The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-04-08
siIl never belIeYe IL

WIN never believe IL II cannot
sAndSyetsit was. but you shall have
the whole wretcheds story today, and
you shall Judge. This much! / viii
say, that though nil that he said wal
true. yet I hold myself biameless md
innocent. The world Judges me
harshly,s and It may be that YOU will
find its Judgment Just. Yeti do not
hold myself as on trial at this moment.
but you
81 do not understand"
There are many things that you do
not understand, my friend
would that l had been left IN Is.
norance.s
NAY, th-t is no: a man'S wish, but
"a. chlld's..
OF one ti!irs + am certain"
.hnd wLat is that?"
That l should have Killed hint"
Nay" said the woman again, that
is not a child's wish. but a brutc's.t'
You saidsyourself," he flashed at
;her, that there we're some things a
woman could not forgive; and this
Is one that a man puts in the same
class"
The woman sighed. There occurred
to her at the moment no answer which
was adequate to the stark realism Of
this fact. The conversation had reached
an impasse beyond which It could not
progress without. the full and com.
plete explanation which nowhere wa,
neither time nor opportunity to give,
for the boat from the man.of.war was
approaching the shore. The woman
stepped r%esolutely down the strand to
meet 1t, and the man. after a slight
hesitation. followed her.
So soon as the boats keel grated on
the bottom In the shallow water. a
m%iddle.aged officer rose from the stern
sheets and stepped ashore followed
by a younger companion IN the uni.
form OF a sergeant of marines. "a
little squad Of privates in the bows
landed and fell in line with martial
CELEBRITY and precision. The officer in
charge, who wore the white tropic uni.
formfof a lieutenant commander, now
faced the people on the island who
had instinctively divided into two
groups, one on either side Of him.
To the right stood the man and be.
hind him the woman. to the left Lang.
ford, back OF, him his crew. It was
to the latter that the officer first I'D.
dressed himself.
Sir" he began, II am the execu.
tive officer of the United States
cruiser Cheyenne, detached on special
service. We raised this island this
morning, al II! down, circled It, saw
the yacht yonder- Il
He pauseda
Is my yacht; sir, ditheS Southern
Cross answered. the: other. sSry
name rs tLangford:w IN
Glad: to neet you NJ. Iahgfotd;
Mine stWhittaker +
The lle1teasnt commapderstoIcEed
!hsscap<as he! spoke. Langford lifted
his, and the two shook hands.
IiI"Ws aahTl, tha lieutenant
commander. what appeared to be
some sort Of a fracas with the natives,
and fired a gun to attract attention,
and Capt. Ashby sent this boat party
ashore under my charge to do what.
ever was, necessary. Perhaps you can
explain how you came. to be EN-.
broiled with the natives"
%"Slr," said the woman And the
fact, that she addressed him In his own
language. and with the cultured &C.
cents of the well-bred and the well.
educated. caused the officer to start
violent1y-"the island is mine."
Mr.. Whitaker turned and looked
deliberately at her. his surprise only
cQualed by his admiration. The tunic
that she wore was a rough garment,
and shapeless. but few vestments were
better calculated to set of her ex.
auIsite proportions. The grace and
beauty of her figure. the nobility and
intelligence Of her face took added
luster from the contrast OF the utterly
simple. natural and primitive. Whit.
takers glance fell upon a well.nigh per.
feet woman. The constraining infu.
ences OF civilization had been so long
absent that nature had time and CD.
%portunity to reassert its claim. She
WAS tall, exquisitely modelled. Her
bare arms might have supplied those
missing from the Venus Of Milo; her
limbs. which the short tunic to her
knees left exposed, were perfect in
their symmetry and strength: her feet
were such as those to which ancient
Greece had bowed: her hands were
shapely, graceful. yet strong: her dark
eyes looked ut him fcarlessly; her
dark hair rose like a somber, cloudy
crown above her brow. The fierce sun,
the open air. the wild wind had not
materially altered the clear, slightly
olive pallor Of her face. The woman
had been beautiful before. Now that
nature had had free sway. she was
nobly lovely. She had stood a little In
the e a of the man at first and the
lieutenant commander had not partlc,
ularly observed her. When she spoke,
sha stanpad into fho oman III ct,r,,,