Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-04-21

Whisper.
dered how it failed OF being Wasneo
away, two combs and a package OF
hairpins.
She had fought against starvation
and thirst and loneliness and despair
as she had fought against men ana
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 hey cry out, utterly unh1n-
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 n
she could see on the other side of the
barrier the remains of her boat. Per
maps some lHle, II eAoiO
she could get to that boat, but for the
present all the tlotsam and jetsam OF
her wild and fearful voyage lay in a
water-soaked bag full of broken glass
and battered silver from which she
had rescued a pair of scissors, a mir
ror. two combs, a housewife full I
rusty needles and some hairpins. 0
vanitas vanitatum!
She was wearing a serviceable dress
of blue serge with a sailors blouse and
a short skirt. Putting her precious
treasure trove within the loose blouse
and carrying the battered bag which
she meant to examine more carefully
later, she turned and made for the
shade of the trees again. For n thing
the sun rising rapidly was gaining
power and beating down with great
force upon her bare head. She hat
enioyed the protection Of a wonderful
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 notices
again off to her right that stream o
water which dropped over the tai
cliff in a slender waterfall a sweet In
yiting pool at the base before 1t ral
!. through the sands toward the sea. Sh
/, made her way thither and at the brin
knelt down and took long draughts Q
:, it. Eating and drinking evidently wen
). together in the mind of the man, fo
when she raised her head, she foun
! him standing before her with bot
hands filed with some Of the fruit sh
had partaken of before and other frui
!. She thought she recognized the brea'
fruit and a species of banana. At an
! rate. she ate again and having by tn
. time recovered to some extent he
. mental poise, she ate sparingly an
! with caution.
: Then having satisfied her matters
needs, she knelt down by the streal
and washed her face and hands. Ho
Z sweet wal the freshness Of that watt
= to her face burned by the sun and Il
wind and subjected for a long time
the hard spray of the briny seas. 81
y y, would have been glad to have TAXI
u Off her clothing and plunged into Il
pool. to have washed the salt of da,
from her tired body, to have had Il
- stimulus and r~efreshment OF J
sparkling GOODNESS over her wea
limbs. But in the presence Of her dc
" like attendant this was not yet pos
BILE.
i still she could and must arrange b
!" hair. OF all the articles In her Dire
IL ing bag, she was more ferveni
i / thankful at that moment for the com
"a than anything else. the combs and T
- little mirror and the hairpins-sm
~ things indeed, but human happiness
I q rule turns on things SO small u
4 the investigator and promoter there
generally overlook them. And
"a know not the Significance Of the lit
Il until upon some desert island we
left with only those.
IA II was still early, about ell
liz o'clock. How was she to pass
day? she must do something. s
an- felt she could not cit idly staring r.
he sea to shore. She must be moyi
of No business called her; she must
yas vent some. The compelling necess
on Of a soul not born for idleness !