, 1910-02-17

dark hair rose like a somber. cloudy
crown above her brow. The fierce sun.
the open air. the wild wind had not
materially altered the clear. Slightly
owe pailor of her face. The, woman
a been beautiful before, Now that
nature had had free sway. she was
nooiy lovely. She had stood a little In
the real of the man at first and the
lieutenant commander had not, partic.
u'sr,r observed her. When she smoke.
she stenped into the open. He stared
md stirred amazed. &aiArog
Indeed, the direct Intensity OF his
glance added ~aasudden new percep-
non 70 the womian's faculties and for
me FIRST time In years she realized
mat she was standing before her fell
lows half naked. In one swift mo-
h'ent convention leaped across the
missing Years and caught her in its
arm. The red flashed into her cheek;
beneath her rude vest her bosom rose
ana fell. Her instinct for the moment
was to ny. She wished that she had
put on those treasured garments which
'he had kept for a scene like this In
that cave all those years. It was too
late now. She summoned her cour-
age, and realizing that dignity, after
all, is not made of clothes or conyen-
ions, once more addressed him.
Sir she said, my name is Kath-
airline Brenton. ! am not, as you might
well think, a savage, but a castaway."
II beg your pardon" said the ON.
Ger, a man Of wide reading and cul-
lure; is 1t possible. that you are The
Katherine Brenton who wrote Fate
End nestiny'7"
Il am that unhappy woman"
Unhappy"
Yes" returned the other. q"
Madam" said the lieutenant COM
mahder. flushing deeply and bowling in
mis- turn. He had taken off his cap
at her first word. 81 beg your pardon,
have heard something of your story
He was very much embarrassed. 1t
was Langford who took up the tale.
Since you know so much. Mr.. Whit
taker, o may as well hear the rest.
Indeed. | am anxious that the world
should hear it. Miss Brenton and I,
we-er-did not believe in marriage,
and we went away-together."
Every word was agony to Langford.
who was a proud man: 1t was worse
than agony to Katharine Brenton, who
was a proud woman: and it was worst
agony of all to the man of the is
land. But Langford persisted. He did
not care how he hurt himself. Indeed,
he rather luxuriated in the conscious
ness of his own pain. 1t was part of
his %expiation. He realized that he
would have TO hurt Katharine, but per-
haps the very keenness of her pain
would make her realize her position.
and he wanted to win her, now thai
he had found her and seen her, more
than ever. Nor was his passion a
base one. Again he was ashamed of
what he had already said, so he spoke
the more frankly. He gave no thought
at all to the other man, but if he had.
he would have been glad to hurt him
until he killed him. ,' '''f
I'VE went on my yacht yonder three
years ago. lin short behaved
like a brute on it. / will admit
81 discovered that he was a mar
ried man." said the woman swiftly at
this juncture. She, too, would be
frank. This grave and middle-aged of
ficer should hear all. H had pro
fessed his belief in those views, which,
If you have read Fate n Destiny
you realize hat I entertained"
The officer bowed
And have you abandoned them
now" he asked.
Absolutely" was the firm swe
81 am a Christian woman. thank Cod"
Langford. Yet I was lot altogether
a sham or a lie. 1t was true that I
was a married man"
The lieutenant commander flashed a
contemptuous look at him at which
Langford WINGED. but he wen on. He
was determined to make an absolute
ly clean breast of the whole affair.
1T is true I was a married man.
but I was under the spell of Miss
Brenton's eloquence and of her
beauty"
81 can well understand that" said
the officer, gravely, as a matter of
course.
81 thought that marriage meant moth
ing, and that the old tie might be dis
regarded. I hated the woman who
bore my name, and so as Miss Bren-
toms disciple. as her devotee, for |
loved her, l will admit" she smiled
drearily, more than her philosophy, !
proposed that we should trample upon
the conventions she had taught me to
believe she despised, and go away to-
gether."
But you were not free" said the
woman. ito enter upon such an under
taking"
mo, by heaven." cried Whitaker.
Now, this conversation had been
carried on with three auditors. or
groups of auditors. besides those par
ticipating: Langford's yachtsmen, the
marines and seamen from the Chey