The Virginia enterprise., 1895-03-01

ion of so much beauty
He remembered that day now. Ender-
by. the passenger from Sydney. and he
were walking the poop; his wife was
asleep III a deck-chair OH the other side
An open book lay in her lap. As the
two men passed and repassed her, the
one noted that the other would glance
in undisguised and honest admiration at
the figure i'll the chair. And Enderby,
who was open as the day, had said to
him tLangton) that the sleeDing Mrs.
Langton made a beautiful figure.
The sail stirred. filled out and then
orooped again, and the two specters. with
the sleeping woman between, still sat
with their hungry eyes gazing over to-
waru the land. AS the sun sank the
outlines of the verlure-clad submits and
beetling cliffs became enshrouded in tene-
brOuS night.
Another hour, and Il faint sigh came
from the ragged mat. Enderlv, forever
on the watch. had first seen a white
hand silhouetted against the blackness
OF the covering. and knew that she was
Stlll alive. And as he was about to call
Langton. who lay in the stern sheets
muttering in hideous dreams, he heard
the Woman's voice calling him.
Ihank God. You are alive, Mrs. Lang
ton. Shall I wake Capt. Langton? VIZ
must be nearing the land"
NO. don't. Let him sleep. But I
called You. Mr.. Enderby, to lift me up.
l want to see where the rain is coming
FROM" =
81, ,Enlerby groaned in anguish of spirit.
"Rain? God has forgotten us. I-''
and then he stopped in shame at betray-
ing ms weakness before il woman. With
hot tears of mingled weakness and pity
courslng down his cheeks he raised her
up: P.::,,-, ;.
why, there it is. Mr.. Enderby-and
the land as well! And it's heavy squall.
TOO. and she pointed to moving, inky
mass that half concealed the black shad-
ow of the island. Quick. take my mat:
one end Of it will hold water.'
Enderby pressed the woman's hand to
his lips and kissed it again and again,
Then with eager hands he took the mat
from her. and staggering forward to the
BOWS, stretched the sound end across
and bellicd it down. And then the NOV
ing mass that was once black, and was
brought them life and joy.
Langton, with an empty beef-tin in his
hand, stumbled over his wfe's figure,
plunged the vessel into the water and
drank again and again.
turse you, you brute!" shouted En-
derby through the wild noise of the hiss
ing rain. Where is your wife? Are
you going to let her die there without a
drink!''
l. ,nst0n answered not, but drank once
more: Then Enderby, with an oath, tore
the tin from his hand, filled it and took
1T to her. holding her ND while she drank
And as her eyes looked gratefully into his
while he placed her tenderly back in the
stern sheets, the madness of moment
overpowered him, and he kissed her on
the lips.
('nnrppnn1
mat. Langton took no regard of Enderby
as he opened the little locker pulled out
4 coarse dungaree jumper and wrapped
y around the thinly clad and drenched
figure of the woman
She was weeping now. partly from the
JOY Of knOying that she was not to die of
the agonies of thirst in an open boat in
m4-faclhc and partly because the water
had given her strength to remember that
Langton had cursed her when he had
stumbled over her to get at the water in
the mat
She had married him because of his
handsome face and dashing manner Her
lCeal of a happy life was to have her hus-
band leave the sea and buy an estate
either in Tahiti or Chilli. She knew both
countries We'll: the first was her birth
place, and between there and Valparaiso
ana sydney her money -grubbing old faith
er had traded for years
Mrs. Langton cared for her husband
i'll prosaic sort of way: but she knew
no more of his inner nature and latent
utter Selhshness 4 year after her mar
rage than she had known year before.
Yet, because Of the strain of dark blood
in her veins-her mother was a Tahitian
half-cast-she felt the mastery of his
savage resolution in the face of danger
in the thirteenth day of horror that had
elapsed since the brigantine crashed on an
uncharted reef between Pitcairn and
Ducie islands, and the other boat had
OF the provisions and water. e.
But that savage curse still sounded in
her ears, and unconsciOusly made her
think of Enderby, who had always ever
since the eighth day in the boat, given
her half his share of. water. Little did
she know the agony it cost him the
day before. when the water had given
!owance. And as she drank the mans
heart had beaten with dull sense of pity,
the while his baser nature called out.
.Fool! It is his place, not yours, to suf
At daylight the boat was close in to
the land, and Langton, in his cool. cynic-
al fashion, told his wife and Enderby
TO- ;1 hnis9 sfa up the iast of the meat and bis
through the lagoon he said, ''they would
never want any more" He had eaten
all he wanted unknown to the Others,
and looked with an unmoved face at En-
derby soaking some biscuit in the tin for
his wife. Then, with the ragged sail Aut-
tering to the wind, Iaangton headed the
boat through the passage into the CLASSY
waters of the lagoon, and two t0ttering
men. leading the woman between them,
sought the shelter of n thicket scrub.
lmpenctrable to the rays of the sun and
slept. 49,
And then for week Endcrby went
and secured the reefs for food for her.
One day at noon Enderby awoke Tile
woman still slept heavily, the first sign
of returning strength showing as u faint
tinge, in the pallor Of her cheek. Lang
ton was gone. A sudden chill passed
over him-had Langton taken the boat
and left them to die on lonely Ducie ?
With hasty steps Enderby hurried to, the
beach. The boat was there, safe. And
at the farther end of the beach he saw
Langton, sitting on the sand, eating.
T. Selfish brutev' muttercd Enderby. I
wonder what he's got?'' Just then he
saw. close overhead, huge, ripe pan
danus, and picking up a heavy, fiat piece
OF coral, he tried to ascend the tripli-
Gated hole Of the tree and hammer off
some of the fruit. Langton looked up
at him and showed his white teeth in a
mocking smile at the futile effort. En-
derby walked over to him, stone in hand.
He was not a vindictive man, but he had
grown to hate Langton fercely during
the past week for his selfish neglect Of