The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-08-29
Constable had met the eyes Of til
L E v IN G T o N

Constable had met the eyes OF tine
daughter, and found no hope there. tle
had taken his uncle. apart and charged
him to labor for the cause Of fight.
Ursula" the planter began gravely, adj
dressing Mrs. Stansbury, Peter has ask
ed us to spend few days with him m
the Caribbean, on board the Madame.
confess that / don't like the way Pelee
is acting, and the heat is telling on US
all. The prospect Of refreshing breath
Of the Trades Is mighty pleasant one to
me. Doesn't it sound 80 to your
"As specialist in volcanoes, should
think Mr.. Constable would find It Inn
possible to leave at such time" the
elder woman answered smoothly. THE
mountain needs his doctor more than ever
now"
II have not yet attained unto such q
scientific passion that can forget my
friends entirely" Constable said earnestly.
For my part" the girl FASTENED to
say, "Mr. Constable's invitation is Inn
mensely alluring."
Mrs. Stansbury's eyelids contracted
ever so little, and she fingered upon the
words of her ultimatum, as if there were
a tang of pleasure in the utterance. The
Panther arrives day after tomorrow
morning, with the New York mail.
would not under any condition think OF
leaving Saint Pierre before receiving Mr..
Stansbury's letters"
Constable stared at the face of the
daughter He read there terror OF the
mountain, and pity for himself. he arose,
not daring to trust himself to speak again.
Breen found him in his room a few min
utes later.
"Peter," he said softly, has it ever
occurred to you that the map OF Europe
and the history of France might greatly
have been altered if our beloved Joseph
inc had been gifted with will like thatY
CHAPTER Nv.
In the Rue de Rivoli there was little
stone fruit shop. The street was short,
narrow, crooked and i'll paved-a cleft in
Saint Pierre's terrace work. Just across
from the vault-like entrance to the shop,
the white, SCARED cliff arose to another
flight of the city. Between the shop and
the living rooms behind there was little
court, shaded by mango-trees. Dwarfed
banana shrubs fourished in the shade OF
the mangoes, and singing birds were Gag
ed in the lower foliage. Since the sun
could find no entrance, the shop was dark
as cave, and as cool. One window,
If an aperture like the clean wound OF
a thirteen-inch gun could be called a win
dow, opened to the north; and from 1t,
by the grace of crook in the Rue de
Rivoli, might be seen the mighty caliber-
ed cone of Pelee.
Pere Rabeaut's fruit was very good,
and some of it was very cheap. The ser
vice was much as you made it, for If you
were known you were permitted to help
yourself. In this world there was no
one Of station too lofty to go to Pierre
Rabeaut's; you would meet no one there
to whom it was not privilege to say
"Bon jour-"
Come and see my Birds" the crafty
Rabeaut would say, II he approved of
you.
.Where do you live?" you might ask,
being a stranger.
I'm the coolest howell OF Saint Pierre"
was the invariable answer.
And presently, If you were truly alive,
you would find yourself in the little stone
shop, listening to the birds. In due
course Soronia would appear in the shad-
owy doorway and it would seem that the
bird songs were hushed as she crossed the
court.
II the little stone shop were transplant
ed In New York, artists would find it
and have difficulty in getting in and out,
for the crowd O. nights. Thither Con-
stable and Breen made their way on this
burning morning which Mrs. Stansbury
darkened with her decision. The pair sat
down in the cherished GOODNESS, Constable
at the little window, so that he could
look at the mountain.
forty-eight hours, until ths Panther
comes" Constable said.
do you really think Pelee can't hold
out that long?"
Constable shook his head impatiently.
-"Tm not monomaniac-at least, not vet.
Breen," he said, and his voice suggested
the world of pent savagery in his brain.
1.-THE ways Of volcanoes are past the pre-
visions Of men. do not say that Pelee
will blow his head off this week, or this
millennium. / say I'm afraid for this
girl. say there are vaults of explo-
sives in that monster, the smallest Of
which could make this city look like
leper's corpse upon the beach. l say
that the internal fires are burning high
that they are already lingering the vital
cap that Pelee sprung leak last night,
and that the same force which lifted this
cheerful archipelago from the depths Of
the sea Is pressing against the leak at
this instant. l say that Veshvius warned
before he broke; that Krakatoa warned
and then struck that down the ages these
safety valves scattered over the face Of
earth have trembled before giving way.
Pelee is trembling now, and there 10
woman here whose safety important
to me. She is two miles away this mo-
ment, and am AZ powerless as man in
= street fight, with his lady's arms about
him. What shall dot"
Peter. there y . short cut" Breen
said
Tell me !" Constable urged.
Are you jealous and strong souled? 7"