The Harlowton news. [volume] (Harlowton, Mont.) 1909-1914, 1910-04-15
see the ngures upon the deck"

MUMMY. IL ISL L likely. OO you WISH
to see other women?"
None" was the instant answer. 81
wondered if my brothers would bring
you sisters. That was ALL"
There was absolutely no dissimula
ton about the man. There had been
no coquetry about her. He would
simply have failed entirely to under.
stand what it was. He was as honest,
as straightforward as absolute sim
plicity and sincerity must ever be,
and she had met him exactly on his
own ground. 1t was impossible, there.
fore, for her to misapprehend his
mere casual interest.
She stood quietly studying the ap-
preaching vessel. AS she did so, it
came to her mind that there was some
thing strangely familiar about the on
coming ship. She stared longer and
the conviction grew upon her. When
she realized it she clasped her hand
to her heart with sudden gasp and
turned white face upon him. He
was all solicitude in an instant
What is the matter?" he cried
"Your face is white; you look so
strangely"
1T is sudden pain" she gasped,
terror and dismay constructing her
throat.
She wavered. He thought she was
going to fall. He stepped closer to
her and put his arm about her.
mo, moi" she said, repulsing.
1t was the first command she had
given him in those bygone days when
he had stood dumbly before her.
mo, mol" she pushed him away. II
shall be all right"
"And has the approach Of men de-
prived me of the privilege of touch
ing your" he asked, wistfully What
is the matter?"
Don't ask me now" she answered.
"1-I-cannot explain"
The vessel was nearer now and az
she stared 1t came to a stop and
swung broadside to the reef. There
was no mistaking it. 1t was the South
ern Cross. She knew it as we'll as she
knew her own face. The thing which
she had dreaded so when she fed
from that vessel in the launch, which
she had dreaded for time in the
first period of her sojourn on the IL
land, had come to pass. 1t was the
very yacht from which she had e.
capped. Undoubtedly it bore the man
from whom she had fed. He had
come to claim her. OF all the teem-
ing millions which the world held, this
was he whom she would fain have
avoided. Rather anyone and every
one had come to her than he! What
would happen when these men met?
The story that she would have told
him to-day in her own way had the
ship not appeared, the story that she
would have told him on her decks,
had that ship been other than it was,
he must now learn by the brutal force
Of circumstances. through some COM
pelling necessity wnich she could not
In any way influence or alter She
loathed the man who was coming to
aid her. Her Christianity trembled In
the balance. She would fain have
called invectives down upon his head,
and for the moment she swept the
whole sex together in one unreasoning
hatred and resentment in which the
man of the island participated. What
sorry jest had blind fate played upon
her?
She moved farther away from her
companion under the constrant of
these thoughts, and when he would
have approached her nearer, she
famed upon him in sudden anger that
left him appalled,. But under the in
fuence of it he kept his distance. She
saw the way of the yacht checked. She
saw the boat dropped from the davits
and manned by the men. She saw a
figure, too far off to recognize, but
which she OWNED must be his, de-
scend the battens from the gangway.
She saw the little boat headed toward
the shore. Then she turned to the
man. He was standing with folded
arms, his brow black as midnight,
staring out to sea. He knew nothing,
understood nothing, comprehended
nothing, suspected nothing. His only
realization was that she, his gentle
goddess, whom he had loved, was
angry with him, so far as he was con-
cerned, without rhyme or reason or
cause.
The stoppage Of the ship, the lower
ing OF the boat, it's approach to the
island were now matters of indiffer-
ence to him. She was angry. He
could think of nothing else and there
was bewilderment in his dismay.
Nothing had given him power to solve
the enigma of her conduct. Where she
gazed with serious intentness, he
looked listlessly. Her heart smote
her again. The sense of justice upon
which she prided herself came to her
rescue. She stepped close to him and
laid her hand upon his arm.
Forgive mel" she murmured and
her heart leaped within her bosom to
meet the great flush of pleasure in his
face as he responded instantly to her
CaresS and her appeal.