Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-01-11

She could not repress q shuddcr. The
sailor wanted TO tell her that he would
defend her against q host Of savages
If he were endowed with many lives,
but he was perforce tongued tied. He
even reviled himself for having spo-
ken, but she saw the anguish in his
face, and her woman's heart acknowl-
edged him as her protector, her shield
"Mr jerks" she said simply, 1--WE
are in Gods hands. l 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
II you cannot preserve me from threat
ening perils no man could for you are
as brave and gallant 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 accumulation of one who
knew 1t to be mere disguise. The
man was so taken aback by her dec
laration Of faith that the minor Incl
dent, though it did not escape him, was
smothered in tumult of feeling.
He could not trust himself to speak.
He rose hastily and seized the ak to
deliver n murderous assault upon a
sage palm that stood close at hand.
Iris was the first to recover a degree
Of self possession. For moment she
had barred her soul. With reaction
came a sensitive shrinking. Her deli
cate nature disapproved these sentl
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 it for?' she in
guired when the sturdy trunk creaked
and fell.
jerks felt better now.
This is a change of diet" he ex-
planned. mo; we don't boil the leaves
or nibble the bark. When l split this
palm open you will find that the in
terror is full of pith. l will cut it out
! for you, and then it will be your task
to knead it with water after well wash
| ing it. pick out all the fiber and finally
permit the water to evaporate. In
couple of days the residuum will be-
come a white powder which, when
boiled, is sago'
Good gracious" said Iris
"The story sounds unconvincing. but
I believe | am correct. 1t is worth a
trial"
81 should have imagined that sage
grew on stalk like rice or wheat"
"Or Topsy"
She laughed. A difficult situation
had passed without undue effort. Tn
happily the man reopened it. While
using crowbar as a wedge he en-
deavored to put matters on a straight
forward footing.
"A little while ago" he said, you
q seemed to imply that I had assumed
| the name Of jerks"
4 But Miss Deanes confidential mood
had gone. Nothing of the kind" she
said coldly Il think jerks Is an ex-
/ cellent name"
/ She regretted the words even as they
I fell from her lips. The sailor gave a
mighty wrench with the bar. splitting
the log to its clustering leaves.
You are right" he said. st is dis
| tinctive, brief, dogmatic. I cling to it
| passionately."
| Soon afterward, leaving Iris to the
manufacture of sage. he went to the
leeward side of the island. a search for
| turtles being his ostensible object.
! When the trees hid him he quickened
! his pace and turned to the left in or
] = . Ia ,.I-n
/ the tin with a skull and crossbones
To his surprise he hit upon the rem
nants of a roadway-that is, a line
through the wood where there were no
bore traces of humanity in the shape
of wrinkled and widowed pair Of
Chinese boots, wooden sandal, even
the decayed remains of a 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. a quarry, out of the side of the
hill. Roughly circular in shape. it had
n diameter of perhaps hundred feet,
and at its deepest part. toward the
cliff it ran to a 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
riety, grew in profusion down the
steep slopes wherever seeds could find
precarious nurture until a point was
reached about ten or eleven feet from
the bottom. There all vegetation ceas-
ed as if forbidden TO cross Il magic
circle.
Below this belt the place was charnel
house. The bones of men and animals
mingled in weird confusion. Most were
Us ssessikss<.--A-a..
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