Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1910-03-16
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Pardon me moment, chaplain .
interposed Whitaker; "but the young
lady has asked that some of us go
ashore to take her deposition as to
the matters that have been alleged
concerning our friend here. Capt.
Ashby, will your"
Certainly, Mr. Whitaker, / will go.
And If you will accompany me, doctor,
and you, chaplain, j shall be glad. Mr.
Whitaker, you are notary public
and can administer the necessary
oaths."
Very good, sir" returned Mr.. Whit
taker The other gentlemen bowed
their sacquiescence. THE lady said
she would like to be undisturbed until
evening"
AT two bells In the second dog
watch then have the cutter called
away returned the captain.
Beg pardon, captain, +" said the sur
geon, hut do you or any of you know
this lady to be Miss Brenton?"
No. said the captain, 81 don't
know her. Do you, Mr.. Whitaker, or
you. chaplain % q
Well, then" said the surgeon. az
both the officers shook their heads. ut
will be necessary to have some one
ashore who does know her in order to
swear to her identity to make her
deposition worth anything
There is Langford, said Whitta.
ker, he knows her. &
Very good, " said the captain; send
boat over to the yacht and present
my compliments to Mr.. Langford. Ask
him II he will meet US ashore at quar-
ter after Ave o'clock. Say to him also
that ! should be glad to have him dine
with me tonight at seven. Chaplin,
will you and Mr.. Charnock take lunch.
con with me later?"
Now, to go back to the island. The
woman stood on the strand proudly.
resolutely, sternly erect, without !
sign OF unbending until the boats
reached the Sides OF the two ships.
Even then she kept herself in the
bonds Of control Of steel. She turned
slowly, walked up the beach, entered
the grove Of palms, mechanically found
the path and plodded along 1t, still
erect and unbending, until the wind
ings of the trail and the thickening OF
the grove hid her from any chance
watchers on the ship.
Then came the moment Of yielding.
As If the tension had been suddenly
released, she reeled, staggered; her
heart almost stopped. Her instinct
was to throw herself prone upon the
grass, but she recovered herself in
time and, with the natural inclination
Of the troubled toward the place, how
ever rude and humble It may be-. that
Is called home, she summoned her
strength and dragged herself on
through the trees over the hill
whence backward glance would have
given her sight Of the ships, but she
never took It down the other slope
across the beach and to the cave
which had been her haven for these
three years..
Then, and not until then, did she
give way completely She threw her
self down upon the sand in the cool
shadow Of the great rocks in what to
her had suddenly become weary
land, and outstretched her arms as IL
to clasp the earth to her breast in de-
tault of the man she had dreamed oc
and trusted, she had loved and lived
for, and lay there . silent, shuddering,
wretched figure.
! Her crushing disappointment at his
failure to rise to the measure of her
Adeal OF him, the total end of her
dream Of happiness, the breaking Of
all her hopes, the closing of all her
ambitions, the tearing asunder Of her
3heartstrings whelmed her In agony.
She had thought that never could hui
mainly experience more than the pain
superinduced by the horror Of her POI
sition upon the ship, but that pain to
the present was like q caress. For to
all that old horror was added a new
sense Of loss, OF disappointment and
despair. 4 She had not loved before;
now she did, and the sorrow and an
guish were measured by the depth and
power of her passion. The period on
the yacht had been an episode. This
was life, eternal life or death, she
thought. And It shows the power Of
the episode that 1t had colored and
would color-was 1t darkly Pail the
future.
That Christian philosophy which she
had fondly believed she had acquired,
and in which 10 fatal error! she had
somehow taken pride, fell from her
like every other quality, good or bad,
that is developed alone. It had lacked
exercise. She, too, had submitted to
NO tests since she had come to the
island. She had surmounted no temp
tatfons. She had fought no battles.
She had not become veteran by con-
quest. She had not perfected her Of
fensiYe and defensive weapons by
series of smaller conflicts which would
give her confidence and courage to
fight the great and final battle. Like
Elijah Of old, dismayed, disheartened.
broken. she prayed that she might die
there on the sands.