Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-09-15

on as we were. BnOulu not nave |
lighted that fire."
pray continue with your story,
Miss Brenton," said the lieutenant |
commander. 81 am deeply interested
in 1t. There is a great Charnock es-
tate in Virginia which has been held |
for 80 years or more by the last sur
vivor of the ancient family. And re-
member some romantic story connect
ed with it, too"
THE silver box that inclosed 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 a woman
and tlRa other of a dog. excavated
the boat, found that it 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 filed it up again with
sand. There they lie waiting Chris
tian burial The place where they
4
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 off. "One
of them is wedding ring. You see
it is marked" She read the markings
off, 81. R. G. to M. P. T. 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 abun-
dainty love you, the less be loved
There was piece of silver, also,
which had evidently been part Of a
dogs collar. 1t, too, was, marked:
John Revell Charnock-His Dog, July
22-1875.' And that was all"
do you remember nothing of your
early life, nothing whatever, sir?"
asked Whitaker, turning to the man.
II have a dim recollection of some
sort of sea happening, Of long voy-
age with woman and some kind OF
an animal in an open boat, of horrible
sufferings, of few words Of prayer;
that is ALL"
81 think that this man, then child"
resumed the woman, "and his mother
must in some way have been involved
in a shipwreck, and that she and her
son and dog must have been cast
away on this island; that the woman
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
ably seen his mother read that Bible.
He carried it with him, put it in that
cave and forgot It with the flint and
steel In the silver box of which he
would have no knowledge and which
he could not use. The dog probably
| lived some time and when he died
crawled back to where his mistress
lay and gave up his life at her feet.
And therefore l believe this mans
name to be John Revell Charnock;
that he is an American, and that he
came from Virginia. I know him to
be a Christian and a gentleman. In
all the days that we have been togeth-
er on this island he has done me no
wrong. He has been gentleDess, kind
ness, docility itself, and despite our
selves we have learned to love each
other. Until yesterday we did not
know 1t. Now it is for him to say
what we will do"
"Kate, Kate" cried Langford, you
cannot let this untutored savage"
mot that" said the woman, "for
have taught him all know and all
believe"
"You cannot let him decide this
question" continued the man, passing
over her interruption.
EYES," said the woman, che must
decide, but whatever he decides, what
ever the relationship between this
, man and this woman is to be, can
: never be anything on earth to you
Don't say that" said Whitaker
Think, my dear lady, what you do
what this man offers you, the position
in which - God forgive mel you
stand"
"Sir," said the woman, addressing
) the lieutenant commander, "this mar
! wronged me grievously, terribly. He
deceived me. He broke my heart. He
/ killed ambition, aspiration and respeo
3 for my own kind within my soul.
J know him through and through. Tht
fact that he failed quickened his pas
sion; the fact that men say l an
beautiful made him the more eager
, the fact that he was away and tina
/ he could not lay his hands upon mi
made him the more insistent; the fac
that / had Haunted him and said hin
nay and struck him down made hin
the more determined"
> Kate, Kate, you wrong me. Befor
God you wrong mel" interruptet
s Langford.
n and indeed madam, believe yov
do" commented Whitaker.
y LET her speak on" said the man .
the island
d ut may be that you are right" cor