The times., 1899-08-20

not Dreah, sne answered, In the same
| weary voice, 1T does not rain any more.
and we will have the moon
glance around told him that she spoke
truly. There was less pressure to the wind
and the seas rose and fell. sweeping pas,
them like moving hills OF oil. Moonlight,
shining through thinning clouds. family IL
lumined her face, and he saw the express
sionless WEAKNESS of her voice in it. and
sad, dreamy look in her grey eyes.
How did you get the dingey down,
| Freda p he asked. and why did no one
come with your -
Father was asleep, and the mate was in
competent l had my revolver and they
backed the yards for me and threw the
dingey over. l had loosened the gripes as
you went aloft. thought you would fall.
Still-no one would come.
And you came alone he said, in a
broken voice, ''and pulled this boat to wind
ward in this sea. You are wonder
Il saw you catch the life buoy. Why did
you fall? You were cautioned.
Il forgot the foot-rope. | was thinking
OF you"
"You are like the mate. He forgot the
foot-rope, all day, because he was thinking
of me. / should have gone aloft and seized
il myself"
There was no reproof or sarcasm in the
tired voice. She had simply made an asser-
ton.
why are you at sea-before the mast
| a man of your talents"
1t was foolish, he knew; but the word
man" sent thrill through him.
ITO please you, if l may-to cultivate
what you did not find in met
Yes, / knew-when you came on board,
I knew it. But you might have spoken to
me-" s.as. ..s,,l4 1-ss
There was petuIance in the tone now. and
the soul of the man rejoiced. The woman
| in her was asserting itself
! Miss Folsom he answered, warmly, i
could not. You had made it impossible.
1t was your rght-your duty, If you wished
it. But you ignored my, existence.
II was testing you. l am glad now, Mr..
Owen s-
The petulance was gone, but there was
something chilling in this answer
"Can you see the Ship he asked, after
a moments silence. The moonlight Is
stronger. 5s
I'VE will not reach her. They have
squared away. The mate had the deck and
father is asleep
"And left you in an open boat" he an
swered, angrily. 0 ~
"He knew / was with you"
What was irrelevant in this explanation
of the mates conduct escaped him at the
time The full moon had emerged from be-
hind the racing clouds. and 1t lit up her
face, fringed by the tangled hair and yellow
! SOU -westar TO an unearthly beauty that he
had never seen before He wondered at It,
| and for moment a grsly thought crossed
his mind that this was not life, but death
that he had died in the fall, and the girl
had followed in some manner; but the heavy
! marline-spike still hung from his neck, ana
he was surely alive when he had placed ii
there.
/ She was standing eract-hsr 1.-the figure
swaying to the boats motion-and pointing
+, to leeward, while the moonlit face was now
| sweetened by the smile of a happy child.
| He stood up, and looked where she pointed.
| but saw nothing, and seated himself, TO look
at her.
"See," she exclaimed gleefully. "They
| have hauled out the spankar and are sheet
| ing home the royal. / will never be mar
ried-I will never be married. He knew /
was with you"
Again he stood up and searched the sea
to leeward. There was nothing in sight
''Unhinged,' he thought, ''by this nights
! trouble Freda'' he said, gently, please
sit down. You may fall overheard"
q am not insane" she said. as though
reading his thoughts; and smiling radiantly
in his face she obeved him.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked
tentatively; "are we in the track of ships
/ NO" she answered, while her face took
on the dreamy look again. We are out OF
| all the tracks. We will not be picked up
/ We are due west from lilo Island. 1 saw ii
at sundown broad on the starboard bow.
| The wind is due south. II you will pull in
the trough of the sea. we can reach it be-
! fore daylight. l am tired-so tired-and
sleepy. VIII you watch out?'
why. certainly; lie down in the stern
sheets and sleep if you can
She curled up in her yellow oil-coat and
| slept through the night, while he pulled
| easily on the oars-not that he had full
| faith in her navigation, but to keep himself
warm. The sea became smoother, and as
| the moon rose higher it attained bright
ness almost equal to that of the sum- casting
over the clear sky deep blue tint that
shaded indefinitely into the contrasting
darkness extending from itself to the hori-
zon. Late in the night he remembered the
danger of sleeping in strong moonlight and
arising softly TO cover her face with his
damp handkerchief, he found her looking
at him.
eve are almost there, John" she said;
wake me when We arrive" and closed her
| eyes. He covered her face, and, marveling
at her words, looked ahead He was within
a half mile of sandy beach which bordered
a wooded island The sea was now like
glass in it's level smoothness. and the air
was warm and fragrant with the smell OF
and pulled TO the beach. AS the boat
grounded, she arose and he helped her
ashore.
The beach shone white under the moon
light, and dotting it were large she'll fish
and moving crabs, which seuttled away from
them. Bordering the beach was forest and
underground with interlaeery of Towering
| vines. A ridge of rocks near by disclosed
caves and hollows, some. filed by the water
of tinkling cascades. Oranges showed in
| the branches of trees, and. cocoa palms lift
ed their heads high in the distance. A
small deer arose. looked at them and lay
down, while a rabbit inspected them from
another direction, and began nibbling.
"An earthly paradise, l should say he
observed. as he hauled the boat up the
beach. PLENTY. of food, and water at any
rate"
at is lilo Island" she answered with the
same dreamy voice. ''It is uninhabited and
never visited
But, surly, Freda. something will come
along and take us off,
"No, If 1 am taken off, i must be mar
ried. of course; aid l will never be mar
ried.'
| if we are rescued?''
| THE mate-Mr Adams. Not YOU John
Owen-not you. l do not like you
/ She was unbalanced, of course; but the
speech panied him immeasurably and he
made no answer. He looked away at the
clean-cut horizon for moment, and when
he looked back she was close to him, with
the infantile smile on her faee-candor and
sanity in her grey eyes. Involuntary he
extended his arms, and she nestled within
them.
you will be married Freda-you will be
married, and to me-" He held her tightly
and kissed her lips and the kiss ended in a