The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-11-03

their power they would laucb ~ =
promise made to me-" :"
You may be mistaken. They mua+
nave some ense Of fair dealing. Nvan
assuming that such was their ,n+on
tlon. they may depart from q Thar
nave already lost a great MANY NOV
Their chief, having gained his matn
OBJECT, might not be able to nars,,ada
them to take further risks. T will $500
:. part OF the bargain that they frst
supply you with plenty of water. Then
YOU unalded, could keep them at hav
o many days. We lose NOTHING. ~.
a gain a great deal by vor,na
to pacify them"
Iris he gasped, "what ara vo,
saying?" YOU
Inc unexpected sound Of her name
on MS lips almost unnerved her. Rut
no martyr ever went to the stake with
more settled purpose than this nnra
woman, resolved to immediate HERSELF
Tor the sake of the man she loved 10
mad dared all for her, faced deoth ~
many shapes. Now it was her tnrn
Her eyes We're lit with a seraphic fire
her sweet face resigned as that Of an
angel. az
I have thought it out" she MIR.
INJURED, gazing ut him steadily. va+
scarce seeing him. ut is worth trv.
ing as a last expedient. We are aban.
doned by all save the Lord, and it does
not appear to be his holy will to helm
US on earth. We can struggle on here
until we die. Is that right when ono
of us may live?'
Her very candor had BETRAYED bor
q would go away with these mon.
strous captors, endure them, even fat
Ter them. until she and they were far
from the island, and then
sne would kill herself. In her limo.
cence n imagined that self destr,,c.
tlon under such circumstances was a
pardonable ofense. She only pave a
IRE to save a life, and greater love
than this Is not known to God or man.
Inc sailor, in a tempest Of wrath and
WHO emotion, had 1t in his mind to
compel her into reason-to shake her as
one shakes a Maynard child.
He rose to his knees with this hole
FORMED notion in his fevered brain.
then he looked at her, and a mist
seemed to shut her out from his sight
Was she lost to him already? Was all
that had gone before an idle dream of
JOY and grief, a wizards glimpse Of
mirrored happiness and vague perils?
Was Iris, the crystal souled. thrown
to him by the storm dashed wave. to
be snatched away by some Irresistible
and malign influence?
In the mere physical effort to assure
himself that she was still near to him
ne gathered her up in his strong hands.
Yes, she was there, breathing, wonder
ing, palpitating. He folded her closely
to his breast and, yielding to the pas
sionate longings Of his tired heart,
whispered to her:
My darling, do you think l can sur
v1ve your loss? You are life itself to
me. II we have to die, sweet one, let
us die together"
Then Iris flung her arms around his
neck.
Il am quite, quite happy now" she
sobbed brokenly. 81 didn't-imagine-
it would come-this way, butt am
thankful-it has come"
For q little while they yielded to the
glamour Of the divine knowledge that
amid b chaos Of eternity each soul
had found its mate. There was no need
Tor words. Love, tremendous in its
power, unfathomable in its mystery,
had cast its spell over them. They
were CARRIED in light, throned in q pal
ace built by fairy hands. On all sides
squatted the ghouls Of privation, mis-
cry. danger, even grim death; but they
needed not the inferno; they had Gre
ated a paradise in nm earthly hell.
Then Iris withdrew herself from the
mans embrace. She was delightfully."-
shy and timid now.
$50 you really do love me?" she whis-
pered, crimson faced, with shining eyes
and parted lips.
He fondled her hair and gently rub
bed her cheek with his rough fingers.
The sudden sense of ownership Of this
fair woman was enhancing. 1t almost
bewildered him to find Iris nesting
close. clinging to him in utter conf
dence and trust.
"But l knew, l knew" she murmur-
ed. "You betrayed yourself so many
times. You wrote your secret to me,
and, though you did not tell me,
found your dear words IN the sands
and have treasured them next my
heart"
What girlish romance was this? he
held her away gingerly, just so far
that he could look into her eyes.
"Oh, it ID true, quite true" b cried,
drawing the locket from her neck.
Don't you recognize your W hand
writing, or were you not certain, just
then. that you really did love me-"
Dear, dear! How often would she re-
peat that wondrous phrase! Together
they bent over the tiny slips OF paper.
There It was again, II love YOU" twice
blazoned in magic symbols. With
blushing eagerness she told him now,
BY mere accident, Of course, b caught
ueuh< 80 hor owu namo II was not