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

cared as to the yn,ngs wnlcn vexeu
her. So she went on.
She had In her hand the sailor's
knife. with the blade open. She could
not tell exactly in what mood her
prisoner might be. Indeed, she ap-
preached him with certain terror,
accounted for partly by the situation
and partly by the fact that in max
ing this change in her garments she
had, as It were, cut herself of from
civilization and brought herself in
some degree at least nearer his physi-
cad level. But she could not leave him
there all night. Summoning her cour-
age, therefore, and with bold front
before him, she advanced to the tree
and united the rope from the trunk
and united it from his neck as well.
He stood silent, unresisting through it
all, rather pitiful figure she thought
at first, until he was freed from the
degrading halter.
Then she waited in intense and
eager curiosity as to what he should
do next. The iron in his situation had
eaten into his soul. He had been mas
tered by force. He could not under
stand it. He did not love the mastery
Still, without the knowledge of his
own powers, there occurred to him no
way to resent the ignominy to which
he had been subjected. He turned and
walked away from her. She stood
amazed, staring after him. 1t was the
first time he had withdrawn himself
from her presence. Where was he
going? Was this a declaration of.war?
Was there to be enmity between
them? In vague terror, moved by
sudden impulse again, she called him.
Mani" she said.
He stopped, hesitated, looked back,
turned and went on again. He was
deeply hurt She could not see him
go. It was unthinkable that he should
go. He was dangerous away from her.
By her side she could control him.
Mani" she called again.
But this time he did not heed. An
idea sprang to her brain, working
quickly under the pressure. She lifted
up her voice. for he was far from her
now and plodding steadily, doggedly
toward the trees.
joint" she cried. John Revell
Charnock!"
And at that sound the,m stopped.
He turned and looked at her again.
"John!" she repeated. "John!"
She approached him. As she did so:
and when she could get near enough
to him, she observed that wrinkling.
Of the brow, that look of amazement
which she had noticed before. It was,
as II some latent memory, some recol.
lection Of the past, were struggling
against the obscurity Of years, as If
something were endeavoring to thrust
itself through sea of oblivion and
forgetfulness that overwhelmed his
mind, as II she were voice which
brought back things he could neither
understand nor utter, and yet which.
meant something to him.
joint" she cried again, coming
nearer to him.
She thrust out her hand; she touch.
ed him. Again she noticed that strange
emotion consequent upon her touch.
She laid her hand upon his shoulder.
There was amity, confidence. reas-
snrance. She patted him as she might
a dog.
"John!" she said, and then she
turned away and walked toward the
shore.
| obediently he followed her. She
thrust the knife between her waist:
and the rope which she had rapidly
twisted about her middle and walked
on in triumph. If he had learned
something. so had she. Some one else
had called this man John in days gone
by. The sound was not unfamiliar to
him. He answered to his name. That
was he, John Revell Charnock! She
felt as II she were entering upon the
solution of the mystery of his pres.
ence. Perhaps the morrow would tell.
She would examine that boat and
those decaying evidences of humanity
on the farther shore.
She felt elated that night ere she
went to sleep in the cave. The clew
to the mystery she fancied was in her
hand. She had such occupation before
her as she had never hoped to come
upon in desert island, at least. The
rope added to her security. BY piling
stones before the entrance to the cave
and reinforcing them with the boards
from the wreck of the boat and some
fallen tree branches on the shore, she
made a sort of barrier to it, not a
barrier that would have kept out Of
the cave any one who desired to enter,
but one which would have to be rel
moved before one could enter. And
she so arranged matters. tying the end
of the rope to her wrist, that any at
tempt to remove II would Immediately
waken her. That night she slept Sc
cure and unmolested.