The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-12-13

i-oo A-odC Aao hoAhC anu "AlNh nc Ado
since yielded up to me-"
Where is this cave?"
~On the other side Of the island.
You shall see it presently. 1 found a
Bible There was a date in it some
30 years back and a name in it.
What is the name?"
John Ravell Charnock"
"of Virginia. asked Whitaker,
eagerly.
4 think so. although there was
nothing but the name and the date in
the Bible"
4 know Charnocks in Virginia. They
come from Nansemond county"
1T is a further confirmation" said
the woman. with the Bible there
was a little silver box containing a
flint and steel by means of which,
she turned TO Langford-"we lighted
that beacon which brought you here
this morning"
ut was my own eye caught the sig
nal" answered Langford
Would God had died ere I gave it
up to her!" interposed the man.
II insisted upon it. So soon as I
realized this man loved me, l told him
/ had story to tell. I knew it would
bring sadness to his heart. / wanted
him to hear the voice of the world in
comment upon my relation, and
knew he would find it on yonder ship"
Il was happy" said the man, ito go
on as we were. l should not have
lighted that FIRE"
Pray continue with your story.
Miss Brenton." said the lieutenant
commander. Il am deeply interested
in IT. There is a great Charnock es
tate in Virginia which has been held
for 30 years or more by the last sur
vivor of the ancient family. And l re-
member some romantic story connect
ed with it, too"
"The silver box that inclosed the
flint and Steel" continued the woman.
was marked j. R. c. Exploring the
island l came upon the remains of a
boat, and any of you may examine it.
Near the boat in yonder coppice there
were two skeletons, one of a woman
and the other of a dog. l excavated
the boat. found that it had belonged
to the ship Nansemond of Virginia. I
have the stern pieces with the name
painted on it in my cave. put the
skeletons of the dog and the woman
In the boat and filled 1t up again with
sand. There they lie waiting Chris
tian burial. The place where they
had died, the woman and her dog. /
carefully inspected Everything but
metal, and most of that, had rusted
away, but | found two rings" She
stretched forth her hand They are
here" She stripped them of. "One
of them is a wedding ring. You see
it is marked" She read the markings
of, y. R, C. to NJ P. T. September
10. 1859. II. Cor. xii, Is. The verse of
Scripture to which reference is made
Is I will very gladly spend and be
spent for you, though the more album
dainty love you, the less l be loved
There was a piece Of silver. also.
which had evidently been part of a
dogs collar, 1t, too, was marked:
John Revell Charnock-His Dog, July
22-l875.' And that was all"
DO you remember nothing of your
early life, nothing whatever, STRIP
asked Whitaker, turning to the man.
Il have a dim recollection of some
sort of sea happening, of long voy-
age with a woman and some kind of
an animal in an open boat, of horrible
suferings, of few words of prayer;
that is ALL"
y think that this man, then child"
resumed the woman, land his mother
must in some way have been involved
in a shipwreck, and that she and her
son and a dog must have been cast
away on this island; that the woman
died and the child survived. There is
nothing here that would in any way
harm him and his life and growth I'M
der such circumstances and condi-
tons are quite possible. He had prob
ably seen his mother read that Bible.
He carried it with him, put it in that
cave and forgot it with the flint and
steel in the silver box of which he
would have no knowledge and which
he could not use. The dog probably
lived some time and when he died
crawled back to where his mistress
lay and gave up his life at her feet.
And therefore ! believe this mans
name to be John ReVell Charnock:
that he is an American, and that he
came from Virginia. l know him to
be Christian and a gentleman. In
all the days that we have been togeth-
er on this island he has done me no
wrong. He has been gentleness, kind
ness, docility itself, and despite our
selves We have learned to love each
other. Until yesterday we did not
know it. Now it is for him to say
what we will do"
Kate, Kate" cried Langford. you
cannot let this untutored savage"
Not that" said the woman, for /
have taught him all / know and all I
believe"
you cannot let him decide this
question" continued the man, passing
over her interruption.
Yes" said the woman, "he must
decide, but whatever he decides, what
ever the relationship between this
man and this woman is to be, l can
never be anything on earth to you"
Don't say that" said Whitaker.
Think, my dear lady, what you do.
what this man offers you, the position
in which = God forgive me! you
stand"
Sir said the woman, addressing
the lieutenant commander, this man
wronged me grieyously. terribly. He
deceived me. He broke my heart. He
killed ambition. aspiration and respect
for my own kind within my soul /
know him through and through The
fact that he failed quickened his pas
sion; the fact that men say l am
beautiful made him the more eager;
the fact that he was away and that
he csdIld not lay his hands upon me
made him the more insistent; the fact
that ] had Haunted him and said him
nay and struck him down made him
he more determined"
Kate. Kate. you wrong me. Before
God you wrong me-" interrupted
Jangford.
And indeed. madam, believe you
To-" commented Whitaker.