The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-30

| whispered the woman in his ear. 81
| think myself III for the wife OF -ny
man, do YOU think so' Do YOU love
me! Do you care for me rs you dld
last night! Can YOU think of me as
! all that is sweet md lovely and noble
and pure. and worthy of any man 8 af'
| fcction?''
She hcnt closer toward him in the
intensity of her feelings, The words
! rushed from her. The man passed his
hand over his forehead.
@ can only say what ! snId before.
that | love YOU still, that ] will marry
you, and that YOU ought TO be
''That is enough, interrupted the
woman ''Good bye.
She drew Instantly apart from him.
Mr.. Charnock, - rang the captain S
voice, imperatively.
Slowly the islander turned and made
his way to the sea after the others
The woman. thus left alone upon
the island, was face 10 face with a
crisis which could only be met IN two
ways. Either she must go away with
the man. or they must both remain on
the island. 1t was possible thar the
captain might be induced TO use force
to take the man away, but that was
not likely. and if il were attempted.
she believed, with much foundation
for her belief. that the man who had
never been coerced by human being
except her would fight until he died
She could not 90 away with him: she
could not live with him on the island.
future opened before him. She
had learned that afternoon on the sand
that if his identity could be cstab-
Iished he would be a man OF great
wealth. power. a factor IN the
world s affairs She had had her ex-
perIencc in life, her taste of power. II
did not matter about her, 1t mattered
greatly about him.
She had given him final chance.
He did not love her as she would be
loved He could not love her. 1t was
evident TO her that he never would.
She had nothing to live for, nothing to
hope for. nothing to dream about.
There was one way of cutting the Cor
dian knot; she could die. And yet,
somehow, the instinct of hfe was
strong In her heart.
She crossed the island to her side
where she was hidden from the snip,
and went down TO the edge of the wa
ter. She even slipped off the garments
Of civilization and stood forth primi
tive Eve and waded out little way
into the lagoon. The night had fallen
and she was calm in the screen of the
darkness. She could easily swim out
TO the barrier reef, Chamber upon It,,
and then plunge into the blue Pacific
and swim on and on and fight and
fight until the last vcstigc of her
strength was gone, and then sink
down. leaving him free and settling
the question. And yet the waters lap
ping about her feet held her back.
drove her back retarded her in her ad-
vance.
Could she do it? Should she do it,
At least she would not give up the
idea for want of trying. She resolute.
" set herself to wade into the deeper
sea. That she waded was evidence
of her indeciSion Under other cir
cumstances. or had she been clear in
her mind as TO her course. quick run,
a spring, splash, and she would have
been in the midst Of the lagoon.
She went slowly and as the water
grew deeper. she went more slowly II
was warm and pleasant in the lagoon.
The slight difference Of temperature
between the water and the air ordinar.
lily was only stimulating. And vet the
sea had never seemed so cold to her
as it was in that hour.
She was young, strong. splcndidly
lowered with health and bodily yicor.
The mere animal clingIng to life was
intense IN her. il does NOT minimize
her heartbreak or her resolution to