The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-08-05
"Nater!" She Gasped in Hoarse
Whisper.

understand, to whom he would fam
impart his own ideas If he could.
She stared at him perplexed. She
was entirely at loss what to do, until
her eyes rowing past him detected a
dark object on the water line Just
where the still blueness touched the
white sand. The sunlight was re.
flected from CLEANS Of metal, and
thinking that she recognized 1t, she
stepped from the shade Of the palms
and made her way unsteadily toward
It. The man, without sound. follow.
ed closely at her. side.
Her vision had been correct, for she
drew out of the sand leather hand
bag, such as women carry. It had
been deliberately fitted with bottles and
mirrors and toilet articles. Alas, It
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 it's contents were pitt
ably ruined. With eager eyes and fin
gers she examined everything. She
found intact a little mirror, pair Of
scissors, little housewife which was
not a part Of the fittings and she Won
dered how it failed Of being 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 getto that boat, but for the
: present all the fotsam and jetsam OF
her wild and fearful voyage lay in a
3 water-soaked bag full Of broken glass
and battered silver from which she
4 had rescued pair of scissors, a mir
ror, two combs, housewife full OF
rusty needles and some hairpins. @
. vanitas Yanitatum!
She was wearing a serviceable dress
q of blue serge with sailors blouse and
4 a short skirt. Putting her precious
treasure trove within the loose blouse
. and carrying the battered bag which
4 she meant to examine more carefully
. later, she turned and made for the
shade Of the trees again. For one thin@
4 the sun rising rapidly was gaining
I power and beating down with grea
I force upon her bare head. She hat
\ enjoyed the protection Of q wonderful
q ly plated straw hat on her long vOy
age else she could not have borne thu
{ heat, but that. too, was gone.
AS she walked inland, she notice,
again off to her right that stream Q
: water which dropped over the tai
y cliff in a slender waterfall q sweet in
4 lYiting pool at the base before 1t raj
T through the sands toward the sea. Sh
made her way thither and at the brinl
3 knelts down and took long draughts Q