The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-06
CHAPTER XXI.
The Resurrection

The little island lay quiet ard still
under the rising sun, No football
pressed its bosky glades, beneath the
shadows of its spreading palms no hu
man being sought shelter from the
sun s fierce rays, no words were
figures flashed across its shining
sands. Soundless it lay, save for the
cry of the bird and the rustic of the
gentle wind across its hills. For we'll
nigh thirty years 1t had not been so
abandoned, Two DAYS past it had re-
sounded with the cries of men scaling
its heights, crashing through It's cop
pices, calling a name, beseeching an
answer. Two days before great ships
had drifted idly under its lee it had
been the center and focus of great
events. Now it lay desolate, alone.
On that morning the tide which had
drawn away from it through the long
night had turned aud was coming
back The force Of the water spent
itself upon the barrier. Within the
lagoon 1T lay placid, rising gently, inch
by inch, in mighty overflow A watcher,
had there been one, would have seen
at sunrise the still waters of the la
goon broken by ripple, keen eye
might have noticed at the base of the
cliff where it ran sheer down into the
blue, a dark object moving beneath the
surface. The eye could scarcely have
become aware of its presence before
tho waters parted, A little splash and
head rose, dark crowned, white faced
There was a sidewise wave and shake
Of the head and pair of eyes opened
The blue of the water was Hghtcncd
by flashes of white arms AS the
body rose higher under the impetus of
strokes, vigorous yet graceful. it could
be seen that it was that Of woman,
With ease and grace the figure
swan along the base of the cliff until
it was joined by jutting spit of sand
which widened and widened into n
great strip Of beach that ran around
the island. Upon this sand presently
swimmer a foothold. Progress ceased,
With eyes haggard, yet keenly alert,
the sea, the shore, the beach, the
cliffs, the trees were eagerly searched,
The long glanccs revealed nothing
Then the head was turned and the ear
listened for sounds and heard nothing.
The look of apprehension faded into
one of dull relief,
Walking now, the woman in the
water made her way toward the sand.
Very white she cleaned in the full
warm light streaming from the risen
sun against the background of the
dark, black rock The water dripping
from her eXquisitcly graceful limbs.
she looked very nymph of the sea as
she stepped out at last above the high
tide line and stood poised as II for
flight upon the hard and solid shore.
Again she throw about her that quck,
to listen. Reassured in that she heard
and saw nothing but the bird Is song,
the wind IS sigh, the waves splash, she
ran swiftly toward a blacker opening
in the dark rock. She cleaned winter
still in the entrance for moment
and then disappeared. She came forth
presently still unclothed, look oil
disappointment on her face,
She had many things to do, much to
occupy her mind, but the first duty that
lay to her hand and the first instinct
which she followed was that her naked
ness should be covered,
Still warily watchful, still keenly
alert, still fearful apparently of inter
ruptiou or observation, she ran across
the beach her movement as free, AS
graceful, as rapid as she had been
der the trees. The whirr of birds DIS
turbed might have marked her pass
age.
After some limn she appe ared on the
top OF the high bare bill tEat crowned
the islarl She had inprovised for
herself a covering out OF tLree or Tour
great fern leaves, soft and phable,
which she Fastened with palm hbers
from shoaider :, FEee ON either side.
her bare shoulders rising from the rlch
greeuness like "A white coroIla from ITS
verdant calyX. Sic went rore assured
lv, now, partly because Of the fact that
she was clothed nn3 parity because her
first rapid survey cf ihe horizon re
vcaled the fact thnl the ships were
gone, She was glad that this was so,
and yet, lydea the realization came upon
her. she flung her;elf down on the
grassy crest and gave wa to voiceless
agony. Sometimes ;ncrs is nothing so
terrible. she tealizcl rs prayer. granted,
as desire accomplished, rs undertaking
brought to conclusion. TIL" awfulness
of success was upon her m that hour,
Her ruse had worl5cd Her object had
been attained, set the achievement
gave her no pleasure.
Her own acts had parted her irrev
ocably forever from the world and
the one man in it who was the world
for her lie was gone She who had