The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-04-15
She Gasped j
Whisper.

Whisper.
understand, to whom he would fain
impart his own ideas if he could.
She stared at him perpleXed. She
was entirely at loss what to do, until
her eyes rowing past him detected a
dark object on the water line just
where the still blueness touched the
white sand. The sunlight was re-
! Elected from CLEANS of metal, and
| thinking that she recognized it, she
stepped from the shade Of the palms
and made her way unsteadily toward
| it. The man, without sound, follow
| ed closely at her side.
Her vision had been correct, for she
drew out OF the sand leather hand
| bag, such as women carry. 1t had
been deliberately fitted with bottles and
mirrors and toilet articles. Alas, it
was in sad state OF dilapidation now.
The bottles were broken, their con-
| tents gone. The bag had been lying
in the boat when it had been hurled
on the barrier in the night and the
same storm and tide which had borne
her ashore had hurled it also on the
sand. But it had come open in the
battering and its contents were pitt
ably ruined. With eager eyes and fin
| gers she examined everything. She
found intact a little mirror, pair of
scissors, little housewife which was
not part of the fittings and she won
dered how it failed of being washed
|
hairpins.
She had fought against starvation
and thirst and loneliness and despair
as she had fought against men and
she had not given way. She had set
her teeth and locked her hands and
hearted, most determined soldier in
the history of human struggles. But
as the realization Of this small mis-
fortune burst upon her, she sank down
on the sands and put her head in her
hands and sobbed. Tears did her good.
She had her cry out, utterly unhin-
dered, for the man stood by, shaking
his head and staring at her and max
ing those strange little sounds, but Of
fering in no way to modest her.
The water was beautifully clear and
she could see on the other side of the
barrier the remains of her boat. Per.
haps some time. if there were need
she could get to that boat, but for the
present all the fiotsam and jetsam OF
her wild and fearful voyage lay in a
water-soaked bag full of broken glass
and battered silver from which she
had rescued pair of scissors, mir.
ror, two combs, a housewife full OF
rusty needles and some hairpins. @
vanitas yanitatum!
She was wearing a serviceable dress
of blue serge with sailors blouse and
short skirt. Putting her precious
treasure trove within the loose blouse
and carrying the battered bag which
she meant to examine more carefully
later, she turned and made for the
shade of the trees again. For one thing
the sun rising rapidly was gaining
power and beating down with great
force upon her bare head. She haf
enjoyed the protection Of a wonderful
ly plated straw hat on her long voy
age else she could not have borne the
| heat, but that, too, was gone.
AS she walked inland. she noticed
J again off to her right that stream o
water which dropped over the tai
cliff in slender waterfall sweet in
viting pool at the base before ii raj
through the sands toward the sea. Sht
! made her way thither and at the brinl
knelt down and took long draughts o