The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-26
THE SIGN OF THE
 CRIMSON CROSS
BY LEWIS A. wENTwoRTH.

Copyright, l5U3, Dy Ddliy SA'
 fishing Co.)
 The gray head was bowed low over the cards. Curiously the young man watched the delft fingers of the fortune teller.
 The cards had been cut and lay in three piles before her; she paused, gag ing intently at the one card she had taken from the pile on the left; some thing like a sigh escaped her lips; she drew another.
 The young man allowed his eyes to lift, lingering on her face, watching the various expressions that fitted across it as the cards one by one, were slowly, carefully taken from the table, a slight uplifting of the eyebrows, a straight ening of the lips. the shadow of a scowI and mild looks of disgust fol- lowed almost instantly by an express sion of pleasure accompanied by a smile and such smile; 1t set wild fancies surging through his brain. Once more he was a little child in his fathers arms-his memory had, in second s time, spanned the yawning gulf of score of years, now passed-they were standing on the upper deck of a great vessel, below them were kneeling fig ures with upraised arms and faces white with the fear of death; above them a vault of inky darkness which was pierced occasionally by forked tongues of fiery light showing them on every side great mountains of wa ter, white-crested and fierce, rushing down upon them with terrific fury, threat to crush them al any mo- ment. The shrieking and bowling of the wind through the rigging together with the straining of the ships tim bers sounded like the groans and curses
 ,,p rnf above all could be heard the cries and prayers coming from those white lips and still winter faces raised to Heaven.
 A boat a small, white boat, was filled with women and few men and swung quickly out over the vessels side and then down-a vivid flash for moment filled the sky. q mighty wave lowered high above them hung. as 1t were, for a second on it's very crest then. with a giant roar broke down with crash upon the deck. The vessel trembled like a frightened bird keeling far over on its side, then righted itself with a shudder, still trembling, to stagger hopelessly, helplessly on. He had look ed down again, the white faces were gone, the smooth wave-washed deck was bare-on the very summit of an- other mighty wave hung the small white boat. it's keel pointing into the blackness above.
 Another boat was being filled; his fathers arm frightened about him as he slowly made his way toward 1t. The love and trust that shone in his moth er's eyes as she took him from those strong arms he had never forgotten they were going down now. He saw his fathers haggard face looking down upon them. his mothers lips were ut tering a prayer. He recalled the words now. Suddenly she stopped and drew him closer a mighty hand seemed to grasp them, and then"
 will you choose one. sir?'
 He aroused himself with a great eff fort.
 II beg your pardon,' he stam- mered, as one suddenly aroused from sound sleep. Twas thinking of something else.
 A sigh escaped his lips, a quiver pass ed over him. A voice speaking from afar came to him--he recalled the words afterward, as one does a pleasant dream: Her heart Is true; she loves you; go to her before 1t is too late, for see you have quarreled. You may tAIst her as you would your own moth e"
 Mother" The words aroused him from his deep reverie. He shrugged his shoulders to throw off. as 1t were. the heavy feeling that had taken posses sion of him. "Ah. yes" he said, with new interest. But the man-what of him? Tell me more-why did she not eXplain?'
 He was himself now. He had come to hear what the woman would say. She had told him the girl was true. It was what he had wanted to hear and now he doubted 1t; how did she know? He recalled their last meeting Elsies and his, the trivial mark that had aroused his insane jealousy. his nasty accusation and-her silence. Then the parting he in anger. believ- ing-what? He knew not, he had seen nothing, simply surmised. and Der sill he was in the right He had a vague idea. too. that tears glistened in her eyes as she turned away-fool that he ging her forgiveness. But his pride his inordinate pride, deterred him, and now it might be too late.
 Yes; l will tell you of the man choose a card, she said again. holding out handful in the shape of fan. The one he chose did not yield, and he looked up inquirngly to find her eyes wide and staring. fixed upon, his hand
 That mark! she said, in a low husky voice, hardly above whisper; what Is it?"
 "A birth mark" he answered, look ing down at the crimson mark in the shape of a tiny cross on his white, slen- der wrist.