Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-12-22

tQe cave furGner. Inere was abSO-
lutely nothing else to be seen. Disap-
pointed vaguely, although she had ex-
pected nothing and had gotten more,
indeed, than she might have imagined
if she had thought about it, she laid
the book and box down upon the ledge
and went out again. She walked along
the sands until she came to the place
where she had landed the day be-
fore. The tide was low. She could
see the wreck of her boat, partly on
the barrier reef and partly in the
water. It would have been no trick
for her to swim to it in the stiffness,
yet she lesitated to attempt it. Ger
tainly weighted down by all her cloth
ing it was matter of difficulty and
Inconvenience. If it were not for this
man by her side! She tried to think
of some way to restrain him, keep him
away, but nothing occurred to her. In
vention was paralyzed by the situation
In which she found herself.
Desperately bidding him stay where
he was, she went back to the cave.
She was face to face with a crisis
which had to be met. Indeed, the
question of clothes was becoming q
very serious one with her and sne
knew she should have to decide upon
some course of action Immediately.
For the present, she took off her gar
ments, hoping and praying in SILVER
of dread and anxiety, that he would
remain where she had left him, which
indeed proved the fact She laid aside
all that she had worn except the
blouse and skirt, including her sadly
worn shoes and stockings Thus light
~ clad she came out 90 the sand again.
He did not notice any change in her
condition. AS matter of fact she
gave him no time, for she flashed
across the sand at full speed and
plunged boldly intoythe smiling water
of the lagoon. He followed her in
stantly and swan by her side with
scarcely any exertion whatever.
It was not long before she reached
the barrier reef. It stood up foot or
two above the water now, the tide be.
ing low, and she clambered upon it
The sharp rocks cut her naked and
tender feet, unused to such exertions
and untitled to such demands, but she
persevered. The boat had been beaten
to pieces. It had been forced ovel
the reef by the hurl of the sea. The
stern had been wedged in between
some projecting rocks. The rest of II
had been torn away and had faller
into the lagoon. There was no wind
the sea was unruffled. She could see
as II through a glass the wrecked re
mains Of the boat. There was nothing
in it except the battered motor, use
less for days before she landed, since
her supply of gasoline had been ex
hausted. Everything else had beer
washed out of it and carried into thu
deeper recesses of the lagoon where
they were inaccessible to the human
vision.
Stopl Under what remained of (,
piece OF thwart she caught little
CLEAN Of metal. Calculating the dis
lance nicely, she plunged in and dove
Keeping her eyes open she easil,
found the piece of metal, dislodged j
from the place where it had fallen ant
came to the surface with it. 1t was /,
sailors sheath knife with a bit o
lanyard fastened to it. She had had :
fancy to wear it in her sailors blous.
and she had missed it since she hat
come ashore.
But there was nothing else in tn,
boat, not thing; nothing on the bar
1siots Y6nf. hr f,,ia 70 o@a
away where it had been wedged, bu
found that impossible. She tugged a
it valiantly, but could not move it. II
despair she turned to the man wht
had watched silently as usual ant
pointed. He seemed to understand
for he came and with great effor
lifted the torn part of the boat from
the rocks and laid it down at her feet
She threw 1t into the water, where, O
course, as it was wood, it floatet
easily. Then, with nod to him sht
plunged in and together they guided
it to the shore, he taking his cut
. from her action.
She had fancy to test his strength
and she managed to convey to him b.
signs. mainly by trying herself in vail
to pull 1t apart, what she wished hin
to do. The impossible to her wa
child's play to him, and in a momen
the several pieces of the boat whicl
made up the stern were scattered OF
the beach. There was one straigh
piece which went across the ster,
of the boat and made a little box TO
the coxswain to sit In, which woul,
do for shovel. 1t was too wide, blu
she broke it against big stone ant
was possessed of what she wanted
The ends were rough and serrated ant
unfit for her hands, but these sh,
smoothed by the aid of her knife. Sh,
sharpened the other end and soon hal
rude semblance Of shovel. She in
tended to use that on the boat on tn,
sand the next day.
Finished with this, she looked a
the man and sighed in despair. Coult
she ever get rid of him? Instant,
there flashed into her mind tina
which she had before overlooked as o
no moment. "A long, heavy boat rope
the boats painter, she had noticed
when she dove lay floating by the
side Of the boat from which 1t had mo-
been severed An idea came to her
Dropping the shovel and followed by
her satellite, shefphmged in once more
and again swan to the boat. Wasting
no time, she dove as before, found the
rope and having previously opened
her knife. cut it'duickly and came tc
the surface gasping.
There were perhaps 10 or 10 feet
of it. It was stout piece of rope, OF
unusual quality, as had been every
thing on board the yacht. The very
best Of stuff had gone into 1t AID she
did not believe any man on earth
could break it. She had amused her
self on the cruise by learning the rudi
ments Of seamanship and she could tie
knots like any sailor. This little &C
comphshment was to stand her in
good stead. She wrapped the rope
around her neck, plunged in the la.
COON for the. third time, and swan