The Mena weekly star., 1910-05-12

ence but the best she had. And then she drew quietly back into the re- cesses of the cave and sat down lean ing against the wall, her eyes bright with dread, anticipation and curiosity. She watched and waited, resolved if necessary to remain awake the long night through.
 Outside the man had stood motion. less long time after the final repulse. 1 The dusk had not yet melted into dark out 'here and he was easily visible against the sky framed by the opening as dim picture. She was hardly aware of the intensity with which she watched him and she was greatly sur prised when she saw him at last kneel down upon the sands. She saw that the palms of his hands were pressed together in front of him; that his head was bowed, that his attitude was that of prayerl He was saying some. thing She could hear him without difficulty. She could distinguish no words in the rude succession of sounds that seemed to come from his lips, but her acute and quickened per ception seemed to recognize nearer resemblance to articulate speech than anything she had yet heard from him.
 What was he doing? In flash the woman realized that the man was praying The realization smote her like blow. for this woman had long since put away prayer. In her philoso- phy of life there was no place for God; in her scheme of affairs the Divine was unimminent And yet alone on that island, in the darkness, despite her attempt to mock away the con. sciousness, she was relieved at that sight.
 The little ritual on the sand ended with the one word her pupil knew.
 "Manl" he said striking his breast again and staring upward toward the heavens. "Mani" he cried as if in his new consciousness he would fain in. troduce himself to his Maker. the woman thought His Maker!" her lips writhed into a bitter smile that was half sheer.
 What would he dc next? He rose to his feet and peeped toward the door She grasped the scissors tight CT and held her breath. But he had learned his lesson. With indescribablf relief she saw him turn aside and cast himself down upon the sand where he lay motionless. If she had had any faith she would have breathed "Thanb Godi" As it was. she was very glad
 She watched him long time, spec ulating on the questions she had asked him on the hill In the morning; who he was what he was whence he came: where he had learned that bab- ble of prayer; why he was devoid of speech; what was the God to whom he prayed? She would study those things. The problems fascinated her. The desolation and loneliness of the island might have crushed her. Re lieved from her immediate apprehen- sions the man delighted her. She would investigate him, analyze him, synthesize him, teach him. She would mother him as woman a child. No such opportunity as was hers had ever presented itself to a human being. Free. as she imagined herself, from inherited prejudices, devoid of old su- perstitions, crammed with new learn ing, illuminated with new light, ab- horrent of narrow things, she fancied herself well fitted for that strangely maternal and preceptive role in which chance had placed her. She would play upon that mind virgin to her touch, if she might use woman's word, until it ran in harmony with her own Alone upon that island, the rest of the world away, she would find occupation. in terest. inspiration in that nascent man.
 He lay so still and so quiet that presently she arose and tiptoed softly to the entrance where unseen she could look down upon him. The moon rose back of the hill. Although he was in the shadow, there was still re- fraction sufficient to enable her to see his face. He was asleep. The quiet, dreamless, unvexed sleep of healthy animal, she thought. Their positions were reversed He had watched her before when she was of guard and asleep with what dim, dumb, inchoate effort it might be to comprehend her. Now 1t was her turn. He took no disfavor in her mind after her inspec- tion. He was a bold, splendid piece of what? Clay. She would put a soul in him. her soul Her soul was the only thing she knew. She forgot. or if she remembered it, disdained the ancient concept that before the dust of the earth became alive it had to be permeated with the breath not merely of man or woman, but of God.
 She came back at last and sought her corner, disposed her limbs to rest and kept through silent hours her lonely vigil So long as he slept she was safe. When he awakened, what then? So long as his mind slept, his soul slept his consciousness slept, she was safe, but when they, too awak- ened, when whatsoever light there might be that dawns in personality dispelled the night of idle dreams in which he lived what would happen then?
 Instinctively she shrank from the thought of the future. She was as one who had potent talisman in her hand and feared to put 1t to the touch So the fisherman in the Arabian tale, if he had known the contents of the corked bottle thrown up from the sea, might have hesitated ere he drew the stopper and released the prisoned