Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1910-05-24
CHAPTER K.

CHAPTER K.
WHEREIN CERTAIN PEOPLE MEET uNEx
PEcTEDLY.
RIS came back from the void Il
find herself lying on q rucklt
bed in dimly lighted hovel
She gazed up with uncompre
bending eyes at two brown skinned
women bending over her.
One. the elder. was chatting bel
hands. The other. a tall. graceful
girl. was stirring something in ar
earthenware vessel.
Where am 1? How did I come
here:" Iris asked.
Then she remembered, and memory
brought feeling Of helplessness moi
wholly devoid Of self reproach. l,
was bad enough that her presence
should add so greatly to the dangers
besetting her friends. :. 1t was faI
worse that she should have tainted al
the very moment when such weakness
might we'll prove fatal to them.
Why did she faint? All. A lively
blush chused the pallOr from her
cheeks. aud few strenuous heart
beats restored animation to her limbs
OF course In thinking that she had
| yielded solely to the stress Of sur.
charged emotions Iris was mistaken
What she really needed was food. A
young woman Of perfect physique and
lowered with the best Of health does
not collapse into Inconsistencies be-
cause a young man embraces her and
each at the same moment makes the
blissfui discovery that the wide world
contains no other individual Of su-
preme Importance. She hardly realized
how hungry she was until the girl
handed her the bowl. which contained
a couple of eggs beaten up In milk,
while small quantities Of rum and
sugar cane juice made the compound
palatable.
While the girl Manoela was furtively
appraising the clothing worn by Iris
her mother was listening ever for
hasty footsteps among the trailing
vines.
At last. with a muttered prayer. she
went TO the door and unfastened the
stout wooden staple that prevented In
truders from entering unbidden. Some
one approached.
"ls that you. ManoelY asked Luisa
Gomez In bushed voice.
There was no answer. The woman
drew back. She would have closed
the door. but a slim. active figure
sprang across the threshold. She
shrieked in terror. The newcomer
was Brazilian officer.
81 think you are here. mademoiselle,"
he said In French. II am come to
share your retreat for a little while.
Perchance by daybreak l may arrive
at some plan. At present you and l
are In difficulties. Is 1t notF
Iris recognized the voluble. jerky
speech. A wild foreboding gripped her
heart until she was like to shudder un-
der its fierce anguish.
"You. Captain San Benavides" she
asked. and her utterance was unnatu.
rally calm.
~. mademoiselle." he said. land.
alas. I am alone. May come In? 1t Is
not we'll to show light at this hour.
seeing that the island Ia overrun with
infuriated soldiers"
The concluding sentence was ad-
dressed to Luisa Gomez In Portu-
guese. Realizing instinctively that the
man came as friend. she stood aside.
trembling. on the verge Of tears. He
entered. and the door was closed be-
hind him.
~ am the only man who escaped.
mademoiselle. The others? Well. 1t is
war. and war Is lottery"
"Do you mean that they have been
killed. all killed" she murmured, with
u pitiful Sob
%-I think So"
"You think? Do you not knowr
he sighed. Bis hand sought an emp
ty cigarette case. Such was the cor.
rect military air. he fancied-to treat
misfortunes rather as jests. He frown'
ed because the case was empty. but
smiled at Iris.
"lt Is so hard. mademoiselle. when
one speaks these things In q strange
tongue. Permit me to explain that
which has arrived. We encountered
picket and surprised It Having &C.
cured some weapons and accoutes.
ments, we FASTENED to the quay. where
was moored the little steamship. Un.
happily she was crowded with SOL
diers. They fred. and there was
short fight. l was knocked down. and
what do you cali it-etourdi-while
one might count ten. / rose. haif
blinded. and what do | see? The ves-
sci leaving the quay full Of men en-
yaged In combat. while just beyond
the point a warship Is signaling her
arrival. II was Brazilian warship.
mademoiselle. She showed two red
rockets. followed by q white one. II
Was only u matter Of minutes before
she met the little steamship ] tell
Won that II vas bad luck. thnt-a vile
blow. | was angry. yes. l stamp IN!
foot and say foolish things. Then
run
Iris made no reply. She hid her face
In her hands. She could frame nc
more questions. San Benavides was
trying to tell her that Hozier and the
rest had been overwhelmed By fate at
the very instant escape seemed to be
within reach. The Brazilian. proba-
bly because of difficulties that basel
him In using a foreign language. did
not make II clear that he had dung
himself HAT in the dust when he heard
the order to Hre given by some one on
board the launch.
Then the lightning Of woman's In
tuition pierced the abyss OF despair
Surely there were curious blanks IN
This thrilling narrative. As was her
way when thoroughly aroused, Iris
stood up aud seized San Benavides al
most roughly by the arm. Her dis
traught eyes searched his face with O
pathetic earnestness.
why do you think that the launch
did not get awayY she cried. 1T was