The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1902-12-04
CHAPTER XX-Contlnued.


tain at being kept waiting, all COM
bined to keep away any chance or
reading my letter. anxious as | was to
do So
IT'S no use waiting, captain" said
the superintendent, as he hobbled up
the pier. CDR. Moore says the nurse
is out in the Enclosure and has not
been seen since o'clock this morn
ing. Tell the authorities | sent you
off, and, if she is found she can go
tomorrow, on with the next boatload. y
Come, Charley, jump on board;
they are just starting"
81 don't think I'll CO." replied Char
ley.
Not go. not go," exclaimed tho
old man full of establishment. Il
thought everybody was so anxious to
go away, and here. in the very first
boatload. there are two missing
come. jump aboard"
mo: I'll wait till the next"
perhaps you will not be allowed
to go by that" said the Ancient Mari
ner. with an ominous shake of his
head.
"Tll chance it." was the only reply;
and with that Charley strolled back
toward the police quarters.
Then amid halfhearted cheers from
the crowd the boat moved slowly
away. and we, sick at heart, stood
watching her until she became indis-
tingushable amid the incoming steam
ers. Then we turned each to our sew
eral homes. they to discuss among
themselves the altered aspect OF af-
fairs. and to read the letter which,
like a boys first sovereign, was burn
ing in my pocket. At the end or the
pier the superintendent was waiting
for me.
"This is a strange business, doctor.
She couldn't have got out. and yet she
isn't in the Enclosure. Where can she
be?"
81 am sure | don't know; spirite /
away, perhaps" | replied laughing.
you may laugh, doctor but moth
ing would astonish me about that wo-
man; she comes down here as a COM
mon nurse, and yet she corresponds
with member of the government.
Why. I've sent the letters off myself.
Then she manages the doctor, the
grave diggers, the patients, and every
body in that Enclosure, as she likes;
and | don't much wonder, for when
she has sent for me sometimes to ask
for things over the fence, why, bless
your heart, she does as she likes with
me. | wonder where she is?" he add
ed, after pause.
Il don't know, but | suppose she
will turn up" l replied, anxious be-
yond measure to get away and read
my letter.
Once out of sight of the people,
some of whom | knew had seen the
letter passed to me, | hurried out of
the path into the scrub, and sitting
down, pulled the bulky envelope from
my pocket. 1t contained three separ-
ate documents. The first was an or
der on the government to pay to me
the salary-forty pounds-due to her
for services rendered; the second was
an order on the bank with a check
Cloth signed and witnessed) for fifty
pounds deposited there; and the third
was the letter that was to explain all.
Though written in bold, firm hand,
| experienced the greatest difficulty in
deciphering the words. The throb-
bling of my heart and brain made my
eyes unequal to their duties; the
words were blurred and ran together
At length, after many efforts, | read
as follows:
Dear Doctor Rigby-You will find
inclosed the documents | promised to
send you; please do with them as |
asked You will, | fear, have some
difficulty in making Warren take the
money, but when he learns that I
have no further use for it he will, l
believe, no longer hesitate. | have
told him that in the event of his want
ing a friend in the future, you will
do what you can. In this l am sure
/ am not making a mistake.
''Now, there is only one thing left TO
do, and that is to wish you goodbye.
| have been a thorn in your side; |
have done you great injuries; there
is no hope for you while | live. There
fore. have decided to take the only
course open to me. That is, to open
the door myself, and let myself out
of a world that has been for me any
thing but a success. You must not
praise me or blame me for this, nor
think it wicked or cowardly, kind or
heroic. Believe me. it is neither.
am sick of life; and even if | had not
your happiness to think of l should.
think. have taken the same course;
and as far as its being wicked from
my point of view it is the exact re-
verse. Wickedress means something
opposed to what you used to call the
divine and kindly order of things, and
l have found myself opposed to this
kindly order surely the best thing for
myself and everybody concerned is
to take myself out of the way. For
days past | have thought of you as
you We're when you came to see Ar
thur. Wf1l you think of me in the fu,