The Mena weekly star., 1910-05-26

and porous. Every yestige or clothins had long since routed away ana aisap. peared with tho flesh 1t covered II the person whose bones lay there hao worn any article of gold or silver, which. being rustless would nave sur viyed the long exposure, they were probably buried in the earth beneath the bones. She would attend to that later.
 Then she looked toward the bones at the feet of the human remains ana decided instantly that they were the bones of a dog. Across the verteorse lay piece of metal She picked 1t up, recognizing it instantly as plate which had probably belonged to a dog collar. There was an inscription on 1t which she did not take the trou- ble at the moment to read. Slipping 1t into the bosom of her tunic and making sure that the conhning rope would keep 1t from falling out, she stopped down and gathered the bones of the human being up in her arms, repulsive as the task was, and carried them down to the boat on the beach. She laid them in the bottom of the boat carefully and then moved by a sudden impulse, she went back and gathered up those of the dog whlch she put in the boat also. It was an easy matter to tumble few spadefuls of sand over the bones. Then she left them in that rude Viking sepulture, knowing that time would soon refill the empty dinghy and the bones would be safely buried unless some other in- vestigator should uncover them.
 The man had assisted her in no way In this process, but his excitement was very great While she stood looking down at the little heap of sand which covered all that remained of this for torn and forgotten visitor to this is- land, wondering if the fate of that trespasser upon these silent shores would some day be hers, the man sud denly dropped on his knees as she had seen him do on her first night on the island He put his hands together and began that mumbled jargon which she had not been able to understand, but which had seemed to her more like language than anything to which he | had given vent. She was surprised be- yond measure, yet she listened with every faculty on the alert if possible 10 comprehend what he had been say Ing, and presently familiar sound or | two flashed into her mind that he was making use of prayer which she l herself had used in childhood; that | absurd, fantastic. impossible though l the conclusion was, he was saying the childish petition. Now l lay me down to sleepl"
 The first impulse of the woman was to laugh. The next impulse was to take of the palm leaf hat and stand with bowed head and clasped hands | What marvellous miracle was this that throughout the years which she could no longer doubt this man had | been alone on the island. there had survived the one childish habit oi 1 prayer and that the one vestige o' AoHe uNSS Nhitu Hdu icildfuSu tO hiAA was the language of petition. She did not believe in 1t, of course. It wal absurd to her, but 1t was none the lesE wonderful. It filled her with certain awe. It was as if some power had maintained hold upon the conscious ness of this man in this way.
 Now lay me down to sleepl" How long 1t had been since she had saiC that? She believed nothing. she caret for nothing. but the woman hid hel face in her hands for a moment. Sh, clenched her teeth and forced out O her mind that which at that momen
 was striving for birth. She was tt teach this man everything, She wal to make him know life and history She was to bring him in touch with al the glories of to-day and she recog aized in that hour, although she diC not and could not admit 1t, that per haps he might teach her something as well, something that she had no known or something that she had for gotten. without the knowledge O which all her science was a vain, foolish, futile thing.
 The little prayer was ended. The man rose to his feet She took hpi spade and went back to the place where the bodies had lain and there began carefully to scrape away the earth, examining scrupulously every shoyelful ere she threw it aside. IT one place where the hand had lain she remembered, her Iabors were re warded. She came across two rings, a diamond and a plain circlet of gold These she placed in her tunic with the collar and continued her digging
 It was growing late and growing dark, but she left no square inch oi ground unexplored She found noth Ing else. The rings belonged to a woman evidently. Her surmise in that particular was right There were nc other metal parts of her apparel left The nails in her shoes. the steel oi her corset had rusted away and left no sign. There was nothing remaining but the two little baubles pressing against her own warm flesh.
 So Intent had she been that the sur had gone down before she ceased and upon the island there descended that quick and sudden night of the tropics The wind had risen. the old ocean was laundering on the barrier reef and q heavy sea breeze was shriekine through the trees The sky on the horizon was overloaded and the clouds were rising rapidly. There would be storm. which was develop.