The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-05-06
grasp from which escape was impossi-
BILE, endurance intolerable.

She glanced at the heap of draperies
by the side OF the couch, watched the
swing and sway of the room about her.
and tried to gather her tortured senses
together. Betty Lancey had never had
any imagination, but she was possessed
always with the poise Of six men and
the common sense of dozen. She ex-
amined her hands carefully, and found
them without scratch or bruise. She
felt no soreness of body but a numb
heaviness of brain. and confused
medley Of thought. She closed her eyes
and again dropped into a numbness.
She awakened from dreams Of
meal at LIE Roy's with Larry Morris
urging her to have just another piece
of this steak, Betty, do"
BY her side was small table, neat
ly spread with dainty linen, fragile
china. and exquisite silver, laden with
dozen appetizing viands. A negro
woman Of hulking build was gently
bathing her temples
That's right, child" said the black
woman, open your eyes and you'll feel
better. Open your lips, too. and taste
this broth. It's so nice! 1 made it for
you. just the way Mr. Francis likes it.
He says it Is the incest he ever ate"
Mention of "Mr. Francis" fetched to
mind the shock Of an earlier hour to
Betty. She suffered herself to be fed.
which the negress did as gently as
mother might. With reviving strength
Betty found her tongue again. She
questioned her servitor closely.
Have I been sick or drugged?"
you've been very SICK my girl. But
this sea voyage will put you right
again. When you get back from At
RIGA, you'll"
From Africa?" shrieked Betty. "Oh
where and why and how am I going
there? Oh, what has happened to
me?"
You're sailing straight for Africa in
the most comfortable manner possi-
ble," answered the negress, but as
tell you, you'll be sent home we'll and
safe.'
Betty sank back quieted and. dutiful-
ly ate for the negress. When she had
finished the black woman went away
and came back with steamer rugs and
wrappings.
MY name is Tyoga," announced the
negress. bluntly. Then she set about
combing Betty's sadly tangled hair
and wound the braids loosely around
her fevered head. I'm going to take
you up on deck, now. Mr.. Francis says
you need the air.
Tall and strong as Betty once had
been the giant negress picked her up
as if she had been a little girl, and
bore her to the upper deck and placed
her in luxuriously arranged steamer
chair.
The glare Of the sun on the water
hurt Betty's eyes terribly, but the salt
breeze refreshed her and the relief
from the smell of sulphur and the
sputterings of the electrical flashes
was unbounded. The surface of the
water was unwrinkled and sea and sky
were joined without a visible seam at
the juncture. The craft on which she
was sailing was the oldest Betty had
ever seen. Not larger than a comfort
able yacht, it was devoid Of rigging
machinery, or even sailors so far as
the casual eye could note. All around
pervaded that uncanny silence born of
the dearth of human companionship
Tyoga pushed little table covered
with books close to Bettys side, tuck
ed her round with the blankets, and
handed her little bell
Il shall be busy below" announced
the negress, but If you want me,
ring"
Then she disappeared down hatch
way Betty picked up the magazines
listlessly and found in addition sever
al current scientific journals in French
and in German, numerous Of the light
er American and English periodicals,
and San Francisco daily of date
several days prior to the murder OF
Cerisse Wayne. The yacht, for such
Retty termed it In the absence Of any
more accurate knowledge of the nature
| Of the craft, made good time through
the water It's soft motion, and the
glare OF the sun, sea and sky acted as
4 gentle hypnotic and Betty. with a
| few ANAL efforts for the retention Of
consciousness found herself slipping
into q dream Of wild unrest. Once it
seemed to her that the Malheureus
stood beside her. and then again Tyo-
! ga-she had hard shift to differentiate
between them, both were so tall, so
| hulking. SO sombre. Had she not heard
their voices in cultural converse
whose syllables she could not distin-
| guish, she would have thought that
the dual personality was but trick
Of her rebellious fancy and that only
one person beside herself was aboard
this yacht Of enchantment or delirium.
The golden day faded in rainbow
clash of scarlet and silver, Jasper and
jade. pink and purple and gold and
green. Pale evening, star-shot and
misty followed in its footsteps. At in
tervals Betty reused to be fed. only to
fall again into her dreams OF things
chaotic and things incomplete. Then
when 1t grew the dark gray dusk. with
a tight and shrivelled little quarter Of
q moon above them. Betty heard the
twang and tinlkle Of q banjo beside
her, and looking saw LIE Malheureux.
deep In the shadow. picking from the
strings Of the instrument melodies
with all the heartbreak and all the
soul-ache Of the world within their
measures.
Al the night darkened the music