Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1910-07-22

nave no mans pity, no mans con-
tempt, that no man shall marry her
On suffrance, and that"
Right" said the surgeon, who was
a man of very few words and general
ly good ones.
my young friend" broke in the
chaplain, eff 1 might advise
But this" returned the Islander,
with fierceness, lis not a matter for
advice. l don't know the world or its
customs. must appear strange to
you men. But l TAX it that a mans
choice of a wife, q mans settlement
of his uture is not a thing that he
brooks counsel over. At any rate, l
want none Of it."
Come with me-" said the chaplain;
1--WE will talk it over. l nave lived
in the world" he went on, gently.
perhaps 1 can help you. Have we
your permission to withdraw, Capt.
Ashby?"
Certainly" said the captain.
Pardon me a moment, chaplain"
interposed Whitaker; but the young
lady has asked that some of US go
ashore to take her deposition as to
the matters that have been alleged
concerning our friend here. Capt.
Ashby. will your"
Certainly, Mr.. Whitaker, 1 will go.
And If you will accompany me, doctor,
and you, chaplain, 1 shall be glad. Mr..
Whitaker, you are a notary public
and can administer the necessary
oaths."
Very good, sir" returned MI. Whit
taker. The other gentlemen bowed
their acqulescence. The lady said
she would like to be undisturbed until
evening"
AT two bells in the second dog
watch then nave the cutter called
away" returned the captain.
BEG pardon, captain" said the sur
geon, but do you or any of you know
this lady to be Miss Brenton?"
NO." said the captain, Il don't
know her. Do you Mr.. Whitaker, or
you, chaplain?"
We'll, then" said the surgeon, as
both the officers shook their heads, ut
will be necessary to have some one
ashore who does know her in order to
swear to her identity to make her
deposition worth anything"
There is Langford," said Whitta-
ker, "he knows her"
VERY good" said the captain; send
a boat I'VE to the yacht n present
my compliments to Mr.. Langford. Ask
him if he will meet us ashore at quar-
ter after five o'clock. Say to him also
that l should be glad to have him dine
with me tonight at seven. Chaplin.
will you and Mr.. Charnock take lunch.
con with me later?"
Now, to go back to the island. The
woman stood on the strand proudly.
r~esolutely, sternly erect, without a
sign Of unbending until the boats
reached the sides of the two ships
Even then she kept herself in the
slowly, walked up the beach, entered
the grove Of palms, mechanically found
the path and plodded along it, still
erect and unbending, until the wind
ings of the trail and the thickening OF
the grove hid her from any chance
watchers OF the ship.
Then and not until then, did she
give way completely. She threw her
self down upon the sand in the coo,
shadow of the great rocks in what to
her had suddenly become a weary
land, and outstretched her arms as II
to clasp the earth to her breast In de
fault of the man she had dreamed Of
and trusted, she had loved and lived
for, and lay there a silent, shuddering
wretched figure.
Her crushing disappointment at his
failure to rise to the measure Of he1
ideal OF him, the total end of hel
dream OF happiness, the breaking OF
all her hopes, the closing of all hel
ambitions, the tearing asunder of hel
heartstrings whelmed her in agony
She had thought that never could hu
mainly experience more than the pair
s~uperinduced by the horror of her pc
sition upon the ship, but that pain tc
the present vas like a caress. For tC
all that old horror was added a new
sense of loss, of disappointment and
despair. Like Elijah of old, dismayed
disheartened, broken, h prayed that
she might die there on the sands.