Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-12-08

mirrors and toilet articles. Alas, 1t
was in a sad state of dilapidation now.
The bottles were broken, their con-
tents gone. The bag had been lying
in the boat when it had been hurled
on the barrier in the night and the
same storm and tide which had borne
her ashore had hurled it also on the
sand. But it had come open in the
battering and its contents were pitt
ably ruined. With eager eyes and fin
gers she examined everything. She
found intact little mirror, a pair of
scissors, a little housewife which was
not part of the fittings and she won
dered how it failed of heing washed
away, two combs and package of
hairpins.
She had fought against starvation
and thirst and loneliness and despair
as she had fought against men and
she had not given way. She had set
her teeth and locked her hands and
endured hardship like the stoutest
hearted, most determined soldier in
the history of human struggles. But
as the realization of this small mis-
fortune burst upon her, she sank down
on the sands and put her head in her
hands and sobbed. Tears did her good.
She had her cry out, utterly unhin-
dered, for the man stood by, shaking
his head and staring at her and max
ing those strange little sounds, but Of
fering in no way to modest her.
The water was beautifully clear and
she could see on the other side of the
barrier the remains of her boat. Per-
haps some, time, If there were need,
she could get to that boat, but for the
present all the flotsam and jetsam of
her wild and fearful voyage lay in a
water-soaked bag full of broken glass
AMI battered silver from which she
had rescued pair of scissors, mir
ror, two combs, housewife full of
rusty needles and some hairpins. o
vanitas vanitatum!
She was wearing a serviceable dress
of blue serge with sailors blouse and
short skirt. Putting her precious
treasure trove within the loose blouse
and carrying the battered bag which
she meant to examine more carefully
later, she turned and made for the
shade of the trees again. For one thing
the sun rising rapidly was gaining
power and beating down with great
force upon her bare head. She had
enjoyed the protection of wonderful
ly plated straw hat on her long voy.
age else she could not have borne the
heat, but that, too, was gone.
AS she walked inland, she noticed
again off to her right that stream Of
water which dropped over the tai
| cliff in slender waterfall sweet in
viting pool at the base before it rar
through the sands toward the sea. She
made her way thither and at the brinl
knelt down and took long draughts o.
It. Eating and drinking evidently wen
together in the mind of the man, fol
when she raised her head, she found
him standing before her with boil
hands filled with some of the fruit sht
had partaken of before and other fruit
She thought she recognized the bread
fruit and species of banana. At an.
rate, she ate again and having by thi
time recovered to some extent he
mental poise, she ate sparingly ant
with caution.
Then having satisfied her materia
needs, she knelt down by the strean
and washed her face and hands. How
sweet was the freshness of that waite
to her face burned by the sun and tn
wind and subjected for long time t
the hard spray of the briny seas. Sh
would have been glad to have takel
OF her clothing and plunged into tn
pool. to have washed the salt of day
from her tired body. to have had tn
stimulus and refreshment of it
sparkling GOODNESS over her wear
limbs. But in the presence of her do,
like attendant this was not yet poss
BILE.
Still she could and must arrange he
hair. OF all the articles in her dres
ing bag, she was more ferventl
thankful at that moment for the CONT
than anything else. the combs and tt
little mirror and the hairpins-sma
things indeed, but human happiness ;
rule turns on things SO small tn;
the investigator and promoter there
generally overlook them. And v
know not the significance of the lit
until upon some desert island we a.
left with only those.
1t was still early, about Gig
o'clock. How was she to pass tt
day? She must do something. 81
J felt she could not sit idly staring fro
sea to shore. She must be movin
; No business called her; she must
vent some. The compelling necessi
of a soul not born for idleness WI
upon her. She would explore the Ian
That was logically the first thing to
done any way and this was high
trained woman who thought to live
rule and law albeit her rules we
= poor ones.
She started inland, the man folio
J ing after She had gained conflden
It in herself with every passing momel
# The man who looked at her as d
e she would treat as one. She mu
X have some privacy. She could not
d ways have him trailing at her hee
e She turned by great boulder, point
If to it, laid her hand on the mai
e shoulder and gently forced him to
sitting position by it. Then she walk
ia away. He stared wistfully after h
d departing figure, and as she turn
IT around to look at him, he sprang
his feet.
e. mo, MOI" she cried imperative
If making backward threatening motto
,e with her hands, whereat he resum
IL his sitting position, staring at her ,
j. til he lost her among the trees.
ic Presently she turned and came ba
r to him. 1t was SO deathly lonely wi
Is out him. He leaped to his feet as
re saw her coming and clappcd his han
le as child might have done, his ia
ut breaking out the while into a SIN
i'd that was both trustful and touchil
It. She felt better since she had him
re der this control, and together tn
1t walked on under the trees.