The newspaper., 1909-09-10

Then it's the sun. Yet you ought
to keep up there where the air is
freshest. I'll make you a shade"
She protested. and withdrew. some
what hurriedly, to her tree.
In the morning Blake was gone
again: but instead of note. beside
skin converted into a great bamboo
ribbed sunshade.
She spent the day as usual on the
headland. There was no wind. and the
sun was scorching hot. But with her
big sunshade to protect her from the
direct rays. the heat was at least en-
durable. She even found energy to work
at basket which she was attempting
to weave out OF long. coarse grass; yet
there were frequent intervals when
her hands sank idle in her lap. and she
gazed away over the shimmering
CLASSY expanse of the ocean.
In the afternoon the heat became
oppressiyely sultry. and long slow
swell began TO roll shoreward from
beyond the distant horizon. showing
no trace OF white along its oily crests
until they broke over the coral reefs.
There was not a breath of air stirring.
and for a time the reefs so checked
the rollers that they lacked force to
drive on in and break upon the beach.
Steadily. however. the swell grew
heavier. though not so much as a cats
paw RULED the dead surfaces OF the
watery hillocks. BY sunset they were
rolling high over both lines OF reefs
and racing shoreward TO break upon
the beach and the cliff foot in furious
surf. The still air reverberated with
the booming OF the breakers. Yet the
girl. inland bred and IMMERSED in
weather lore. sat needless and indif-
ferent. her eyes. fixed upon the hori-
zon in a vacant stare.
Her reverie was at last disturbed by
the peculiar behavior of the seafowl.
Those in the air circied around in a
manner strange to her. while their
mates on the lodges waddied restlessly
about over and between their nests.
There was a shriller note than usual
In their discordant clamor.
Yet even when she gave heed TO the
birds. the girl failed to realize their
alarm or TO sense the impending dan
ger. II was only that a feeling OF dis
quiet had broken the spell of her rev
erie: II did not obtrude upon the field
OF her conscious thought. She sighed
and rose 20 return to the cleft. idly
wondering that the air should seem
more sultry than at midday. The
peculiar appearance OF the sun and the
western sky meant nothing more to
her than an odd effect OF color and
light She smllingly compared IL with
an attempt at a sunset painted by an
artist friend OF the impressionist
school
Neither winthrope nor Blake was in
sight when she reached the baobab.
and neither appeared. though she de-
layed supper until dark. 1t was quite
possible that they had eaten before her
return and had gone OF again. the
Engl shman TO doze and Blake on an
evening hunt.
Al last. tired OF waiting. she covered
the fire and retired into her tree-cave.
The air in the cleft was still more
sitting than on the headland. She
paused. with her hand upraised to
close the swinging door. She had
propped II open when she came out in
the morning After a moments hesi-
tation. she went on across the hollow.
leaving the door wide open.
Il will rest a little. and close IL
later" she sighed. She was feeling
weary and depressed.
An hour passed. An ominous still
ness lay upon the cleft. Even the
cicadas had hushed their shrill note.
Tho only sound was a mufied re-
verberating echo OF the surf roaring
upon the seashore. Beneath the giant
spread of the baobab all was black
ness.
Something moved in a bush little
way down the cleft. A crouching
figure appeared. dimly outlined in the
starlight. The figure crept stealthily
across into the denser night OF the bao-
bah The darkness closed about II like
q shroud.
A binding flash of light pierced the
blackness. The figure halted and
crouched lower. though the flash had
gone again in fraction of a second.
A dull rumbling mingled with the
ceaseless boom of the surf.
A second flash lighted the cleft with
its dazzling coruscation. This time the
creeping figure did not halt.
Again and again the forked light
ming streaked across the sky, every
stroke more vivid than the one before.
I