The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-12
Facing Death
For Love
.ywS
BY ARTHUR W. BREWSTER

There is an island in the Pacific
ocean which produces tropical fruit
In abundance, and ships stop there tc
take 1t away and leave its equivalent
in money or in such goods as the ma
tives require. But the islanders will
not consent to any mingling with the
whites and are especially jealous OF
their women. Death is the penalty to
any woman who receives white man
for lover or husband.
One day an American ship named the
Mary Boyle stopped at the island with
a cargo of miscellaneous goods which
she unloaded and took on In its place
such fruits as the place produced. The
crew of the Mary Boyle were permit
ted to remain ashore during the day,
but at evening they were required to
go aboard the ship.
The captain of the Mary Boyle had
warned his sailors to have nothing to
do with the women on the island, tell
ing them that they would not only en-
danger their lives, but bring certain
death on any woman to whom they
made love. The warning was not nee
essary with regard to the women, as
a whole, who were many of them hide
GUS. Even the girls were not gifted
with what a white man would con-
slider beauty. There was, however,
one exception. While the shore force
was unloading on the beach several
girls came down to battle. They went
into the water and sported like dol
phins. One Of them who swan about,
her long black hair trailing behind her.
was as graceful as a swan. The sun
glistened on some brass bracelets she
wore on her arm and sparkIed on
stone that was fixed Just above her for.
head to a ribbon bound around her
head.
In contrast, with this dusSy maiden
was one Of the sailors whose eye she
caught, Jack Coglan by name, with
light hair and blue eyes. He followed
her with his gaze so fxedly wher-
ever she swan that the mate In charge
of the party noticed his attraction. and
to nip 1t in the bud grufiy ordered
him to attend to his work.
When the girls we're tired of swim.
ming they went ashore, passing near
the sailors at work, and the dark
beauty, glancing at Jack, saw him
gazing at her rapturously. Love is
like gunpowder that only spark is
required to explode. The girl saw not
only what to her was exquisite manly
beauty in the fair young sailor, but
the love light In his eyes. She passed |
on with her companions, but the dam
age had been done. One exchange of
glances brought about that which was
ready to brave death.
A week later, when. the Mary Boyle |
was about ready to get up her anchor
and sail away, the captain, in order
to make sure that all the crew we're
aboard, ordered the boatswafn to call
the roll When he came to the name
Of Coglan there was no reply. The
captains brow lowered. He shrank
from leaving any Of his men behind
and feared that Jack had In some way
|
impossible to extricate him. Night
was coming on when no white man
was permitted to be on the island. II
Jack was found there he would be
killed. Yet the captain dare not vio-
late the custom of the islanders by
sending a crew ashore to bring him
aboard. The only course to pursue was
10 wait till morning.
Dawn was breaking when the watch
that a canoe with a white
man and a native woman In II was
eaving the shore. The captain ran up
IN deck. and seizing glass brought
t to bear on the couple in the boat.
The wind was high and blowing on
shore. giving rise to line Of breakers,
but the occupants of the canoe. by
lexterous padding, the woman in the
DOW evidently taking the lead. had
to ride the foamy crests and
ret beyond them into unbroken water.
1t. the moment the captain took the
lass a number of natives ran from
he wood above the beach and began
lurling spears and stones at the couple
n the boat
1t was clear to those on board the
iary Boyle that Love was playing one
( his reckless FRANKS. These two
Dung fools were Drawing almost GER
ain death that they might possess each
Their.
The men ashore. seeing that they
Tere powerless to reach the fugitives
yith their weapons. rushed up the
each TO an inlet where was moored
Qnoe large enough to hold half a dozen