Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-12-15

turned and retraced her way to the
shore where she had landed, which
because she had landed there, she
called home. On the way she attempt.
! ed an experiment. She plucked from
low bush bright colored fruit of
whose quality and characteristics she
was ignorant and slowly made as II to
convey 1t to her lips.
Mani" cried the voice behind her.
uttering its only word.
She turned to find her companion
looking fixedly at her and pioneering
other fruit which he had quickly gath
cred. She handed him that she had
plucked in exchange. He shook his
head, not in negation but rather in
bewilderment and threw it from him,
and then she understood in some way
that the fruit was not good for food.
How he had OWNED it, she could not
tell. Some compromising instinct,
sharpened by use into protecting
quality, had taught him. She had no
such instinct. She had learned to de-
pend upon reason and observation,
and these failed her in the presence
of this unknown. She was humbled
little in this thought.
She craved meat and salt, having
been trained to these things, the arti-
fetal diet and stimulant to which she
had become accustomed, and her crav-
ing was the moro insistent because she
had been without them all that time
in the boat. And yet when she had
eaten the fruit that nature had pro
vided in that tropic island, her crav-
ing was abated and she was satisfied.
She felt that she could soon grow ac-
customed to such diet if it were nee
essary. So musing she passed on UNI
der the trees and sat down on the
sand again.
The next thing she remembered, she
: was unclosing her eyes as she had
done early in the morning and the
man was still watching by her side.
She had been SO utterly wearied by
her strange adventure, by her long
wrestling with thirst and starvation
in the open boat that before she knew
1t WEAKNESS overcame her. He had
watched by her side without molesting
her. 1t was late in the evening now.
The problem. of the night had to be
faced. This time the man took the
initiative. He walked along the shore
a little way and then looked back at
her, and repeated the process once or
twice as dog might have done who
was DESTROYS of bringing his master to
some appointed place. Understanding
she rose and followed him. He led her
along the sands now Swallowed by the
tall palms until they came to the rivu-
let, where she stopped and drank once
more. They passed it, he plunging
bodily through its shadows; she leap
ing from rock to rock until she reach
ed the other bank. He went swiftly
around the face of the cliff AS she
passed the point she saw that it
. curved suddenly inward away from
the shores into q sort of amphitheater
and fair in the center of the face she
perceived an opening. He halted there
and entered fearlessly, she following.
The cave was roomy and spacious,
at least it seemed so in the fading
light In the morning when the sun
shone through the opening, it would
be flooded with daylight, but now
when the sun was sinking behind the
hill, 1T was quite dark. 1t was dry
and clean and apparently empty. The
man stood looking at her smiling, at
least there was suggestion of a
smile upon his lips. He was nodding
his head. She understood that he
lived there. The dog had come back
to his kennel and had taken this ac-
quaintance there, too
1t would be a good place to pass the
night. The night had to be passed
somewhere. How, was the problem.
She had little fear of any savage anil
mails on the island. There had been
no evidence of them observed in her
progress; the man himself was testi-
mony to immunity of attack from that
source. Had it not been for him, she
could have lain down in that cave
with quiet confidence and slept with
out apprehension Of molestation, but
he complicated the issue.
Twice he had watched by her asleep,
but that was in the broad daylight.
When darkness came, what then? Her
heart was filled with terror. She was
suddenly afraid Of the dark, childish
fear at which her soul would have
Knocked in other days and under other
conditions. But now she was prey
to vivid apprehension and the night
was coming on with the swiftness Of
the tropics. She was glad that she
had slept through the long afternoon.
She would endeavor to keep awake
during the night. She must turn the
dog out of his kennel and occupy that
herself How was she to enforce her
will under the circumstances? She
could only try.
Man." she said, pointing to the
door, "go!"
The words conveyed nothing, but
the gesture meant much. Even to the
man association with his kind for one
day had effected revolution in him.
He hung undecided, however, before
her, while she repeated again and
again her injunction. Finally she took
him by the shoulder, risking the pc.
culiar emotions that contact seemed
to bring to him; and thurst him gently
through the entrance outside. Then
I she went back into the cave farther
and waited with beating heart. She
could see him silhouetted against the
twilight standing where she had left
him. He came toward the door at
last and stood in the entrance.
mo. MOI" she cried fiercely, praying
that the note of terror might be lost
in the imperative tones OF her voice
Man. go!"
She stood waiting and he likewise
Z MASTERING her courage at last, she
went over to him and thrust him out
Again and again the little drama was
played until by and by it became i'm
pressed upon the mind Of the man
that he was to stay out and she was
to stay in. He came no more to the
entrance. He stood outside, aloof
T.. l.