The Comrade. (Winnfield, La.) 1890-1914, 1910-09-23

ldllOuS we're LIelE COuTeutlOuS "u1CA
had to be obeyed. And SO they parted.
But parted as they had never parted
before, torn asunder by their own
with their own petty rules,
their hearts protesting.
Long before the earthquake they
had erected on the topmost bill OF the
island huge pile of dead wood from
the groves beneath.
When they had parted she had sug-
gested to him-and it was Significant
that now it was a suggestion; yester-
day it would have been command
that he should take time to ascend the
hill and rearrange the great heap OF
wood which they had builded. During
all the time that had elapsed since she
had been there no sail had whitened
the horizon, no curl Of smoke had BE-
tokened the distant passing or
steamer. But no spot OF the globe
could forever remain unvisited, she
thought, and some day that pile of
wood might make a beacon light to
call civilization to them. He was glad
to comply with her suggestion, glad
for occupation, and so he promised
and went his way.
When he had disappeared, she
turned the edge Of the cliff in the Sc
Guided amphitheater where her cave
fronted the ocean. She threw aside
her tunic of woven grass and plunged
into the cool, delightful pool, which
fortunately the earthquake had not
disturbed. Her clothes, the scanty
garments she had improvised from her
underclothing, had long. since worn
out. It had not been difficult, how
ever, to plat of certain pliable PUSHES
which grew in plenty upon the island,
the loose and shapeless garments they
both wore. She had used strips torn
from what had remained Of her cloth
ing for binding and edging and prac-
tice had made her dextrous and skill
full in the rude weaving. She still
preserved, however, the blouse and
skirt of serge, her only pair of stock
ings and the canvas boating shoes.
Sometimes in idle moments she tried
those shoes on. Fortunately for her,
they were loose and easy. Going bare
foot three years had enlarged her
small and slender feet to something
like those human and proper proper
lions which, from the standpoint OF
nature at least, had greatly enhanced
their beauty. She kept these clothes,
she hardly knew why, perhaps for one
reason since she had been able TO
weave the waited garment so we'll
suited to her needs she had had no
use for them; perhaps against the day
of the arrival Of other civilization
| than her own.
Greatly refreshed by her bath-and
It shows her absolute confidence IN
: him and his worth that interruption
!. never occurred to her; 1t had never
. come and therefore it never would
. she resumed her tunic and walked
toward the cave. The tide was very
: low The sands terminated on one
: side in rocky ledge where lone
4 arm of the lagoon ran to the foot O.
= the cliff. The cliff had been tremen
p dously shaken, apparently, and she no
q ticed just above the water line mar
!. row opening. She had thought from
. noises during storms that there wa
!, hidden cave in the cliff with al
>. opening under the water. She hat
= imagined that possibly she could ente
:. it by diving, but she had never care'
~ to make the attempt, although by thl
- time she had become as much at hom
in the water or under it as if she ha
!, been a native of the south seas. Some
70 times in the morning they swan i
the lagoon together, oftentimes sh
: swan alone It was great pleasur
: to her and necessity as well in tina
Ia low latitude.
IT. Curiosity induced her to fnspet
~ more closely this opening near tn
i waters edge. Again throwing asid
ia her garment, she plunged into the ar
no Of the sea and swan boldly towar
=. the cliff. There was just room enoug
on between the waters level and the to
! Of the opening for her head. St
Ia found herself in straight passag
no way perhaps eight or 10 feet long an
Ut as many wide Cautiously she swa
-. through it and discovered herself
va an immense cave. Light filtere
~. through the opening and one or tv
nd assures had been opened here al
ar there, by the earthquake or by son
"a convulsion Of nature before, throus
no the rocky wall, invisible On the face
DC the cliff from the outside but qui
Id distinct within There was even
n stretch of sandy beach on one sic
ma She swan to it, clambered upon
,va and sat down to rest
he Here was an excellent haven Of r.
I'm. uge, instinctively occurred to her,
If. though refuge from what 8
on. scarcely knew Except at the We
life lowest of the ebb the entrance wol
yht be covered, and even then it wo,
les take curious and familiar eye to d
est cover the entrance or to imagine
but anything more than a deep rift in