The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-08-11

" seferai ieaVes he returned with n
iurtner supply. Iris was now sittino
up. The sun had burst royalty throrch
the clouds, and her chilled limh, no.
gaining some degree of warmth ava
elasticity. "Ao
What Is it," she repeated ofter on.
other delicious draft.
The leaf Of the pitcher plant, M.
ture Is not always cruel. In an nm
usuall generous mood she devised +h,a
method Of storing water"
MISS Deane reached out her hand
o more. Her troubled brain ref,sad
TO wonder Mt such.a reply from nm ordi.
nary seaman. The sailor deliherotalv
spilieu the contents of a remaining leaf
on the sand.
NO. madam" he said, with an odd
mixture of Difference and frmness N
more ut present. I must first procure
you some food"
She looked up ut him in moman+orv
silence.
1.-THE ship is lost?" she said oftor q
pause.
"Yes, madam"
"Are We the only people sayed2"
II fear So"
lis this a desert island?"
Il think not, madam. IT NAV nv
chance be temporarily u%ninhabited. but
nshermen from China come to all these
places. have seen no other living be-
lngs except ourselves. Nevertheless
me may live on the south
side."
1T surely cannot be possible that the
Sirdar has gone to pieces-a mapnif-
cent vessel Of her size and strenpthY"
He answered quietly: ut is too true.
madam. suppose you hardly knew
she struck. 1t happened so suddenly.
Afterward, fortunately for you, you
were unconscious"
SLOW do you know?" she INQUIRED
quickly. A food of vivid recollection
was pouring in upon her.
"1-er-well, l happened to be near
you. madam, when the ship broke up,
and w~e-er-drifted ashore together"
She rose and faced him. II remem-
Der now" she cried Historically. you
caught me as l was thrown into the
corridor. We fell into the sea when
the vessel turned over. You have saved
my life. Were it not for you l could
not possibly have escaped"
She gaZed at him more earnestly. see-
ing that he blushed beneath the crust
Of salt and sand that covered his face.
why" she went on. with growing ex-
element, you are the steward 1 no.
dced IN the saloon yesterday. How
Is 1t that you are now dressed as a
sailor?'
He answered READILY enough. "There
was an accident on board during the
gale, madam. l am Il fair sailor, but
Q poor steward, so l applied for a
transfer. AS the crew was short hand
ed. my offer was accepted"
Iris was now looking at him %intently.
"You saved my life" she repeated
slowly. 1t seemed that this obvious
fact needed to be indelibly established
In her mind. Indeed the girl was over
wrought by all that she had gone
through. Only by degrees were her
thoughts m%arshaling themselves with
lucid conference. AS yet she recalled so
many dramatic incidents that they
failed to assume due proportion.
But quickly there came memories Of
Captain Boss, of Sir John lnd Lady
Tozer. Of the doctor, her maid, the
hundred and one individualities of her
pleasant life aboard ship. Could it be
that they We're all dead? The notion
was monstrous. But its CHASTITY signif-
icance was instantly borne in upon her
by the plight in which she stood. Her
eyes.
KS 1t really true that all the ships
company except ourselves are lost?"
she brokenly demanded.
The sailors gravely earnest glance
fell before hers. ".Unhappily there is
no room for doubt" he said.
"Are you quite, quite sureY'
II am sure-of some" ~lnvoluntarily
he turned seaward.
She understood him. She sank to her
knees, covered her face,with her hands
and broke into a passion of weeping.
With a look Of infinite pity he stopped
and would have touched her shoulder.
but he suddenly restrained the I'm
pulse. Something had hardened this
Fssnan. It cost him an effort to be cal
BUS, but he succeeded. His mouth
III ghtened. and his expression lost its
|OQ tenderness.
cS "Come. come, my dear lady," he ex-
Attained, and there was a tinge Of stud
C1ed roughness III his voice, you must
otalm yourself. 1t is the fortune Of
Ihipwreck as well as Of war, you
know. We are alive and must look
liter ourselves. Those who have gone