Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-07-12
coPYRleAr. rs o. eY rHE AurAoR


eY THE AoTAoR
trend of thoughts which the words
called up was hideous- hideous- hid
cons Perhaps, after all, he was alive
She passed her hands over her face to
clear her eyes from the mist that danced
before them Her blood ran cold; her
flesh seemed to turn chill; her heart to
have stopped its motion; only her terri
BILE thoughts went whirling, whirling,
whirling onto whatf To the fact that
Edward Conway might be one Of the
survivors of the Arikhamal
She looked down at the paper crushed
upon her knee II daren't read it; l
daren't read it. will put it in the fire
as it is. 1t will be better not to know
Oh. my God, what shall do9" The
survivors of the Arikhamal Where had
they been7 Years had gone byi
"Oh, this is folly-follyi Pull your
self together, Mary Stacey; pull your
self together. Nerve yourself, womanl
Don't be a cowardl Face the worst;
know the worst. and get it over Any
thing is better than suspicious, and the
paper will tell you.
So she took up the paper with nerve-
less, shaking fingers, smoothed it out
and bent her eyes upon it. They refused
their Office. Merciful nature spread a
curtain between her palpitating heart.
her dazed brain and the cruel news
which the printed columns brought.
She could see nothing.
She shook herself together. ''This is
foolish, her heart said. "You are un-
nerved. Mary Stacey. Rub your eyes
hard, and don't be a coward. Read the
notice.
Slowly the printed words appeared
through the mist-the merciful mist
Survivors Of the Arikhama." And
then the paragraph went on to tell this
wondrous tale of the sea. How sailing
brig. under stress Of weather. had found
herself driven upon rocky islet In the
far Pacific 1t was not an unknown is-
land. but an uninhabited one, being too
far out Of the ordinary track Of vessels
and too small and poor in quality Of
land to make it worth while for any one
to settle there. The sailing vessel. find
ing herself driven very near. put in to
renew her stores Of water and. to the
establishment of the captain and crew.
discovered three men and dog In pos
session Of the island. These were the
captain and two Of the crew Of the III
fated steamship Arikhama, who. after
drifting about in an open boat for many
| weeks and suffering unheard of priva-
tions had found themselves tossed upon
this farof strand. which had been t.
them so long living grave.
Captain Conway and the two seamen
were the only three men out Of nine
who had survived the hardships and pri.
vations Of that long and terrible voyage
and the cruel life of isolation which fol
lowed. Then came description Of how
the rescued men had lived. Penguins
eggs. occasional fish and roots Of vsri
Gus kinds had formed their chief susie
nance The whole account ended with
details Of how the three men had weep
like madmen on meeting their rescuers
and the concluding sentences said
"When we tell our readers that Cap
tain Conway had only been married I
few months when he set out on th,
Arikhama's last i'll fated voyage. It vii
easily be understood that his anxiety t,
have news of his wife was overpower
ing. The captain and crew Of the Live
ly Jeanne, however, were not able {,
satisfy him on this point. but they sail
ed the following day for Melbourne. and
Captain Conway will set sail for hom'
Immediately on arrival at that port.
So she knew the worst. and wors
than the worst could not be. So all he
new found happiness had fallen abou
her ears like house Of cards. All wa
at an end,
She sat there. still holding the paper
staring with wild eyes round the luxu
rious room. So her happiness had al
come to an end. Her radiant life wa
over. She who had been for three bless
ed years Alan Stacey's honored and de
voted wife must be outcast-outcast
She repeated the word over and owe
again to herself, as If to try by repeti
ton to din its meaning into her Devil
dered brain. Could 1t be truef Yes
That heading still stared at her. Sur
vivors Of the Arikhama. /" She had rea,
the account There was Edward Con
ways name. It was all true-tco true
And up stairs, i'll and PROSTATE. lay tn
man who had come to be all the worl
to her. the man who had taken her
poor and alone as she was, and mad
her the mistress Of his heart and Of hi
home And he was ignorantl She woul
have to tell him Ito tell him that sh
was not his wife, to tell him that sh
was the wife and not the widow Of tn
man who had bought her with o price
who had outraged her. who had struc
her.
And he had told that story Of how b
had been only few months married t
young wifel She wondered bitterl
whether he had told them that he ha
20 far forgotten his marriage VOWS tina
be had struck 1.-The young wife In thos
early days Of their marriagef Thre
years-three years-three wholly bless
ed years without one sad thought, with
out one harsh word. without one regret
three years Of pure and unalloyed hal
piness Well. she would always hay
that to look back to. Perhaps she ougt
not to grumble or TO be surprised ths
fate had been minded to tring her hal
piness to an end. 1t was like the regi
tration Of sunshine in London. Som
people got little happiness filtered OF
In driblets over long life of great dull
ness. She had had three blessed yeal
Of glory. and now the time would be a
gray, like London fog She had regi
tered three years of sunshine. and. lii
poor London. she must put in the ave
age of mist and fog.
She sat for some little time longe
indeed until John came to clear the t
bis Then. from some woman's ipstin