The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-12-20

woman. HGood.6y."
She drew instantly apart from him
Mr.. charnoek." rang the captain
voice. imperatively.
Slowly the islander turned and made
bis way to the sea after the others.
The woman. thus left alone upon
the island, was face to face with a
crisis which could only be met In two
ways. Either she must so away with
the man, or they must both remain on
the island. II was possible that the
captain might be induced to use force
to take the man away, but that was
not likely. and n It were attempted.
she believed. with much foundation
for her belief. that the man who had
never been coerced by human being
except her would fight until he died.
She could not go away with him; she
could not live with him on the island
A future opened before him. She
had learned that afternoon on the sand
that If his identity could be estab-
hshed he would be a man of great
wealth, a power, . factor in the
worlds Affairs. She had had her ex-
Derience in life. her taste Of power. II
did not matter about her. It mattered
greatly about him.
She had given him a final chance.
He did not love her as she would be
loved. He could not love her. It was
evident to her that he never would.
She had nothing to live for, nothing
to hope for, nothing to dream about.
There was one way Of cutting the
Gordian knot; she could die. And yet,
somehow. the instinct Of life was
strong in her heart
She crossed the island to her side.
where she was hidden from the ship.
and went down to the edge Of the wa
ter. She even slipped on the garments
Of civilization and stood forth a print
tive Eve and waded out a little way
into the lagoon. The night had fallen
and she was calm in the screen Of the
darkness. She could easily swim out
to the barrier reef. Chamber upon Il.
and then plunge into the blue Pacific
and swim on and on. and fight and
fight until the last vestige of her
strength was gone. and then sink
down. leaving him free and settling
the question. And yet the waters Ian
ping about her feet held her back
drove her back, retarded her in her
advance.
Could she do IT? Should she do II?
At least she would not give up the
Idea for want Of trying. She resolute-
ly set herself to wade into the deep
err sea. That she waded was evil
dence Of her indecision. Under other
circumstances. or had she been clear
In her mind as to her course. q quick
run, spring, splash. and she would
have been in the midst of the lagoon.
She went slowly. and as the water
grew deeper. she went more slowly.
II was warm and pleasant in the la
COON. The slight difference of tenn
perature between the water and the
air ordinarily was only stimulating.
And yet the sea had never seemed so
cold to her as It was In that hour.
She was young. strong, splendldly
lowered with health and bodily Vigor.
The mere animal clinging to life was
intense in her. II does not minimize
her heartbreak or her resolution to
settle the question that she found it
hard to go on. BY and by she stopped,
the waters now up to her breast. The
wind blew gently toward the land, and
the waves struck her softly and beat
her back. She stopped dead still and
thought and thought. wrestling with
her problem, full Of passionate disap-
pointment. vain regret. despair, con-
scious that life held nothing for her,
and yet clinging to it. unknowing what
would be the outcome Of the Titanic
struggle raging in her breast between
primal passions, love Of life and love
Of man!