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

she would have eaten until she had
made herself i'll. When she had par.
taken. she rose to her feet. Before do
ing this she had extended her hand
to him as if seeking assistance, but he
had simply stared at her uncompre-
bending and she had been forced to
get to her feet unaided. Once stand
ing, she trembled and would have
fallen. but that she caught his arm
and steadied herself by holding tightly
to it. The man started back at her
touch. Color came and went in his
face; little shudders swept over him;
his mouth opened; he looked at her
with singular expression of awe not
unmixed with terror in his eyes, for
this was the first time in 1iis recollec-
ton or what would have been his rec
objection if his retrospective faculties
had been developed, that he had ever
felt the touch of woman's hand, of
any human hand upon him.
Noticing his peculiar demeanor in
the, to her, perfectly natural situation,
the woman summoning some of the
remains of the reserve of force which
is in every human body until life is
gone, released his arm and stared
about her leaning against the trunk of
the nearest palm. This time, and for
the first time, she took in that expanse
/ of sea, lonely yet beautiful, upon which
her eyes were to look so often. Out
nd f1o fvhk oh 10,
come. Into what deep and into what
day had she arrived?
i She turned and surveyed the shore
The beach curved sharply to the right
and to the left. the long barrier reef
following roughly its contour until the
land obscured it on either side. Bach
OF her stretched grove of palms and
back of that rose hill; its crest bare
and crag-like lowered above sea o.
verdure. Through chance vista she
saw the mass of rock as mountain
peak. On one side high precipitout
cliffs ran down close to the shore ant
shut out the view. Over them watel
fell to the beach.
Save in the person of the man be
side her there was not an evidence o
humanity anywhere. No curl of smok,
rose above the trees. No distant cal
of human voices smote the fearful hol
low of her ear. The breeze made must,
in the tall palms and in the thick yer
dure farther up the hill side, bird
sang softly here and there, but Their
was tropical stiffness to which thu
great heaving diapason on the distan
barriers was foundation of SCUM,
upon which to build lonely quiet
Human beings there might be, Their
must be, on that island, if island i
We're; but If so, they must be abiding
on the farther side. She and the mai
were alone.
J, Standing on her feet, with a Sigh
renewal of her strength from wha
she had eaten and drunk, the woman
now felt less fear of the man. He ha
treated her kindly. His aspect wa
gentle, even amiable. He looked a
her wistfully, bending his brows fror
time to time and ever and again shall
ing his head, as great dog looks a
the master with whom he would fat
speak, whose language he would fai
understand, to whom he would fai
impart his own ideas If he could.
She stared at him perplexed. Sh
was entirely at loss what to do, unit
her eyes rowing past him detected
dark object on the water line jus
where the still blueness touched .th
white sand. The sunlight was re
Elected from CLEANS of metal, an
thinking that she recognized it. sh
stepped from the shade Of the palm
md made her way unsteadily towar
it. The man, without sound, follow
ed closely at her side.
Her vision had been correct, for sh
drew out Of the sand a leather band