Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-07-14
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ON some fashion | do" he replied.
TT grows late. Captain, can your
ship lie by the island until morning."
IF you wish, certainly" returned
the captain.
Very well. Man, will you then go
aboard the ship with these gentlemen
and leave me alone here for the
night?"
"Alone, madaml" exclaimed the cap
tain.
Certainly, sir" returned the WON
ar. There is not a harmful thing
upon the island. You can com back
in the morning and we will discuss
then what is best to be done. Really,
gentlemen" she went on, with a pite-
Gus tremble of her lip, for one mo-
ment losing her control, 81 have been
tried beyond the strength of woman
today. If l can have a quiet rest, If
in the morning"
THAT is reasonable" said the sur
geon. 1.-THE lady is in no state for
this discussion, nor, indeed, are you,
sir" he continued, looking hard at
the man.
very WELL" said the captain. "Come,
Mr.. Charnock, you cannot refuse that
request; gentlemen. Madam, good
night"
He turned away, followed by the
others. Charnock for the moment hes
itated.
81 give you n more chance" whis-
| pered the woman in his ear. II think
myself fit for the wife of any man, do
you think so? Do you love me? Do
you care for me as you did last night?
| Can you think of me as all that is
sweet and lovely and noble and pure,
and worthy of any mans affection?"
She bent closer toward him in the
intensity of her feelings. The words
rushed from her. The mar passed his
hand over his forehead.
Il can only say what l said before,
that l love you still, that l will marry
you, and that you ought to be-"
THAT is enough" interrupted the
! woman. "Good-by."
She drew instantly apart from him.
"Mr. Charnock," rang the captains
voice, imperatively.
Slowly the islander turned and made
his way to the sea after the others.
The woman, thus left alone upon
the island, was face to face with a
crisis which could only be met in two
ways. Either she must go away with
the man, or they must both remain Oh
the island. 1t was possible that the
captain might be induced to use force
to take the man away, but that was
not likely, and if it we're attempted
she believed, with much foundation
for her belief, that the man who had
never been coerced by a human being
except her would fight until he died
She could not go away with him; she
could not live with, him on the island
A future opened before him. She
had learned that afternoon on the sane
that if his identity could be estab
lished he would be a mar of grea
wealth, a power, a factor in thu
worlds affairs. She had had her ex
perience in life, her taste of power. l
did not matter about her. 1t matteret
greatly about him.
She had given him a final chance
He did not love her as she would b.
loved. He could not love her. 1t wal
evident to her that he never would
She had nothing to live for, nothing
to hope for, nothing to dream about
There was one way of cutting thu
Gordian knot; she could die. And yet
somehow, the instinct of life wa
strong in her heart.
She crossed the island to ner side
where she was hidden from the ship
and went down to the edge of the wa
ter. She ever slipped off the garment
of civilization and stood forth a primt
tive Eve and waded out a little wa,
into the lagoon. The night had falle
and she was calm in the screen of tn
darkness. She could easily swim on
to the barrier reef, Chamber upon il
and then plunge into the blue Pacif
and swim on and on, and fight an
fight until the last vestige Of he
strength was gone, and then sin,
down, leaving him free and settlin
the question. And yet the waters laI
ping about her feet held her bach
drove her back, retarded her in he
advance.
Could she do it? Should she do it
At least she would not give up tn
idea for want of trying. She resolut'
ly set herself to wade into the dec
err sea. That she waded was ev
dence of her~,indecision. Under othe
circumstances, or had she been clea
In her mind as to her course, a qu1c
run, a spring, a splash, and she woul
have been in the midst Of the lagoon
} She went slowly, and as the wate