The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-06
THE ISLAND OF REGENERATION

lain, who was II rather old man, and
then having rea;hed the top went down
the other side almost at n run.
AS they broke. out from under the
palm trees, they saw dark object in
the gray of lawn lying upon the, sands
at the waters cdge 1t was human
being undoubtedly AS they ran TO.
ward it with Gnickcniug heart beats,
they recognized it ms the man. He was
lying motlonless as If he had been
! struck dead. In brief space they
reached him. The Lieutenant comman-
der knelt down by his side and turned
him over upon his back. He was as
senseless as if nc had been smitten with
Il thunderbolt.
''Is he aliyc?" asked the chaplain,
bending over EIn.
Mr.. Whittaker's hand searched his
/ heart.
'"It beats feebly,' he said He
seems to have tainted, collapsed in
some strange way. | wish we had
( brought the surgeon. | wonder what
can be the cause Of it2'
( 'Look'' said the chaplain.
/ He pointed to little heap of some
! thing dark on the sands foot or two
away,
"What is it9' asked the officer,
The chaplain stepped over to it.
1T is the clothes of the woman, he
said in an awestruck voice, and that
Bible we were to take away with rs
with the other things, but which she
| said she would give us in the morn
/ in -
"Great heavens!'' exclaimed Mr.
| Whitaker, "you don L think
At the same instant the same
thought had come. to both men.
"It looks like it, said the chaplain
with bated breath. ''Poor woman, may
God help her!
''That is what is the mater with
him. returned the lieutenant com
cave and has not found her. He has
discovered these things and he knows
that she is gone. The shock has al
most killed him
"What is to be done now7"
Here the man of action interposcd.
'Do YOU watch by him, chaplain, y
said the lieutenant commander, rising.
~ will go back to the landing upon
the other side and send for the doc
ashore and search every foot of the
island 1t is a sad business, To think
Of that woman offering herself to this
man in vain. The fool
-" Don Z, - said the chaplain. - He is
not much more than child IN spite of
all that he has learned. We must
make allowances for him. He did love
her evidently. Look TO what her loss
has brought him. Perhaps stricken by
the hand of God his soul has gone out
TO meet hers
"Well, we must fight for his life
any way. Do You stay here. l Will
be back in a short time. -
The lieutenant commander rose to
his feet and started back across the
island without another word;
The chaplain composed the mem
= - H. N,,t t1,ff
IN comfortable position on the warm
sand, then knelt down and began to
pray 1t seemed a long time to the
waiting priest before his shipmate re,
turned, and yet but a short time had
elapsed He came up painting from the
violence of his exertions.
''I have sent the cutter back for the
surgeon | told the men to row for
their lives. | gave the midshipman
found and begged the captain TO send
partics ashore to search the island.
What OF the MANI
0'Hc breathcs still,n said the chap
lain. 81 should think he was in some
kind Of syncope His heart evidently
was affected, He has had no prepara'
tiou for such violent strains. The
things which are usual and ordinary
with us. and which. / take it, induratc
us TO the greater things of life have
been conspicuous by their absence IN
his case and he has not been able
10 bear up under the sudden shock.
"Those clothes, have you examined
thcm?' ara
"No," said The chaplain, cit has
been too dark IN the first place.
and
Whitaker. Perhaps we may find
some clew in them"
The lcutenant-command stopped
over the pathetic little heap of worn
garments. There were the blouse, the
skirt. the stockings and the worn and
torn white shoes The Bible lay upon
them rs if to weigh them down, and
they had been placed we'll above the
reach of the highest tide. The tide
Tho Bible had been opened and laid
face downward on the clothes. Mr..
Whitaker lifted il up rcvcrently. He
observed as he did so that his own
pencil, which he had left he now re-
membered with the woman, lay be
meath the open book. On the blank
leaves between the Old and New
Testaments something was written.
No mention Of any writing had been
made in the affidavit of the night be-
fore, He lifted it, turned his back to-
ward the east where the sun was just
on the verge Of rising, and studied it
out.
"Do you find anytbingF" asked the
chaplain,
''There is writing on this page"
said the younger man. 81 can just
make it ont
"Mau," he read slowly, studying
each word In the dim light, ~ loved
you. In one sense, In your sense, |
was unworthy of YOU perhaps, but not
in mine. You alone had my heart.
The past was frightful mistake for
which ! should not be blamed, but for
which j must suffer. ] tried you with
the world by your side, The world
was kind but you We're not. You
broke my soul and killed something
within me which | had thought dead
but which you had revived. No power
could revive it again ] cannot marry
Laugford. for ! do not love him. I
will not marry you, for you do not love
me. j will not go back to the world
now. ] have no desire to do so, and
! cannot live alone with you upon the
island Iou will not 90 without mo