Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1902-03-15

there await you. Come, Deucalion, let
me lead you to the place"
My girl" 1 said, II see I owe you
many thanks for what you have dome
on my poor behalf"
ooh, your thanks!" she said, "you
may keep them. I did not come out
here in the dark and the dangers for
mere thanks, though I knew well
enough there would be little else Of
fered." She plucked at my sleeve.
"Now show me your walking pace, sir.
They will begin to want your counte-
nance in the camp directly, and we
need banker after no too narrow in
quiries for what's along"
So thereon we set, off, Ylga and I,
leaving the lights of the bivouac be-
hind US, and she showed the way,
while I carried my weapons ready to
ward off attacks whether from beasts
or from men. Few words were passed
between us, except those which had
concern with the dangers natural to
the way. Once only did we touch one
another, and that was where a tree
trunk bridged a rivulet of scalding
water which flowed from boil-spring
towards the sea.
Presently, however, we came out
through the trees, and the rcughest
part of our journey was done. We
saw the ship riding to her anchors
inshore mile away, and weird
enough object she was under the
faint starlight. We made our way
to her along the level beaches.
lob was keeping keen watch. We
were challenged the moment we came
within stone or arrow shot, and bid
den to halt and recite our business;
but he was civil enough when he heard
we were those whom he expected.
He called a crew and Stacked out his
anchor-rope till his ship ground
against the single, and then thrust
out his two steering-oars to help us
Chamber aboard.
I turned to Ylga with words of
thanks and farewell. 81 will never
forget what you have done for me this
night; and should the high gods see
fit to bring me back to Atlantis and
power, you shall taste my gratitude"
L 40 uOG VAIN " Ictulh. sIIl
sick of this old life here"
"But you have your place in the city,
and your servants and your wealth,
and Phorenice will not disturb you
from their possession"
"Oh, as for that, I could go back
and be fan-girl tomorrow. But 1 do
not want to go back"
"Let me tell you it is no time for
= gently nurtured lady like yourself
to go forward. I have been viceroy
of Yucatan, Ylga, and know some
what of making a foothold in these
new countries. And that was nothing
compared with what this will BE-. 1
tell you it entails hardships and priva
tions and sufferings which you could
not guess at. Few survive who go to
colonize in the beginning, and those
only of the hardest, and they earn
new scars and new gatherings every
day."
81 do not care; and, besides, I can
share the work. 1 can cook, l can
shoot good arrow, and I can make
garments-yes, though they were cut
from the skins of beasts and had to
be sewn with backbone sinews. Be-
cause you despise fine clothes, and be-
cause you have seen me only decked
out as fan-girl, you think l am use
less. Bah, Deucalion! never let peo-
pie prate to me about your perfec-
tons. You know less about a woman
than boy new from school"
II have learned all I care to know
about one woman, and because of the
memory of her I could not presume to
ask her sister to come with me now"
AYE" she said, bitterly, "kick my
pride. I knew well enough it was
only second place to Nais 1 could get
all the time I was wanting to come.
Yet no one but boor would have
reminded me of it. Gods! and to think
that half the men in Atlantis have
courted me, and now / am arrived at
this!"
az must 60 alone. 1t would have
made me happier to take your esteem
with me. But as it IS, suppose / shall
carry only your hate"
"That is the most humiliating thing
of all; cannot bring myself to hate
you. 1 ought to, I know, after the
brutal way you have scorned me. But
I do not and there is the truth. l
seem to grow the fonder of you, and if
I thought there was way of keeping
you alive and unmutilated here in At
lantis. I do not think 1 should point
out that lob is tired of waiting, and
will probably be off without you" She
flung her arms suddenly about my
neck and kissed me holly on the mouth.
There, that is for good-by, dear. You
see I am reckless. / care not what l
do now, knowing that you cannot de-
spise me more than you have done all
along for my forwardness."
She ran back from me into the edge
of the trees.
"But this is foolishness," said. 81
must take you through the dangers
that lie between here and some gate
of the city, and then come back to the
ship
you need not fear for me. The I'M
happy are always safe. And, besides,
l have way. 1t is my solace to know
that you will remember me now. You
will never forget that kiss"
Fare you well, Ylga," 1 cried. MAY
the high gods keep you entirely in
their holy care"
But no reply came back. She had
gone off into the forest. And so /
turned down to the beach, and FLASHED
into the water, and climbed on board
the ship up the steering-oar. lob
gave the word to haul the anchor and