The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-08-25

ness.
When he recovered, the girls left
arm was around his neck. For one
bllssful instant he nestled there con-
tentedly. He looked into her eyes and
saw that she was crying. A gust Of
anger rose within him that he should
be the cause of those tears.
He tried to rise.
"Oh! Are you better?" Her lips
quivered pitifully.
Yes. What happened? Did 1 faint?"
Drink this"
She held a cup to his mouth, and he
obediently strove to swallow the con-
tents. 1t was champagne. After the
hrst spasm of terror and when the ap-
phcation Of water to his face failed to
restore consciousness Iris had knocked
the head off the bottle of champagne.
lie quickly revived. Nature had only
given him a warning that he was over
drawing his resources. He was deep
~ Inundated. He did not conceive the
truth, that only a strong nan could
do all that he had done and live. For
thlrty-siX hours he had not slept. Dur
ing part of the time he fought with
wilder beasts than they knew at Ephe-
sus. The long exposure to the sun, the
mental strain Of his foreboding that
the charming girl whose life depended
upon him might be exposed to even
worse dangers than any yet encounter
ed, the physical labor he had under
gone, the irksome restraint he strove to
place upon his conduct and utterances
all these things eliminated in utter
relaxation when the water touched his
heated skin.
How could you brighten me so?" de-
manded Iris Historically. "You must
have felt that you were working too
hard. You made me rest. Why didn't
you rest yourself"
He looked at her wistfully. This col
lapse must not happen again for her
sake. These two said more with eyes
than lips. She withdrew her arm. Her
face and neck crimsoned.
Good gracious!' she cried. 'The
ham is ruined!'
1t was burnt black. She prepared a
fresh supply. When it was ready
jerks was himself again. They ate in
silence and shared the remains of the
bottle. A smile illumined his tired
face.
Iris was watchful. She had never
in her life cooked even a potato or
boiled al egg. The ham was her first
attempt.
"My cooking muses. your" she de-
manded suspiciously.
1T gratiies every sense" he MUIR
INJURED. There is but one thing need
full to complete my happiness"
"And that is"
Permission to smoke"
"Smoke what?"
He produced a steel box tightly
closed and a pipe.
"Your pockets are absolute Shops"
said the girl, delighted that his temper
had improved. "What other stores do
you carry about with you"
He lit his pipe and solemnly gave an
inventory Of his worldly goods. Be-
yond the items she had previously seen
AC COulO Ouly cuulucIdIc u SllFcI OOl-
lar, a very soiled and crumpled hand
kerchief and a bit Of tin. A box Of
Norwegian matches he threw away as
useless, but Iris recovered them.
you never know what purpose they
may serve" she said. In after days a
weird significance was attached to this
simple phrase.
"Why do you carry about a bit Of
TIM" she went on.
II found it here, Miss Deane," he
answered.
Luckily she interpreted "here'' as
applying to the cave.
Let me see it. May L"
He handed it to her. She could make
nothing Of it, SO together they puzzled
over it. The sailor rubbed it with a
mixture Of kerosene and sand. Then
figures and letters inc a sort Of dia-
gram were revealed. At last they be-
came decipherable. BY exercising pa
tient ingenuity some one had indented
the metal with a sharp punch until the
marks assumed this aspect: