The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-04

darted. The girl sprang back, screan-
ing "a scorpion." she cried
Her lover laughed, and aimed a care
less blow with the knotted stick he
carried, but before it could descend a
great stone, loosened perhaps by an
earthquake, went rolling down ana
crushed the creature to atoms.
1t was a trifiing incident, unworthy of
mention, but the girl was strangely
shaken
1T meant to sting you,' she declared
with trembling lips
Even so. sweetheart, he answered
lightly. indulgently. You see the devil
takes care of his own
How can you'll" she protested. the in.
dlgnant color flashing in her face sit
is poor subject for jest. The sting
of the scorpion is death"
know-I know; but Vivien, sweet
heart, am too happy to be serious about
can. When L get you over in England
away from this beastly malaria. you'li
laugh, too. want to show you to
my cousins You will be like a lily
She shivered in the warm air and
drew closer to him.
.it Let e us go back Sct she said abruptly;
it is shaking! Will these awful eartn-
Below them the city of AMER lay in
ito ouiODdIit ISpOSt. In the D1V. the
empty fisher. boats Were anchored. It
was all very beautiful and peaceful.
Look cried the geologist.
Far Far out at sea, thirty miles away, a
the bosom Of Krakatoa.
If heaven was in the heart of Conrad
Dunlaw, hell burned in the bosom Of
Antonio Menzada. the dark-browed Span
lard. In vain the girl assured him that
she could never love him-he would not
be denied; With frenzied jealousy he
watched her growing interest in the
young officer, and warned her, in note
after note, that he would brook no RI
va She She scorn ned to answer, and bade
When she told Conrad. he laughed. as
he laughed at everything.
That very morning Antonio's wo~et
fears had been confirmed. A malicious
servant from the villa told him of VII
vien's betrothal to the Englishman. and
then fled for his life before the demon
he had aroused
There was nothing generous or great
in Antonio at any time, and now mis-
whole being was concentrated upon one
idea-revenge. Antonios stiletto gil err
ed as he let the sunlight fall upon it.
He was the only son of a rich coffee
planter and had never known wish I'M
gratifed. To be foiled in the supreme
desire of his life was more than he could
bear. To tear the girl from her lover
was now his one thought and it possessed
his soul like a devil.
The bearer of evil tidings was gone.
He stood upon the shore alone. A
little boat rocked idly on the waves. He
united it and jumped in. and seized the
oars. A few minutes brought him to
vantage point. whence he might sur
vey the Americans villa. 1t was an old
trick of his. With the aid of a small
glass he singled them out in the little
group upon the veranda. The tea-drink-
ing over. he saw the young couple wan
der away, through the trim garden out
inf fllO iV1Cg fol iop Of
With clenched teeth and muttered curses
he turned the boat towards the shore,
conscious of the keen stilletto by his side
as of living presence.
He had nearly gained the shore. A
few more strokes and he would be with
in reach of vengeance. What was the
matter with his armsi Strive and strain
as he might he could not advance one
inch. His muscles stood out like knotted
iron but their strength was useless now.
Slowly, resistlessly, the boat was drag
ged backward as by an unseen cable.
great Kissing roar became audible,
and looking up at last he saw a long line
of fire rising from. the very bosom OF
the sea and extending even to Krakatoa
itself! The ocean was pouring it's whole
volume into the abysmal fires that yet
were not eXtinguished, and on the crest
of that awful and majestic cataract his
little boat whirled on to doom. The cow
ering wretch sank down and hid his face.
The tremendous roar of the waters
drowned out his frenZied prayers and
curses He strove to make the sign of
the cross in the cold sweat on his brow
In that inferno of waters, his now
senseess body was drowned and crushed.
beaten and burned, into its elemental
atoms.
From the commanding height above
supporting the fainting girl in his arms,
Conrod Dunlow watched with fascinating
horror the scene beow. He saw the fish
ing boats drawn one by one into the
fiery whirlpool and knew not that in
one of them a scorpion lay crushed.
There came mighty roar, universal
crash as of a world in dissolution. The
air grew black around him. He closed
his eyes for one instant, and when he
looked again the city of AMER, with
its $4,000 souls, was gone, and the hungry
WaNas of ocean hallnred of his feet