Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-11-21
BY LOUIS
TRACY
Copyright. 1908. by
Edward J. Clode

the well?" she inquired after rapid
survey.
"A new pathw The pertinent q,les-
ton staggered him.
Yes, the people who lived here must
have had some sort OF free passage"
He lied easily II have only cleared
away recent growth" he said
"And why did they dig a cave? 1t
surely would be much more simple to
build house from all these trees"
There you puzzle me-" he said
frankly.
They had entered the cavern but q
little way md now came out.
"These empty cartridges are funny.
They suggest n fort, a battle" Wo-
mnnlike. her words were carelessly
chosen, but they were crammed with
inluctive force.
Embarked on the toboggan slope Of
untruth, the sailor slid smoothly down
ward
Events have colored your imagina.
ton, Miss Deane. Even In England
men often preserve such things for fu-
ture use. They can be reloaded"
Yes. have seen keepers do that.
This is different. There is an air Of
There Is lot to be done." broke
IN jerks emphatically. 1--WE must
climb the hill and get back here in
time to light another fire before the
sun goes down. want to prop a can
vas sheet in front Of the cave and try
to devise a lamp"
Must sleep inside?" demanded Iris.
Eyes. Where else?"
There was a pause. mere Whit Of
awkwardness.
II will mount guard outside" went
,on jerks. He was trying to improve
the edge Of the ak by grinding It on a
soft stone.
The girl. went into the cave again.
She was inquisitive, uneasy.
''That arrangement she began, but
ended In sharp cry Of terror The
dispossessed birds had returned during
the sailors absence.
II will kill themv' he shouted in an.
ger.
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
victims Of the wreck.
II was going to say" she explained,
'that we must devise partition.
There is no help for 1t until you con-
struct sort of house. Candidly, / do
not like this hole in the rock. It 10 a
vault, tomb"
''You told me that was in COM
mand. yet you dispute my ORDERS" He
strove hard to appear brusquely good
humored, Indifferent, though for one
of his mold he was absurdly irritable.
The cause was overstrain, but that ex-
PLANTATION escaped him.
"Quite true But II sleeping in the
cold, in dew or rain, is bad for me, it
must be equally bad for you, and with
out you am helpless, you know"
He laughed sardonically, and the
harsh note clashed with her frank
candor. Here ut least she was utterly
deceived. His changeful moods were
incomprehensible.
II will serve you to the best Of my
ability, Miss Deane," he exclaimed.
1--WE must hope for speedy rescue,
and am Injured to exposure. 1t is
otherwise with you. Are you ready for
the climb2"
The crest of the hill was tree covered.
and they could see nothing beyond
their immediate locality until the sailor
found point higher than the rest,
where rugged collection Of hard ba-
salt and the uprooting Of. some poon
trees provided an open space elevated
above the ridge.
For 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 sunlit piano.
rama Of land and sea, though expected,
was profoundly enthralling. They APP
peared to stand almost exactly In the
center Of the island, which was cres-
cent shaped. It was no larger than the
sailor had estimated. The new slopes
now revealed were covered with YER
dure down to the very edge Of the wa
ter, which for nearly mile seaward
broke over jagged reefs. The sea look
ed strangely calm from this height.
Irregular blue patches on the horizon
to south and east caught the mans
first glance. He unslung the binocu-
lars he still carried and focused them
eagerly.
Islands" he cried. land big ones
too!'
How odd! whispered Iris, more
concerned In the scrutiny Of her imlne
date surroundings. jerks glanced at
her sharply. She was not looking al
the islands. but at curious hollow, q
quarry-like depression beneath them to
the right, distant about 900 yards and
not far removed from the small pla-
teau containing the well, though iso-
lated from it by the south angle of the
main cliff.
Here, in great circle, there was mot
q vestige Of grass, shrub or tree, moth
ing save brown rock and sand. At first