The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-11-20

1t into the bosom of her tunic and
making sure that the combining rope
would keep it from falling out, she
stopped down and gathered the bones
of the human being up in her arms,
repulsive as the task was, and carried
them down to the boat on the beach.
She laid them in the bottom of the
boat carefully and then moved by
sudden impulse, she went back and
gathered up those of the dog which
she put in the boat also. It was an
easy matter to tumble few spadefuls
Of sand over the bones. Then she left
them in that rude Viking sepulture,
knowing that time would soon refill
the empty dinghy and the bones would
be safely buried unless some other in
vestigator should uncover them
The man had assisted her in no way
in this process, but his excitement was
very great. While she stood looking
down at the little heap of sand which
covered all that remained of this for
lorn and forgotten visitor to this is
land, wondering if the fate Of that
trespasser upon these silent shores
would some day be hers, the man sud-
denly dropped on his knees as she had
seen him do on her first night on the
island He put his hands together and
began that mumbled jargon which she
had not been able to understand, but
which had seemed to her more like
language than anything to which he
had given vent She was surprised be-
yond measure, yet she listened with
every faculty on the alert if possible
to comprehend what he had been say
ing, and presently familiar sound or
two flashed into her mind that he
was making use of prayer which she
herself had used in childhood; that,
absurd, fantastic, impossible though
the conclusion was, he was saying the
childish petition, Now l lay me down
to sleep!"
The first impulse Of the woman was
to laugh The next impulse was to
take off the palm leaf hat and stand
with bowed head and clasped hands.
What marvellous miracle was this
that throughout the years which she
could no longer doubt this man had
been alone on the island, there had
survived the one childish habit Of
prayer and that the one vestige Of
language which had remained to him
was the language of petition. She did
| not believe in it, of course. 1t was
absurd to her, but it was none the less
wonderful. 1t filled her with a certain
awe. 1t was as If some power had
maintained hold upon the conscious
ness of this man in this way.
Now l lay me down to sleep!" How
long it had been since she had said
. that? She believed nothing, she cared
! for nothing, but the woman hid her
face in her hands for a moment. She
| clenched her teeth and forced out OF
; her mind that which at that moment
was striving for birth. She was tc
teach this man everything. She was
to make him know life and history
She was to bring him in touch with al
the glories of to-day and she recog
nized In that hour, although she die
not and could not admit it, that per
haps he might teach her something
as well, something that she had no
known or something that she had for
gotten, without the knowledge O
which all her science was a vain, {
foolish, futile thing.
The little prayer was ended. Thu
man rose to his feet She took he
spade and went back to the place
where the bodies had lain and ther'
began carefully to scrape away thu
earth, examining scrupulously ever.
shovelful ere she threw 1t aside. II
one place where the hand had lain
she remembered, her labors were re
warded. She came across two rings,
diamond and plain circlet of gold
These she placed in her tunic will
the collar and continued her digging
! It was growing late and growin
dark, but she left no square inch Q
ground unexplored. She found notf
ing else. The rings belonged to
woman evidently. Her surmise in tina
particular was right. There were n
| OSASA ihOtoi poi 20 VI ACL aPPoiCi tCA
The nails In her shoes, the steel c
her corset had rusted away and LEI
no sign. There was nothing remainin
but the two little baubles pressin
against her own warm flesh.
So intent had she been that the SUI
had gone down before she ceased an
upon the island there descended ths
quick and sudden night of the tropic
The wind had risen, the old ocean wa
laundering on the barrier reef and
heavy sea breeze was shriekin
through the trees. The sky on tn
!, horizon was overloaded and tn
; clouds were rising rapidly. Thei
would be storm, which was develo
ing with tropic rapidity. Quickly st
| retraced her steps along the sar
, toward the cave on the other side, IL
/ man following.
, They had progressed not more ths
half way when the storm bust upc
: them. Peals Of thunder and flash,
I of lightning filled the air. 1t was sue
T. display of the Titanic forces of n
a ture as might have appalled, the stor
\ l.. ill