People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-11-08


felt grateful to him for his with
drawaL The mere proximity of him
think, during the night would have
been intolerable. 1t would be other.
wise, felt in an open boat. Asso-
citation would be rendered endurable
by sheer necessity, but here was q
broad area OF land with hills to stanS
between him and Jenny, and |
seemed to find an honesty in his con-
duct, adelicacy Of feeling that spoke
well Tor his heart. Shame, repug-
nance, Jealousy, dislike seized upon
me as watched his retreating fig.
ure. His conduct made me feel a
bitter wrongdoer, and | was sensible
OF SHINING heavily against this man
by my headlong, fiery assertions of
my claims upon the woman who be-
lore God and the world was his and
not mine.
went to the boat and brought
away food enough to serve as a meal
for Jenny and me. She INQUIRED
about the man, and l told her how
he had Jailed to find the spring; how
he had represented to me the folly
OF leaving the island without a good
stock OF water; how he had gone
away round the point yonder to sleep
in the place he had been used to oc.
cupy since his captivity.
'Our passing another night on the
island, said, matters little. We
are together, al all events" | added,
and she pressed her lips to my fore
head as said this, saying, "Yes. we
are together. What did it matter
then where we we're? Indeed, had |
been alone-that is to say, had | not
fallen in with this Captain Harness
| should not have thought OF leaving
the island in the face of the south
western sky, supposing of course
that l mad delayed our departure
until this hour. The great sun hung
close over the horizons rusty,
dim, blood-red disk, rayless amid
the smoky thunder.shadow that
clothed the sky there, with a few
dull lines of furnished brass, as it
were, shaking under him for a wake
upon the slowly heaving folds Of the
ocean. The character OF the swell
seemed to show a weight OF wind
away down southwest. Already
there was a small roaring Of surf
trembling through the quiet atmos.
phere from the other side OF the
island. But in the creek the water
was as quicksilver flushed with the
red of the sunset. and beyond it the
ocean, Gained by the land. hoated in
gentle undulations, every FURNISHED
brow as it went rejecting with a
sulky sort Of flash the stormy, sullen
light IN the west.
l spread the sail as before in the
cave, but it was past o'clock, as |
might guess by glance at the few
stars that shone more like smears of
radiance than orbs Of light in the
mistiness, before Jenny lay down to
sleep. She had expressed no un-
easiness as to Captain Harness The
thought OF his being on the other
side OF the island satisfied her, but
my mind was much too misgiving TO
suffer me to rest / feigned that the
threat OF dirty weather rendered me
uneasy about the boat. and that |
meant to keep an eve upon
her until | had satisfied nv
self as to what lay behind
the lightning had been sparkling
wildly down in the southwest ever
since the darkness.
But will you sleep, my dearest"
| said; 1--WE may be in the heart of
the wide sea tomorrow night, and
sound rest will prepare you for the
discomforts and hardships of the
open boat"
To and fro l walked like a senti-
mel, reasoning hard against my ap-
prehensions, yet all the while look
ing to right and left as | paced, as
though at any moment l might wit.
ness Harness form stealing toward
me. Meanwhile the storm was
sulkily growing its way from south
east to northward as | had expected.
A few drops fell of the edge of the
cloud whose utmost pinion was over
head. The surf was noisy on the
other side Of the island, but here it
slipped up and down the cleaning
coral slope In soothing, simmering
and seething sound.
TO BE COyTINTTFD