Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-05-27
. 6heWings Of the
MA By LOUIS
I'd TRACY
~ 10 Copyright 1903 by
Edward J.

are IN GOdS hanuS- / put my trust in
him and in you. 1 am hopeful-nay
more. confident. / thank you for what
you have done, for all that you will do
If you cannot preserve me from threat
ening perils no man could, for you are
as brave and gallant a gentleman as
lives on the earth today"
Now. the strange feature of this ex.
traordinary and unexpected outburst
OF pent up emotion was that the girl
pronounced his name with the slightly
emphasized accentuation Of one who
knew it to be a mere disguise. The
man was so taken aback by her dec
laraticn OF faith that the minor Incl
dent, though it did not escape him. was
smOthered In a tumult of feeling.
He could not trust himself To speak.
He rose hastily and seized the ak TO
deliver a murderous assault upon a
sage palm that stood close ut hand.
Iris was the first to recover a degree
Of self possession. For a moment she
had barred her soul. With reaction
came a sensitive shrinking. Her deli
cate nature disapproved these senti-
mental displays. She wanted TO box
her own ears.
With innate tact she took a keen in
terest in the telling OF the tree.
What do you want II fOr?" she in
quired when the sturdy trunk creaked
and fell
jerks felt better now
This is a change Of diet" he ex-
planned. NO; we don't boil the leaves
or nibble the bark When 1 split this
palm open you viii find that the in
terror is full Of pith. l will cut II out
for you. and then IL will be your task
to knead it with water after we'll wash
ing IL. pick out all the flber and finally
permit the water to evaporate. In q
couple OF days the residuum will be
come a white powder. which. when
boiled. is sage"
Good gracious" said Iris.
The story sounds unconvincing. but
1 believe 1 am correct. II is worth n
trial"
Il should have imagined that sago
grew on a stalk like rice or wheat"
cor Topsy"
She laughed. 4 difficult situation
had passed without undue effort. Tn
happily the man reopened IT, While
using a crowhar as a wedge he en-
deavored to put matters on a straight-
forward footing.
a little while ago" ne said. you
seemed 20 imply that had assumed
the name Of jerks"
But Miss Deane's confidential mood
had gone. Nothing a. the kind" she
said coldly Il think jerks is an ex-
cellent name"
She regretted the words even as they
fell from hc- lips. The sailor gave a
mighty wrench with the bar. splitting
the log 70 it's clustering leaves.
You are right" he said. 1t Is dis
tinctive, brief. dogmatic I cling to IL
passionately"
Soon afterwa-d. leaving Iris to the
manufacture 81 sago. lee went 10 the
leeward side Of the island. "a search for
turtles being his osrcnsiblc object
When the trees hid him hc quickened
his pace and turned 10 the let in or
der 10 explore the cavity marked on
the tin with "a sSuu and crosshones.
To his surprise le hit unon the rem
iNftAtN- RA "a Afl'.fs WHY NAiII U.s.. IINR
through the wood where there were M
wen grown trees. where the grouna
bore traces or humanity i'm the shape
OF a wrinkled and widowed pair of
Chinese boots. wooden sandal. even
the dccayed remains Of palki. or lit
ter
At last he reached the edge OF the
pit and the sight that met his eyes
held him spellbound
The labor OF many hands had torn a
chasm. quarry. out Of the side Of the
hill Roughly circular in shape. il had
q diameter of perhaps a hundred feet.
and at its deepest part, toward the
cliff. IL ran 10 depth Of forty feet.
On the lower side. where the sailor
stood. it descended rapidly FOR some
fifteen feet.
Grasses. shrubs, plants of every va
riey, grew In profusion down the
steep slopes wherever seeds could find
precarious nurture until Il point was
reached about ten or eleven feet from
the bottom. There all vegetat ton ceas-
ed. as If forbidden 10 cross magic
circle.
Below this belt the place was a charnel
house. The bones OF men and animals
mingled in weird confusion. Most were