The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-04-01
CHAPTER x.



she was and fancied herself back on
the ship or more naturally tossing
aboutti In that small boat after that
long. eventful voyage. Yet no motion
to which she had ever been subjected
not even the widest Jpitch Of the
storm which, had finally cast her away.
produced In her such strange emo
tions as she experienced then. For
the earth Itself was trembling. quiv.
ering, rocking. The cave wall above
her, seen dimly by the fltering light
OF very early dawn which came
through the opening. partook- of the
mad. fantastic motion. In another sec.
ond she realized that 1t vas an earth.
quake. The air. seemed fllledrwith a
peculiar ringing sound Of storm.
Her bed, OF course, was the soft
sand over which grass had been
strewn. She lay, therefore, on the
floor and could not be thrown down,
but she was rolled from side to side
ina way which paralyzed her senses.
Never In all her experience had she
known such a: sick feeling Of terror.
When the foundations Of things are
shaken. when not merely the great
deep but the solid earth Is broken up,ii
humanity stands as IT, Intthe presence.
Of the power lofl God. she Iay resist
less, staring; praying. Wondering;
whether the shaking rock over her.
head would falkland crush her.f
In a moment the instinct Of iiifes
quickened her To action She rose tpf
her knees, staggered TO her feet ands
tried to make her way to the sef1
trance. Walking was sterrible.5 The
earth seemed ito. thsveG shaken rogs
hours, EandN Yet the duration of the
shock was really less than a minute
Its violence was terrific. Just before
she reached the opening, 1t stopped
with one tremendous shock as sudden.
" as 1t had begun. The next second,
with a roar that sounded like a thou.
sand pieces Of artillery, the gray h,k
zy,ilight In front of her was blottea
out by a falling mass OF rock which
Just escaped her. The face OF the cllE
had given away. In deeper, ~intenser
terror than before she threw herself
against The barrier. 1t was as hare
and as inyIeldlng as the other walls,
No light came TO her even. She w:g
Imprisoned alive in this rocky sepul
cher. She sank down" on her knees
and buried her face In her hands. She
murmured words OF prayer.
Her mind flew to the other side OF
the island. to the man. Was he, too,
entombed? Was this the end Of her
labors? Outside she could hear the
wind roar and the waves laundering
with awful violence on the shore. Be-
fore the earthquake had come the
storm. There was still some connec.
ton between the cave and the outer
air. 1t seemed, for she was now con.
scloas OF lightning flashes! After the
storm. came the fire. Her mind went
back TO what she had read from the
Bible a few days before OF EllJah's
despair. Therefore In like case she
listened with all her heart for the stiff
voice Of comfort to her awestruck
soul. II did not seem to come. She
was doomed; she would never see
him again, II indeed he were yet alive.
She knew her feeling for him now.
She slipped forward and fell faintins
on the sandy floor Of the cave, And
still the voice was there. Presently
It came to her. as the voice Of God
usually comes to humanity, through
the LIPS Of man.
After a space. how long after she
could not tell. she was conscious OF
a human cry through the Wild clamof
OF the storm. A voice that She knew
and loved was calling her by name.
Was II some wraithllke fancy OF the
storm? She rose to her knees, sick
and faint. and listened. No, It was
a human voice, his voice, her name.
The cry was fraught with frantic an.
peal. 1t thrilled and yibrated with
passion. It told her In that awful mo.
ment u story which she had nc read.
It revealed 10 her %imaginations OF
which she had not dreamed. She was
fascinated with what she heard. She
forgot for the moment to answer. All
the woman In her, the eternal temS
nine tnher, listened. Her bosom rose
and fell. her heart throbbed, her
pulses beat. Alone with that wild,
passionate. appealing, frantic cry, she
forgot the earthquake. she forgot the