The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-10-27

NO. no! A man must be made a
sterner stuff. We have a rteht TO de
1eno ourselves. If need be, I win exer
else tina right. Still, it is horrid. oh
so horrid!"
She could not see the sailors grin
smile. 1t would materially affect hi,
rest for the better were he able Il
Stay every Dyak on the island with ,
single shot. Yet her gentle protes,
pleased him. She could not at thu
same time be callous to human suffer
lug n be Iris. But he declined thu
discussion Of such sentiments.
You were going to say somethin,
wnen a brief disturbance took place.
be inquired.
les. was surprised to find how
hot the ledge has become"
You notice it more because vou ar<
obliged to remain here"
After L pause she SAID:
thlnk understand now WIN W,
were so upset by the loss Of our wa.
yer supply. Before the day ends W.
VIII be in great straits, enduring ago.
MES from thirst!w 20
Let us not meet the devil halfway,
he reJoined. He preferred the unfai,
retort to q confession which could only
foster dismay.
Dut' please, | am thirsty now"
ne moved uneasily. He was onlv for
conscious of the impish weakness com,
mon to all mankind, which crea+oc q
ueslre u of sheer inability to satisfy
II, Already his own throat was parched.
Inc excitement Of the early strnpple
was IN itself enough to engender an
acute thirst. He thought it best f.
neet their absolute needs as far as
possible. "e
Bring the tin cup" he said. Get
III take half u store and use the re.
"ainder when we eat. Try to avoid
breathing through YOU mouth. The
not air quickly affects the palate and
causes an artificial dryness, We can-
not yet be in real need Of water. It is
largely Imagination"
It's needed no second bidding. She
carefully measured out half a Mint If
the unsavory iuid-the dregs of the
casks and the scourings of the ledge.
i will drink first" she cried.
mo, no." he interrupted impatiently.
"Give it to me-"
She pretended to be surprised.
AS a mere matter Of p%oliteness"-
Il am sorry, but l must insist"
She gave him the cup over his shoul-
uer. he placed 1t to his lips and
gulped steadily.
There" he said gruf1y. "I was in a
hurry. The Dyaks may have another
rush at any moment"
Iris looked into the vessel.
"1ou have taken none at ALL" she
said.
"Nonsense!"
"Mr. jerks, be reasonable! You need
1t more than 1. l d-dont want to-liye
w-without-you."
His hands shook somewhat. It was
well there was no call for accurate
shooting just then.
Il assure you I took all | required"
he n Sse'''""
"At least drink your share to please
me- she murmured.
"You wished to humbug me-" he
grumbled. "If you will take the first
half will take the second"
And they settled it that way. The
few mouthfuls Of tepid water gave
them new life. Nevertheless by high
noon thor roro c,,ffor;pr oroiu Tho
time passed very slowly. The sun
rose to the zenith and filled the earth
and air with his ardor. 1t seemed to be
a miracle now appreciated for the
first time in their lives-that the sea
did not dry up and the leaves wither
on the trees. The silence, the deathly
inactivity Of all things, became intol-
cradle. The girl bravely tried to con-
fine her thoughts to the task Of the
hour. She displayed alert watchful-
ness, an instant readiness to war; her
companion of the slightest movement
among the trees or by the rocks to the
northwest, this being the arc Of their
periphery assigned to her.
Looking at a sunlit space from cover
and looking at the same place when
sweltering in the direct rays Of a trop-
ical sun are kindred operations strange
ly diverse in achievement. Iris could
not reconcile the physical sensitiveness
Of the hour with the careless hardi-
hood Of the preceding days. Her eyes
ached somewhat, for she had tilted her
Southwestern to the back Of her head IN
the effort to cool her throbbing tenn
pies. She put up her right hand to
shade the too vivid reflection Of the
glistening sea and was %astounded to
find that in a few minutes the back OF
her hand was scorched. A faint sound
of distant shouting disturbed her pain
full reverie.
"How is it." she asked, "that we feel
the heat so much today? l had hardly
noticed it before"
"For two good reasons-forced 1dle-
ness and radiation from this confound'
l ed rock. Moreover, this Is the hottest
! day we have experienced on the island
! There is not a breath of air, and tne
hot weather has just commenced
! "Don,t YOU think" she said hushlly'