The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1899-08-03
mates-I'd lay down my life Tor our

lou IOOllSn, ODStlhdtO w.
angry with you, but | want you 10
learn. How can the books be wrong!
Il didn't say the books, and rom
retained Pearls hand loviDglJ III MS
II said the book We've only TWO.
Give them to me, please, Queen Pearl.
Well, then mates. this Is now II Is
Here's the two books and tney lon
agree. Which do We like best? THIS?
He held out the Primer. or TINS!
He held out Cinderella" Whlch Is
the best book of the two. and whlca Is
the book to go by? Who holds UP MS
hand for Cinderella?
Every hand was held up.
And who" continued Tom, prov
ing himself a rare logician, holds up
his hand for the Primer, as Queen
Pearl calls it?"
Not a hand was raised. lom
chuckled. 1t was evidently a matter
which he had pondered over deeply.
well. then" he said, look ar the
first letter in Cinderella What is 1t!
o. And the next? n. And the next!
C. And the next? E. There you are
then. Once, once. Once upon
time That's how it is. The man that
wrote this Primer made a mistake.
And the man that wrote cinderella
is the man to go by, and here's three
cheers for him."
Tom raised his voice Justify, and
they all joined in. Even |. So that
there was no mistake as to the success
of the mutiny But they raised
louder cheer when they heard my
voice, and so discovered lie; and Pearl
herself, rejoiced to see me among my
men again, gave in to Tom, and de-
clared that he was right, and that o
was the first letter in the alphabet.
A few minutes afterward, when l
had shaken hands all round, Pearl,
seated between me and Tom Wren,
read the pretty legend of Cinderella
all through. And that also was a SER
mon as good as any ever preached in
church.
And now I am warned that my story
is in danger of being spun out to too
great length. So let the history of
the next few years be told in almost as
few lines. Indeed, one day was so like
another, that a record OF them would
be but a repetition of things.
Death came among U.s. One went;
another followed; and another; and
still another. Before long, we counted
the magic number. seven; and at this
we mercifully remained. Our hair
turned gray and white and we all
thought that our bones would be
buried in this island of the South Seas.
We got resigned to this, and cared not
for ourselves. Our only concern was
for Pearl, our fairy, our queen. Year
by year she grew fairer and more
beautiful and more beloved. She kept
us in the right path. Her presence
and sweet influence continually hui
maniZed us. James Bowden had kept
record of the days from the first,
SO that we knew when the Sabbaths
were, and these, as we'll as Christmas,
were religiously and lovingly observed.
So Pearl grew into womanhood, and
Tom Wren still searched for his pump
kin, not finding it until one blessed
day when our Island Queen was seven
teen years of age. He came running
toward us with the air Of wild man,
and swore he had seen ship. We
raced to the hill where our signature
was still burning, and found that he
was right. 1t was a calm and beautiful
day, and there lay the ship that was
to restore us to the world. 1t was
long before we succeeded in making
our signals seen; but when we did, and
saw the boats putting of for us, we
fell upon our knees.
Pearl nestled close to me, tenderly
and anxiously.
You don't forget your PROMISE"
she said, tearfully. II have no one,
daddy. I am alone in the world"
You are my child" I said, as
folded her in my arms, "and you and
| will never part. l could not love a
daughter of my own more dearly than
l love YOU"
Long before this had told my mates
OF the gold Mr.. Druce had left behind
him, and they had decided that half of
1t was mine. and that the other half
should be divided among those that re-
manned.
OF this part Of my story I have little
more to say. Strange as it may sound
to you, it was not without regret we
left the island where we had found cur
Pearl; and the last night we passed
there, in company with our preser yers
was night to be forever remembered
Pearl and / brought away with us
some Of the flowers and earth from TIE
grave of my little Bob.
He would have been a man now
my darling / said TO Pearl, "if he had
lived"
We knelt together by the grave, and
prayed in silence.