The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-08-26

De"iiHe the name OF John ReVell Char
hock, with date Is years before he
iandins. She concludes that her com
panion Is an American and that he IVA
cast ashore on the island when a child
CHAPTER lV-Contlnued,
The first impulse of the woman wa
TO laugh. The next impulse was t,
take Off the palm leaf hat and stan,
with bowed head and clasped hands
What marvellous miracle was THU
that throughout the years which sh,
could no longer doubt this man hat
Deeh alone on the island, there hat
survived the one childish habit O
prayer and that the one vestige O
language which had remained to hin
was the language Of petition. She die
not believe in it, of course. 1t wa:
aosurs to her, but it was none the less
wonderful. 1t filled her with a certain
awe. 1t was as if sorpe power had
maintained hold upon the conscious
ness of this man in this way.
NOW lay me down to sleep!" How
long 1t had been since she had said
.nat! She believed nothing, she cared
Tor nothing, but the woman hid her
lace IN her hands for moment. She
clenched her teeth and forced out of
her mind that which at that moment
was striving for birth. She was to
teacn this man everything. She was
20 make him know life and history,
sne was to bring him in touch with all
4ne giorles of to-day and she recog.
nlzed IN that hour, although she did
NOT and could not admit it, that per.
maps he might teach her something
as well, something that she had not
known or something that she had for
Sotten, without the knowledge of
which all her science was a vain, a
foolish, futile thing.
The little prayer was ended, The
man rose to his feet She took her
spade and went back to the place
where the bodies had lain and there
began carefully to scrape away the
earth, examining scrupulously every
shovelful ere she threw it aside. In
one place where the hand had lain,
she remembered, her labors were re-
Warded. She came across two rings,
diamond and a plain circlet of gold.
.FIhese she placed in her tunic with
the collar and continued her digging.
1t was growing late and growing
dark, but she left no square inch of
ground unexplored. She found moth
Ding else. The rings belonged to a
woman evidently. Her surmise in that
particular was right There were no
other metal parts Of her apparel left.
The nails In her shoes, the steel of
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 sun
had gone down before she ceased and
upon the island there descended that
quick and sudden night Of the tropics.
PThe wind had risen, the old ocean was
laundering on the barrier reef and a
heavy sea breeze was shrieking
through the trees. The sky on the
horizon was overloaded and the
clouds were rising rapidly. There
would be storm, which was develop
Ing with tropic rapidity. Quickly she
ratraced her. steps along the sand
toward the cave on the other side, the
man following.
They had progressed not more than
half wayasWhen the storm bust upon
them. Peals of thunder and flashes
Of lightning filled the air. It was such
! display Of the Titanic forces Of ma
lure as might have appalled, the stout
est heart, It filed the woman with a
7ague terror. She noticed with sat
sfaction that the man was entirely
by the terrific demonstra-
ions of nature By the flashes Of
lightning as they stumbled along in
he otherwise total blackness she
ould see his face serene. In mo-
nent of apprehension she caught his s
and with her own and chung to it !
ightly.aIt was the unconscious appeal
f tho physical weaker to the physical
tronger. Her hand had clasped the /
ands OF her fellow creatures many f
ines. Never before had his palm !
let the palm OF human being, much b
,ss a woman's. She could feel that t
remor run through him, but by in t
ttnct, as 1t were, he met her hand n
Iasp with his own. and together they b
Jade their way to the cave. t
They had scarcely reached It when +,
le rain burst upon them. The heavens n
ere opened, the floods descended, "
icy beat upon the sands in fury. She G
,uld not drive him out there In that II
BOD for the night. She motioned "
Im to come within the entrance Of "
Is cave which was sheltered from the k
Ind and which was dry and still, She Il
ade him lie down near the entrance "
id then, withdrawing herself into a In,
cess at the side, she disposed Of the n,
.rs, which she had carried home on Il