, 1909-12-23

nized in hal hour. although she did
not n could not admit 1t, that per-
haps he might teach her something
as. well, something that she had not
known OF something that she had for
gotten. without the knowledge of
which all her science was a vain, a
foolish. a futile thing.
The little prayer was ended. The
man rose to his feet. She tool her
spade and went back to the place
where the bodies had lain and there
began carefully to Grape away the
earth. examining scrupulously every
shovelful ere she threw 1t aside. In
one place where the hand had lain,
she remembered, her labors were re-
warded. She came across two rings, a
diamond and a plain circlet of gold.
These she placed in her tunic with
the collar and continued her digging.
1t was growing late and growing
dark, but she left no square mel of
ground unexplored. She found moth
ing else. The rings belonged to a
woman evidently. Her surmise In that
particular was right. There we're no
other metal parts of her apparel left.
The nails in her shoes. the steel of
her corset had rusted away and left
no sign. There was nothing remaining
but the two little baubles pressing
against her own warm flesh.
So intent had she been that the sun
had gone Town before she ceased and
upon the island there descended that
quick and sudden night of the tropics.
The wind had risen, the old ocean was
laundering on the barrier reef and a
heavy sea breeze was ~shrieking
through the trees. The sky on the
horizon was overloaded and the
clouds were rising rapidly. There
would be a storm. which was develop
Ing with tropic rapidity. Quickly she
retsaced her steps along the sand
toward the cav on the other side, the
nan following.
They had progressed not more than
half way when the storm bust upon
them. Peals of thunder and flashes
OF lightning filled the air. 1t was such
a display of the Titanic forces of ma.
ture as might have appalled, the stout.
est heart. 1t filed the woman with .
NdSet tClloI. oue uOllCtu WIFI sat
%isfaction that the man was entirely
unmoved by the terrific demonstra.
lions of nature. By the flashes OF
lightning as they stumbled along Ia
the otherwise total ~blackness she
could zee his face serene. In a mo-
ment Of apprehension she caught his
hand with her own and chung to It
tightly. 1t was the unconscious appeal
of the physical weaker to the physical
stronger. Her hand had clasped the
hands of her fellow creatures many
times. Never before had his palm
met the palm of human being, much
less a woman's. She could feel that
tremor run through him, but by in
stinct, as it were, he met her hand
clasp with his own. n together they
made their way to the cave.
They had scarcely reached it when
the rain burst upon them. The heavens
were opened, the floods descended,
they beat upon the sands in fury. She
could not drive him out there in that
flood for the night. She motioned
him to come within the entrance of
the ave which was sheltered from the
wind and which was dry and still. She
made him lie down heal the entrance
and then. withdrawing herself into a
recess at the side, she disposed of the
oars, which she had carried home on
her shoulders. in front of her from
wall to wall and flashing them with
the ope to her person made another
feeble barrier, but which would yet
give the alarm to her and waken her
IL it were moved. AND presently she
went to sleep. She was toe tired
even to speculate on her discoveries
or to piece them together; that would
be occupation for the morning.