The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-11-15
l[TURN OF MARINO
,,auedy and Romance In Home
coming of Soldier.
Nv LEWIS JAMES.

,-iest at Mitriane he mao Deen IN
nile to help himself.
And then the news had come. II
,.d spread rapidly, first in whispers
nd later, when mems excitement
,ould no longer be restrained, IN JOY
mt shouts.
"Narino is coming! Our Marine!
vor,stinaki. the Cretan eagle! Our
soro, The slayer of Bulgaria! The
.ov;or Of the oppressed! He is COM
Ing home.
be outskirts of the village. He wish
~ IN avoid being questioned. He
w in his little room upstairs and
r.zed sadly toward the quay.
Toward evening a steamboat cnurn-
u ber wav between the northern pro-
uontorv of the island and the barren
rock which rose sentinel quarter Oh
mile off.
7, the stem of the vessel stood a
hugo man with his hands upon the
oonverging bulwark He was Gre
ION horn. to Judge by his dress, which
bo had donned for the special occa-
sion of his Homecoming.
He looked before him ixedly. and
;ov-ferce and glorious joy-nlled his
eyes.
AS the boat began to pass under the
nromontory, little caique shot round
nroiactirg rock. followed by another
and another. And as they came WITHIN
hailing distance, their crews began
n shout At first it seemed to the
Cretan that these we're but the usual
overtures of varkari soliciting pas
sengers from the anchorage to the
ouav But with a sudden hot flush of
Measure he soon realized the truth.
Some one had told the news OF his
coming. They were shouting his name
in welcome.
But Marine had other plans in view.
He was we'll aware that once among
this exuberant throng on shore it
might be hours before he could tear
himself away, and the first joys of his
homecoming must be unobserved.
So. not loath to enjoy the triumph,
but wishing to postpone 1t, he pre-
vailed upon the skipper to land him in
a secluded cove 20 minutes or more
before the vessel should reach its
appointed haven that he might first
visit the home of his fiance.
Marine stepped ashore and gazed
about him at the familiar scene.
He scrambled up the rocks little
way so that the view might be ex-
tended. Then he caught the sound OF
voices overhead, and presently he saw
the figure of a small boy emerge from
a shallow cleft, and, with frightened
glance behind him, run up the zigzag
path beyond.
In another second the Cretan discov-
cred what the boy had been doing. A
skin of wine lay at the entrance to the
cleft, and as he advanced silently he
could make out the form of man
seated in the shadow. He was eat
ing some food the boy had brought.
The soldier stopped and stared That
some solitary individual should eat
his supper on desolate cliff was not
so singular, but that he should be
clothed in ceremonious black, that an
excessively high collar, resplendent
from an Athens laundry, should encir
Gle his neck, were surprising.
For a whole minute they stared al
each other
You are frightened, D'Metri?" Ma
rino asked shortly, grinning in con
tempt and amusement you didn't
expect to see me here so soon. Yor
thought l was still with the bands. Is
1t not so, D'metri?''
That is true,' the fellow whined
Have mercy on me! l did not near
to injure you; l couldn't help my
self"
That you could not help yourself
from running when under fire car
quite believe. but that afterward you
should turn traitor and betray us into
the"
He saw D'metri's hand slide into
his pocket, and the next instant his
own flashed over his head. One shor1
scream strangled in the coward:
throat and Marines knife struck home
again.
For moment or two the soldier
stood over him, his face glowering
then without a backward glance con
tlnued the ascent.
Righteous indignation lent addition
al vigor to Marines stride, and In {
few minutes he had mounted the zig
Tag path and stood upon the rocl
road which led to the cottage. AS ht
came nearer he saw the small DO,
who had brought food for D'metri sill
ting at the roadside, cutting up al
onion with big knife. AS the Gre
tan approached the lad started up IL
terror and began to run
Stop" cried Marino. Come here
will not hurt you, little one"
The big mans voice was kind. an,
the boy obeyed. For while the
looked at each other, in the gatherin,
dusk Then, with a shout, Marin,
laid his hands upon the boys shoul
ders.
1t Is my little Adoni!" he cried, fol
getting all else. my little Adonl
grown so big AZ not to bo recoe