Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-25

! lOr absence.
II will kill Them" he shouted in anger
| please don't There has been enough of
| death in this place already"
The words Jared on his ears. Then he
| felt that she could only allude to the VIC
| tins OF the wreck
Il was going to say" she explained that
! we must devise a partition There is no
| help for 1t until you construct a sort of
| mousse Candid1y. do not like this hole in
| the rock. 1t is vault, a tomb"
You told me that 1 was in command yet
| you dispute my orders" He strove hard to
| appear brusquely good-humored, indiffer-
! ent, though for one Of his mould he was alb
surdly irritable. The cause was overstrain,
| but that explana ton escaped him.
Quite true. But If sleeping in the cold,
IN dew or rain is bad for me, it must be
| equally bad for you. And without you
| am helpless, you know"
His arms twitched to give her a reassur-
| ing hug. In some respects she was so
childlike; her big blue eyes were SO ingenu-
Gus. He laughed sardonically, and the
harsh note clashed with her frank candor
| Here, at least, she was utterly deceived
/ His changeful moods were Incompetent
| sible.
Il will serve you to the best of my abil-
| 1ty' Miss Deane," he exclaimed. I'VE must
| hope for a speedy rescue, and I am Injured
| to exposure. 1t is otherwise with you. Are
| you ready for the climb?"
Mechanically she picked up a stick at
| her feet. 1t was the sailors wand of m
| Vesugation. He Snatched it from her hands
| and threw it away among the trees
That is a dangerous alpenstock," he
| said. THE wood is unreliable 1t might
| break l will cut you a better one," and
| ne swung the ak against-a tall sapling.
Iris mentally described him as funny"
She followed him in the upward curve of
the ascent, for the grade was not difficult
and the ground smooth enough, the storms
OF years having pulverized the rock and
driven sand into its clefts. The persistent
inroads of the trees had done the rest.
Beyond the flight of birds and the scamper-
! ing of some tiny monkeys overhead, they
did not disturb living creature.
The crest of the hill was tree-covered,
and they could see nothing beyond their
immediate locality until the sailor found a
point higher than the rest, where a rugged
collection of hard basalt and the uprooting
OF some pooh trees provided an open space
elevated above the ridge.
For a short distance the foothold was
precarious. jerks helped the girl in this
part of the climb. His strong, gentle grasp
gave her confidence. She was flushed with
exertion when they stood together on the
summit of this elevated perch. They could
look to every point of the compass except
a small section on the southwest. Here
the trees rose behind them until the brow
of the precipice was reached.
The emergence into a sunlit panorama Of
land and sea, though expected, was pro
stand almost exactly in the center of the
island, which was crescent-shaped. 1t was
no larger than the sailor had estimated
The new slopes now revealed were covered
with verdure down to the very edge of the
water, which, for nearly mile seward
broke over jagged reefs. The sea looked
strangely calm from this height. 1rreg-
ular blue patches on the horizon to south
and east caught the mans first glance.
He unslung the binoculars he still carried
and focused them eagerly.
islands," he cried land big ones, too!'
How oddr' whispered Iris, more con-
surroundings. jerks glanced at her sharp
ly. She was not looking at the Islands, put
at a curious hollow, quarry-ike depres-
sion beneath them to the right, distant
about three hundred yards, and not far
removed from the small plateau containing
the we'll though isolated from it by the
south angle of the main cliff
Here, in a great circle mere WIS
not a vestige of grass. shrub or
tee. nothing save brown rock and
sand At first the sailor deemed II 70
be the dried-Iup bed OF a small lahe;
would be choked with yerdure. The PIT
stared up at them like an ominous eye,
though neither paid further attention TO IL,
for the glorious prospect mapped at theH
feet momentarily swept aside all other con-
s;deratons.
what beautiful placer murmured Iris.
Il wonder what it is calied?'
Limbo.
The word came instantly. The sailors
gaze was again fixed on those distant blue
outlines. Miss Deane was dissatisfied.
''Nonsenser' she exclaimed. I'VE are not
dead yet You must find better name
than that.
We'll, suppose we christen 1t Rainbow
Island"
why Rainbow"
THAT is the English meaning of Iris in
Latin you know"
80 1t is How clever of you to think of
It, Tell me, what is the meaning of Rob
ert' in Creek"
He turned to survey the northwest side
OF the island. II do not know he an
swered. 1T might not be farfetched to
translate 1t as a ships steward;
mental
as a mere light-hearted bubble. 1t an
moved her a young person of much conse-
quence, to have her kindly condescension
repealed.
II suppose So" she agreed: but I have
gone through so much in few hours that
/ am bewildered, apt to forget these nice
distinctions"
Were these two quarreling, or flirting?
jerks was closely examining the reef on
which the Sirdar struck Some square OBJ
jects were visible near the palm tree. The
sun, glinting the waves, rendered 1t
difficult to discern their significance
What do you make of those?' he in
quired. handing the glasses. and blandly
ignoring Miss Deane's petulance. Her
brain was busy with other things while
she twisted the binoculars to suit her
vision. Rainbow Island-Iris-it was nice
conceit But 'meniaf' struck discordant
note. This man was no mental in appear
ance or speech. Why was he so deliberately
rude?
II think they are boxes or packing
cases" she announced.
'sAh, that was my own idea. must visit
that locality
How? Will you swim?"
NO" he said his stern lips relaxing in a
smile, Il will not swim; by the way Miss
Deane. be careful when you are near the
water. The lagoon is swarm,ng with sharks
at present. l feel tolerably assured that at
low tide, when the remnants of the gale
have vanished. VIII be able to walk there
along the reef
Sharks she cried I'm there! What
horrible surprises this speck of land con-
tains! i should not have imagined that
sharks and seals could live together
You are quite right" he explained with
becoming gravity. LAS a rule sharks in
fest only the leeward side of these islands
Just now they are attracted In shoals by
the wreck"
"Ohr' Iris shivered slightly.
1--WE had better go back now. The wind
is keen here, Miss Deane."
She knew that he purposely misunder-
stood her gesture. His attitude conveyed
rebuke. There was no further room for
sentiment IN their present existence; they
had to deal with chill necessities. AS for
the sailor. he was glad that the chance
turn of their conversation enabled him to