Mexico Missouri message., 1910-08-18

iations we're their conventions which
had TO be obeyed And so they parted.
But parted as they had never parted
before, torn asunder by their own
compliance with their own petty rules,
their hearts protesting.
Long before the earthquake they
had erected on the topmost hill of the
island a huge pile Of dead wood from
the groves beneath.
When they had parted she had sug.
Gested 10 him-and 1t was significant
that now II was a suggestion; yester-
day II would have been a command
that he should take time to ascend the
hill and rearrange the great heap OF
wood which they had builded During
all the time that had elapsed since she
had been there no sail had whitened
the horizon, no curl of smoke had be-
tokened the distant passing of a
steamer. But no spot OF the globe
could forever remain unyisited, she
thought, and some day that pile of
wood might make a beacon light to
call civilization to them. He was glad
20 comply with her suggestion. glad
for occupation, and so he promised
and went his way.
When he had disappeared. she
turned the edge Of the cliff in the Sc
cluded amphitheater where her cave
her tunic Of woven grass and plunged
into the cool delightful pool which
fortunately the earthquake had not
disturbed Her clothes, the scanty
garments she had improyised from her
Undertaking, had long since worn
out. II had not been difficult. how
ever, to plat of certain pliable rushes
which grew in plenty upon the island,
the loose and shapeless garments they
both wore. She had used strips torn
from what had remained of her cloth
ing for binding and edging and prac-
tice had made her deXtrous and skill
full in the rude weaving She still
preserved, however, the blouse and
skirt OF serge, her only pair of stock
ings and the canvas boating shoes.
Sometimes in idle moments she tried
those shoes on. Fortunately for her,
they we're loose and easy. Going bare
foot three years had enlarged her
small and slender feet TO something
like those human and proper proper
tions which, from the standpoint Of
nature at least, had greatly enhanced
their beauty. She kept these clothes,
she hardly knew why, perhaps for one
reason since she had been able to
weave the waited garment so well
suited to her needs she had had no
use for them; perhaps against the day
of the arrival OF other civilization
than her own.
Greatly refreshed by her bath-and
! II shows her absolute confidence in
| him and his worth that interruption
never occurred to her; 1t had never
come and therefore it never would
| she resumed her tunic and walked
toward the cave. The tide was very
low. The sands terminated on one
side in rocky ledge where a long
arm Of the lagoon ran to the foot Of
the cliff. The cliff had been tremen-
| dously shaken, apparently, and she no.
ticed just above the water line a mar
row opening. She had thought from
noises during storms that there was
hidden cave in the cliff with an
| opening under the water. She had
| imagined that possibly she could enter
| it by diving, but she had never cared
to make the attempt, although by this
| time she had become as much at home
| in the water or under II as If she had
been a native Of the south seas. Some
times in the morning they swan in
the lagoon together, oftentimes she
swan alone. 1t was great pleasure
to her and a necessity as we'll in that
low latitude.
Curiosity induced her to inspect
more closely this opening near the
waters edge. Again throwing aside
her garment she plunged into the arm
| Of the sea and swan boldly toward
the cliff. There was just room enough
between the waters level and the top
of the opening for her head She
| found herself in a straight passage
way perhaps eight or 10 feet long and
as many wide. Cautiously she swan
through It and discovered herself In
All lhIlCllb0 NafGs l4lbuI lllGEGu
through the opening and one or two
assures had been opened here and
there, by the earthquake or by some
CONFUSION Of nature before, through
the rocky wall, invisible on the face Of
the cliff from the outside but quite
distinct within. There was even q
stretch of sandy beach on one side
She swan to 1t, clambered upon II
and sat down to rest.
Here was an excellent haven of ref
uge, instinctively occurred to her, al
though a refuge from what she
scarcely knew, Except at the very
lowest of the ebb the entrance would
be covered, and even then 1t would
take curious and familiar eye to dis
cover the entrance or to imagine 4
anything more than a deep rift in the
face of the sea wall. At any othei
hour the entrance would be invisible