The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-11


RIS came back from the void to
nnd herself lying on a truckle
u bed In a dimly lighted howell.
She gazed up with uncompre-
bending eyes at two brown skinned
women bending over her.
One. the elder. was chatting her
hands The other. a tall. graceful
girl. was stirring something In al
sarthenware vessel.
Where am ~ How did 1 come
hereY' Iris asked.
Then she remembered. and memory
brought q feeling Of helplessness not
wholly devoid Of self reproach. II
was bad enough that her presence
should add 90 greatly to the dangers
besetting her friends. IL was far
worse that she should have tainted at
the very moment when such weakness
might well prove fatal to them.
Why did she faintf All! A lively
blush chased the pallor from her
cheeks. and few strenuous heart
beats restored animation to her limbs.
OF course In thinking that she nad
yielded solely to the stress of sur
charged emotions Iris was mistaken.
What she really needed was food. A
young woman Of perfect physique and
lowered with the best Of health does
not collapse into Inconsistencies be-
cause 4 young man embraces her and
s.-a at the same moment makes the
blissfui discovery that the wide world
contains no other individual of su-
preme importance. She hardly realized
how hungry she was until the girl
handed her the bowl which contained
. couple Of eggs beaten mp In milk.
while small quantities OF rum and
sogar cane juice made the compound
paiatable.
While the girl Manoela was furtiveiy
appraising the clothing worn by Iris
her mother was listening ever for
has.y footsteps among the trailing
vines.
At last with q muttered prayer. she
went TO the door and unfastened the
stout wooden staple that prevented In
truders from entering unbidden. Some
one approached.
lis that you. Manoelr' asked Luisa
Gomez In hushed voice.
There was no answer. The woman
drew back. She would have closed
the door. but q slim. active figure
sprang across the threshold. She
shrieked in terror. The newcomer
was q Brazilian oficer.
hs said In French. II am come to
share your retreat for a little while
Percbance by daybreak . may arrive
at some plan. AT present you and 1
are In difficulties. Is IL notY'
Iris recognized the voluble. jerky
speech. wild forebodlng gripped her
heart until she was like TO shudder un-
der Its uerce anguish.
"You. Captain San Benavides" she
asked. and ber utterance was unnatu-
rally calm.
II. mademoiselle." he said. "aud.
alas. I am alone. May come ini IL N
not well TO show light at this holss
seeing that the island is overrun VIZ
infuriated soldiers"
The concluding sentence was o..
dressed TO Luisa Gomez In Por
guese. Realizing instinctively that IN
man came as n friend. she stood asi, Q
trembling. on the verge OF tears. En
entered. aud the door was closed le-
hind him.
~ am the only man who escaped.
nademoise'ie. The others3 Well. II Is
var. end war Is a lottery"
do you mean that they have been
Killed. all killedT" she murmured. with
4 pitiful sob.
I'll think So"
"You thlnki DO you not known
He sighed His hand sought an emp
~ cigarette case. Such was the cor
rest military air. be fancied-to treat
mlsfortunes rather as jests. He frown-
% because the case was empty, but
-niled at lris
-ir Is so hard. mademoiselle, when
Que speaks these things In a strange
tongue. Permit me to explain that
which has arrived We encountered
ptcket and surprised IL Having Sc
cured some weapons and accoutes-
ments. we FASTENED to the quay. where
was moored the little steamship. Un.
happily she was crowded with sol
diers- They fred. and there was
short hght. l was knocked down. ana
what do you call it--etourdi- while
one might count ten rose. half
blinded. and what do I see? The yes
sci leaving the quay full OF men en-
gagged In combat. while just beyond
the point warshlp Is signaling her
arrival II was Brazilian warship.
mademolselle she showed two red
rockets. followed by a white one. IL
was ONLY matter OF minutes before
she met the httle steamship. ! tell
you that II was bad luck. that--a vile
blow. | was angry. yes I stamp my
foot aud say foolish things Then