The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-25
trumpet
Island
By G0UvEREEUR MORRIS

tcessissed Jf>s. ysstfrxa,.
II the tugboat which brought my
supplies had been due the next day,
this story must have ended very cif-
ferently. should then have explained
matters to the captain. taken thu girl
to the mainland and advertised for her
friends. But the tug would not come
until the tenth day, and In the mean
while became SO charmed and fasci-
mated with the pupil and protege that
had fallen to me from the skies that
committed the deliberate crime OF let
ting the tug come and go rithout
knowledge of Ewes existence. You NAV
argue this as you VIII II was q crime,
deliberately committed, ana with full
knowledge that 1t was q crime. But I
excused myself in this way: Ewes
friends have already gone through the
anguish OF losing her. And 1t isn't
possible to undo that. II she is re-
turned now, they will have to endure
the added shock Of learning that her
memory Is completely gone: that she
is no longer the young woman they
helped to fashion, but child whose
few words OF language, even, take
their accent from man utterly
stranger to them-and a man upon
whom are fastened the whole heart
and affections OF her who was formerly
their Eve.
But sent a letter by the captain OF
the tugboat to a friend In whom I
fr11af
requisitioned whole list OF things ap-
propriate to girl on camping trip,
not emitting tooth brushes and cold
cream. And | begged my friend not
to misjudge me, or to draw any evil
conclusion from my commission
When come back to the world" I
said, Il will come straight to you with
an explanation. Meanwhile laugh IL
you like. but don't talk or omit any
thing named in the inclosed list
The minute the tugboat was under
way began to have misgiyings. The
minute she was out Of hail was filed
with the most awful remorse and
alarm. If Eve fell sick, cut off as we
were from doctors, her death would
be at my door. l shouted after the
tug; l raised a coat upon a pole and
waved 1t from high ground But no.
body saw me, think. And sat down,
full of agony and despair.
But nothing very awful happened.
Some phases of guardianship were
funny to deal with, and others embar-
RAISING. She caught little cold for
instance, and hadn't the remotest idea
how to blow her own nose. But the
pleasant phases of our companionship
Tar outweighed any others. Surely no
teacher ever had 80 apt a pupil, or
was so rewarded for patience. And
surely no pupil ever made such aston
1shing progress. This, of course, is
neither especially creditable to her nor
to me. She was merely learning what
she had formerly known; and I was
merely the medium through which this
renewment was accomplished. She
preserved, for instance, the mechanism
OF speech in perfect order, and / had
but to supply her with the words.
After little 1t was only necessary to
give her q word once. She never for
got. But what had the most amuse.
ment from was in teaching her deport-
ment and table manners, and in cor
recting her greedy love of sweets. Dis
pleasure, fortunately, was all the pun
ishment she ever required Certain
things really had to be corrected but
| could never have brought myself 20
the point Of shaking her or sending
her to bed without her supper.
Ii was at first not without missiy-
ings that | turned the cabin over to
her at night. For there was no way
OF locking up the provisions, and TO
hide them here and there about the
island was impracticable. But she soon
learned the meaning of being "put
upon honor" and after one lapse, Wis.
tied by me with scorn and Indifference.
you could not have induced her to
touch the jam or the brown sugar
without permission.
But when she had really begun Ia
grow up, II | may so express it. the
rulership of Trumpet Island passed
from my hands into hers. Indeed. (,
so happened that when she got to be
about fifteen pursuant to the express
sion used above) l fell head over ears
in love with her. And forthwith she
developed into creature Of whims
and moods and was no longer simple
and like child, but complex and eng
matte. Perhaps because there was no
Wv Siocy Sdc was desperately lOnG OF
me, and looked UP to me az to a won
derful being-but one, however. whom
1t was incumbent upon her to tease
and to ply with all sorts of pranks-
from those suggested by an embarrass-
ing and childlike affection to those
born of that contradictoriness which
dwells In the hearts Of all women. I
had told her, for instance, that her
ring was thing Of value to be
guarded carefully and not lost. One
day | found her seated on a heaping
OF rocks that rose from deep water.
fishing as had taught her, and no.
tfced that the ring was gone from her
hand.
Where's your ring, Ever" I said.
with note Of anxiety
For answer she began to pull her
line In. until / could see the ring fash
ing Just below the surface of the va.
ter. and Just above the baited hook.
She was using 1t as sinker.
Il was just having bite, too" she
said. letting her hook drop back into
the depths, but you spoiled that"
] took the line from her, and secur.
Ing the ring. put 1t in my pocket.
But it's mine - she ra;d coo1Jy aASr