The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-10-21


him to hear the voice Of the world In
comment upon my relation, and |
knew he would find it on yonder ship"
81 was happy said the man, ito go
on as we were. | should not have
lighted that fire.
Pray continue with your story,
Miss Brenton," said the lieutenant
commander Il am deeply interested
in it.. There Is a great Charnock es-
tate in Virginia which has been held
for 80 years or more by the last sur
viyor Of the ancient family And re-
member some romantic story connect
ed with it, too"
THE silver box that Enclosed the
flint and STEEL" continued the woman,
''was marked j. r. c. Exploring the
island came upon the remains of
boat, and any of you may examine it.
Near the boat in yonder coppice there
were two skeletons, one Of woman
and the other of a dog. | eXcavated
the boat, found that 1t had belonged
to the ship Nansemond of Virginia.
have the stern pieces with the name
painted on it in my cave. l put the
skeletons Of the dog and the woman
in the boat and filled it up again with
sand. There they lie waiting Chris
tian burial The place where they
had died, the woman and her dog, I
carefully inspected. Everything but
metal, and most of that, had rusted
away, but found two rings She
stretched forth her hand. They are
here" She stripped them of. "One
Of them is wedding ring. You see
it is marked" She read the markings
off, u. R. G. to M. p. 7. September
10, 1869, II. Cor. xii, Is. The verse OF
Scripture to which reference is made
is I will very gladly spend and be
spent for you, though the more album
dainty love you, the less be loved.
There was a piece Of silver, also,
which had evidently been part Of a
dogs collar. It, too, was marked:
John Reyell Charnock- Dog, July
22-1S75.' And that was all.
DO you remember nothing Of your
, early life, nothing whatever, sir? o.
asked Whitaker, turning to the man.
: Il have dim recollection Of some
sort of sea happening, of long yoy-
age with a woman and some kind Of
an animal in an open boat, Of horrible
sufferings, of few words of prayer;
that is all"
II think that this man, then child,
resumed the woman, land his mother
y must in some way have been involved
y in a shipwreck, and that she and her
!, son and dog must have been cast
a. away on this island; that the woman
y died and the child survived. There is
nothing here that would in any way
harm him and his life and growth I'M
! der such circumstances and condi
{ tons are quite possible. He had prob
Il ably seen his mother read that Bible
u He carried it with him, put it in that
+ cave and forgot 1t with the flint anG
;, steel in the silver box OF which he
= would have no knowledge and which
= he could not use. The dog probably
u lived some time and when he dice
craWled back to where his mistres!
81 lay and gave up his life at her feet
:. And therefore l believe this man!
name to be John Reyell Charnock
that he is an American, and that h,
came from Virginia. l know him tt
I. be Christian and a gentleman. Il
le all the days that we have been togeth
VI er on this island he has done me n
q wrong. He has been gentleness, kind
u. ness, docility itself, and despite ou1
II selves we have learned to love eac1
ID other. Until yesterday we did no
I know it. Now it is for him to sa
II what we will do"
Il kate, Kate" cried Langford, "yo
ID cannot let this untutored savage"
~ mot that said the woman, for
Il have taught him all know and all
g believe"
re "You cannot let him decide thi
OF question:" continued the man, passin
over her interruption.
or "Yes," said the woman, che mus
I'd decide, but whatever he decides, wha
ever the relationship between thi
ne man and this woman is to be, I ca
ry never be anything on earth to you
Don't say that" said Whittake
n. Think, my dear lady, what you d.
ny what this man offers YOU. the positio
in which = God forgive me! yo
st, stand"
IN. Sir" said the woman, addressin
lis the lieutenant commander, this ma
Id wronged me grievously, terribly. H
deceived me. He broke my heart H
ed killed ambition, aspiration and respe'
he for my own kind within my soul.
as know him through and through. I'll
fact that he failed quickened his pa
sion; the fact that men say l a
= beautiful made him the more eager
the fact that he was away and tn
~ he could not lay his hands upon n
made him the more insistent; the IA
@t that had Haunted him and said hi
nay and struck him down made hi