Mexico Missouri message., 1910-10-06
Lying Upon the Sands.

well, we must fight for his life
anyway. Do you stay here. 1 will
be back in a short time"
The lieutenant-commander rose to
his feet and started back across the
island without another word.
The chaplain composed the men,
bers of the stricken man, putting him
in a comfortable position on the
warm sand, then knelt down and be-
gan to pray. It seemed long time to
the waiting priest before his shipmate
returned, and yet but short time had
elapsed. He came up painting from
the violence of his exertions.
II have sent the cutter back for the
surgeon. l told the men to row for
their lives. l gave the midshipman
In charge an account of what we had
found and begged the captain to send
parties ashore to search the island.
What of the man?"
He breathes STILL" said the chap
lain. 'I should think he was in some
kind of syncope. His heart evidently
was affected. He has had no prepa-
ration for such violent strains. The
things which are usual and ordinary
with us and which, take it, indurate
us to the greater things of life have
been conspicuous by their absence In
his case and he has not been able
to bear up under the sudden shock"
Those clothes, have you examined
them?"
NO" said the chaplain, "it has been
too dark in the first place, and"
Il will look at them," said Mr.. Whit
taker. Perhaps we may find some
new clew in them"
The lieutenant-commande stopped
over the pathetic little heap Of worn
garments. There were the blouse, the
skirt, the stockings, and the worn and
torn white shoes. The Bible lay upon
them as If to weigh them down, and
they had been placed well above the
reach of the highest tide. The tide
was then Just coming In to the island.
The Bible had been opened and laid
face downward on the clothes. Mr..
Whitaker lifted 1t up reverently. He
observed as he did so that his own
pencil, which he had left, he now re-
membered, with the woman, lay be-
meath the open book. On the blank
leaves between the Old and New tes-
taments something was written. No
mention Of any writing had been
made in the affidavit of the night be-
fore. He lifted it, turned his back
toward the east where the sun was
Just on the verge Of rising, and stud
led 1t out.
do you ind anything?" asked the
chaplain.
There is writing on this page" said
the younger man. Il can Just make 1t
out"
Man." he read slowly, studying
each word in the dim light, 'I loved
you. In one sense, in your sense, I
was unworthy of you, perhaps, but
not in mine. You alone had my heart.
The past was frightful mistake for
which l should not be blamed, but for
which / must suffer. / tried you with
the world BY your side. The world
was kind, but you were not You
broke my soul and killed something
within me which / had thought dead,
but which you had revived. No power
could reviYe 1t again. I cannot marry
Langford, for do not love him. win
not marry you, for you do not love me.
I will not go back to the world now
have no desire to do so and cannot
live alone with you upon the island
You will not go without me, and so
will go iirst by myself alone. You will
think of me, know, in the great
world. Perhaps you will judge your
self harshlx, but I do not Judge you
at all. You did not know. you did not