Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-04-21
DY Y
CYRUS townsend
Y BRADY
ALN5ZR4zOM55y RyMH=H
caovo1Oy, oos syvyccgse e1sysZBJN ASZ4H
CHAPTER /.
raeysrwoossyMeosasmx ea,mgs7meaN Asz4m
The Primitive Norm.

wv - L
was now broad day, although the light
seemed to come to her with a greenlsn
tinge which was quite unfamiliar. The
transition between her state OF yester-
day and that of to-day was as great
as if she had been born into morning
from the womb Of midnight n like
a young animal she drank it in blindly
with closed eyes. She could hear the
thunderous roaring of the breakers
crashing upon the barrier reef Alone
her boat had been wrecked in the
darkness of the night before
the sound softened and melloWed
by distance came to her in a
deep, low accompaniment to the
sharper and nearer sounds of the birds
singing and the breeze rustling gently
through the long leaves OF the trees
overhead.
The dry sand on which she lay was
soft and yielding and made a comfort
able bed for her tired body racked
with weary days in the constraint and
narrowness of a small boat. 1t was
warm, too. She had been drenched
when she scrambled on the shore and
fell PROSTATE on the beach, retaining
Just strength enough and purpose
enough to crawl painfully inward to
where the tall palms grow before
Iapsed in whatsoever way 1t might
have been into oblivion.
Incoherent thoughts raced through
her b%ewildered brain; each one, how
ever, bringing her a little nearer the.
awakening point of realization. Then
there ran through her young body a
primal pang which dispelled the trem-
ulous and vague illusions which her
fancy had woven about herself as she
lay warm and snug and sunny at the
foot of the tall trees, and she realized
that she was frightfully thirsty, SO
thirsty that she did not know how
hungry she was.
The demand for the material awak-
ened the animal in her. Her thoughts
centered instantly; they were at once
localized on one supreme desire, Com
,cidentIy her eyes Enclosed and she sal
up blinking in the strong light. Ihe
rising sun still low On the horizon
smote her full in the eyes and LEFT
her for the moment dazed again. Sne
sat leaning upon her hands extended
behind her back staring seward, say
ing nothing, thinking nothing, until
strange sound to the right OF her at
tracted her attention. 1t was a sount
made by a human voice and yet it wa
like nothing human that she a eve
heard. 1t was a wordless, Language
less ejaculation, but it reused her IN
terest at once despite her materia
cravings.
She weakly turned her head an
there standing erect with folded arm
looking down upon her was a a H
was unclothed entirely save for a raj
tastic girdle of palm leaves about hi
waist. She stared at him puzzled
amazed, a%ffrighted. He returned ne
look with an intent curiosity in whic
there was no suggestion OF evil pu
pose. rather of great incomprehensiol
an amazing wonderment. There we
nothing about him, save the fact thu
he was there, which should haV
caused any alarm in her heart, X
with a woman's swift mastery OF tt
possibilities of the other sex, she n
ticed in her vague terror and wonde
ment that he was remarkably good
look at. Indeed, she thought that 81
had never seen so splendid a spec
men Of physical manhood as that b
fore her. In color he was white. Sa'
that he was bronzed by the tropic su
he was perhaps whittier than she wa
His hair, which hung about his head
a wild, matted tangle, not unpicture
que. was, golden; his eyes bright BIZ
Beneath his beard, unkempt but she
and curly, she could see his fir
clean-cut lips. His proportions we
superb. He was limbed and chest
like the Apollo Belvedere. In h
grace and strength strove for predo
nance. He was totally unlike all Il
she had read of the a%borigines of t
South seas.
II was the man who broke the
lence, as it had been the man "
had broken the spell of her slumb
He made that queer little chuckli
noise in his throat which sounded
miliar enough and yet she had hes
# from the lips of no man before.
meant nothing to her except that
who stood before her at least was
dumb. although the noise he m;
was certainly no articulate speech
,she knew speech or could ina CINE
At any rate 1t was a stimulus to /
she opened her own parched lips
5stroye to make reply, but her thi
with a rising terror and nervousn
made her dumb and no sound ca
forth. The man might be prepar
to kill her. He could do SO, II he '
ed, she thought, but she must drinl
die. II she could not speak,
could make signs. She leaned forw
raised her arm, followed her hand
dipped as If from q well and made
if to pour 1t into her lips. Then
stretched out both her hands to
in the attitude Of petition. The !
stared hard at her. Els brow wrink
lit was such a simple sign that
savage would have comprehended
she thought, and vet It appeared
her, watching in despair, that II
a long time for the idea to beat
his brain. She could walt no Ion
she rose to her knees and strett
out her hands again.
"Water!. she gasped In q no
whisper. Water, or / die!"
The man had started violently q
speech. Giving him no time 70
cover. she went through the me