, 1910-02-17

auI II &C. hoh'
~ nod to r-eciuitate the fray.
.r anpeal to YOU" said the woman
turning to Lang. ord, send back the
mon A moment since | saved YOU
HE Al a word from me he would have
thrown YOU from him and broken youf
hack. Be generous. You must. Anc
this man shall give me a hearing
You are safe from him, 1 promise
you
What might have been the result OF
this appeal can neve be determined,
for at that moment a new factor en-.
tered upon the scene, afactor whose
presence was as surprising and unex.
pected as II was determinative. From
ont to sea, yet Vel at hand, came a
mufled defamation, the roar of a
heavy gun. Around one of the head.
lands that rose On that side of the is.
land there swept the white sides of
another great ship beside which the
yacht. imposing though she was, was
A toy. 1t was the woman who saw ii
first.
Look" she cried. "A ship of war,
A cruiser. See, from her STAFF the flag
Of the United States. This land is
American. / claim 1t by right of dis
covery. Lay but a hand upon this
man, and | will have you hanged for
murder, Langford. They see us there.
Their glasses have searched the shore.
They have seen this encounter. That
gun was a warning. A boat pats off.
Thank God, we are saved from YOU"
Things had TRANSFERRED even as she
said. What the cruiser was doing in
those seas, how happened she to be
there we're things as yet unknown,
but that she was there was apparent.
She had approached the island from
the other side, and had sailed around
It Her men had observed the encoun.
ter on the shore, which seemed to
be between natives and persons from
the yacht. which was in plain view a
little farther out to sea, and the gan
had been fired to call attention to the
power of the United States.
This put an entirely new face on
the whole affair. Matters were taken
out of the hands of the parties to the
quarrel. The law had come to the Is.
land. The islander did not, could not
know it, but his baf1ed antagonist
realized 1t Immediately. So did the
woman. At Langford's command, his
men. much bewildered at the scene
they had witnessed, went back to
their boat. He himself presently fol
lowed after. and stood upon the
strand awaiting the approach of the
heavy man.of-war cutter which had
Ibeen put away from the white cruis
|er's side.
Man" she said. softly. this is
What | had to tell you"
He nodded. A hollow groan burst
rom his lips. g SO -7t
His Mistress" he muttered. bro.
kenly.
Il would not have had you learn
n this way, and now that you have
lard so much, you must hear more
me went on, not sparing herself.
hough she might have Justly resent.
d the word. She was dealing with
ore serious things than words now,
liter though they might be. That
MP, which is the ship of our country.
ltands for law as his for license. I
'as more sinned against than sin.
ing. When you have heard all. then
gu shall Judge. This is the test"
Would God that it had never been
nd upon me-" said the man, hoarse-
y. Would God that the beacon had
pot been lighted on the hill,"
Nay" returned the woman, gently.
mats past praying for. Decision
''ts With you. but you must not pass
until o have heard the whole
'o.E The world holds me stained,
Pohuted, 1t may be said, but l
m not the sinner that 1t thinks me or
p portrays."
You said 1t was true" doggedly
PRED the man.
Yes, but not all true"
And ! had him in my hands, and
pm he lives"
Won o hear me?" pleaded the
foman.
Inc man shook her off and turned
way The very innocence which had
prevented his understanding at frs,
It charge made 1t the more hideou
men comprehension came. He had
p'ed this woman with a love that
SSed the love of man, for there had
OF entered into his mind the faintest
osSlhility hat she could ever be or
nave been other than what she
''ed' a daughter Of the gods IN
u'h' In sweetness and in purity. And
us strange man had come from out
world and proclaimed her his mis-.
eas' MS cast-off, abandoned mistress.
nre the clew was given he found
ore hldeous depths of infamy in that
ora than would have appeared had
e a wiser and more expert
nceu vision. Indeed. so clear and
ne was the soul of this woman hat
man OF the world would have known
S'antly that there was an explana-
WI which the child of nature could
see forthcoming. He wanted to