waverley's" crew rushed
into the valley.
Panic seized the frightened natives,
and the whites won bloodless victory.
"The captain thought you were in
| trouble and sent US to you"
| s'And with this brave girl you have
saved our liyes,n said the young mate,
warmly grasping his brother officers
| hand.
| The wonder of the seamen at behold
| ing the fair timid maid, can be we'll
| imagined.
lyon must go with us" said Robert.
| clasping her hand.
| She trembled violently, and her gaze
| hardly left the sight of the terrified
natives, huddled together in a group
not far off, but, without word, she
yielded, seeming to feel that she was a
| captive.
| 1t was many days before she mingled
freely with her new-found friends, and
| even then, at times, the old spirit Of
uneasiness stole over her.
In that time Robert and Charlie
Weston learned to love her dearly, and
the sometime friends felt gulf widen
| ing between them.
Finally the mate could bear the sus-
pense no longer, and he resolved to
| know his fate.
As vet, she had allowed no one to
| touch the locket she wore, but guarded
it with anxiety.
| AS Robert told the story of his love,
| however, he pleaded again that he
| might examine it, when, at last, she
| consented.
Pressing a spring, it flew open, dis
| closing the portraits of a man and
| women.
AS his gaze met the pictures, the
mate uttered cry OF surprise and al
most dropped the locket-
| my father and mothert he ex-
claimed. ''Can it be possible you are
my sister, who was lost at sea, twelve
wears ago in the ship jason bound for
the Sandwich Islands? She never was
| heard of after passing the Horn, and
we never knew where she was lost, but
here is clue"
Writing in therer' said the girl,
and taking the locket from his hand she
pressed out one of the miniatures, and
there lay bit of paper yellowed with
age. which she handed to Robert. he
read aloud:
| "The wearer of this is Captain Osgood Per
| ley's daughter. She and have been cast away
| upon this island from the ship Jason. Inc
| natives have doomed me to die. pray who
ever may find her will bear her to her parents,
1880 "JABEz PERLEY."
cit is truer' cried the mate. ''My
sister! my long-lost sisterr' And he
clasped the surprised maid in his arms.
| Charlie appeared upon the scene with
| looks of amazement.
Congratulate me, old boyp cried
| Robert, excitedly. 81 have found my
sister, the lost Minnie. that we have
mourned so many years-who was left
behind when father and mother went to
| the Sandwich Islands. fourteen years
ago; but when she was four years old
Uncle Jabez took her on his whaling
ship bound for Behring's Straits, de-
signing to leave her with our parents
in the Sandwich Islands, where father
then was English consul. The ship
never was heard from after she passed
the Horn; but here is the sad proof
that she was lost" And he handed
the paper to Charlie, who, reading it,
/ exclaimed
Then / have sweetheartr'
Need we attempt to describe the hap
piness that followed?
The .sWaverly'' reached port in
safety, and soon after, father and
mother, who had mourned their daugh-
ter as dead for twelve years, were over.
| joyed to have her restored to them;
while to her it seemed like a strange,
sweet dream.
Two years later Charlie Weston and
the fair Minnie Perley were married.
Robert Perley is now happy hus-
band aud father rs well as thriving
| merchant in the old town of Plymouth