The evening world., 1914-03-23


Into two great classes. the men from
the south and the men from the north.
tho Moco and the PonantIne.
0aspard was man from the south,
Q Provencal, dark, handsome in Q
rough way. wiry and vivid. Yves. his
b0eom companion, also q stoker of
the Rhone ana the only survivor with
0espard Of the wrcck Of that III fated
chip. was . Ponantine. a big man
from Bretagne with o blond beard.
Yvee was over away at the other side
what he might find in the rock pools
and creeks. Away out there in q
right line from where Gaspard was
sitting beneath the palm trees. under
the binding dazzle Of sea. the Rhone
was lying with her bottom ripped out,
her boilers burst, her boats hanging
smashed at her davits: a horrible
travcsty Of ship. knocked under the
sea 40 II with the blow OF a giants
fist. a rattle Of ropes. machinery and
eorpses.
The wiry Provencai. courageous
~ rat. had held Yvcss head above
watsr till Yves felt the sea slapping
him In the face and saw great
spar lifting and dripping In the moon
light: saw Gaspard seize the spar. a
picture almost instantaneous, a pic
turo that told him At once the truth
ana made him strike out for safety.
The set Of the current had carried
the spar to the islet. One might have
faAcied that the sea, repenting for
that sin of hers, had determined to
save these last survivors OF tho
lshons.
Tho two men in the few days since
the wreck had salved enough food
A. L. %, hS Vs.na n
apring OF water amidst the low bay
cedar bushes that stretched from
shore edgc to shore edge. the islet
was In a trade track. and they were
certain OF near rescue: all these cir
cumstapces made them easy of mind
and made n holiday of the episode.
,Caspard having cleaned the pipe to
his satisfaction, filed II with tobacco
and lit It. Back went his mind to the
old days on the Marseilles wharves:
to Amisette. the pale and understood
bar girl who had caught his fancy.
Yves and Gaspard had fallen In with
her and she had favored Yves.
Tho biz, blond Yves had captured
this little pirate who had sailed for
years unharmed and harmful. She
had scorned Gaspard. who would
have given his hand for a glance
from her. and she had given herself
wholly to Yves.
Gaspard. the Moco. was . man
who could never forgive that
If there was a cigar or q drink go
ing It always fell to Yvcs-or a girl
yet he. Gaspard. had saved this
mans life.
A great crab fell with a thud on the
sand beside Gaspard. who sprang half
erect to hnd himself face to face with
Yves.
The Ponantaise was laughing. He
had caught the crab amidst the rocks:
he had two more under his arm, their
claws tied together with a string: he
had found boat sail from tho Rhone
and q small spar. out of which he In
tended to make O tent: he flung the
lot on the sand and then sat down be-
side his companion. took out his pipe,
filled II, lit 1t. and began to smoke.
~Sec here" said Yves. you know
over there where fetched these
things from--well-over there Two
found something"
swell, what 10 it? You keep on ike
an old woman; II you found anything
funnier than yourself 1t would be
queer"
Yves led the way right across the
islst to the north.
II was scarcely a quarter Of . mile
Wide, this iHlet. and covered from
shore edge to shore edge with thick
bay cedar bushes rising TO the knees.
The only trees upon II were the palms.
Those seven palms gathered In the
clump beneath whose shade the Moco
had been lying.
"Here we are" said Yves, as he
trsmpcd his way out OF the bushes
and on to the northern beach. the
Moco following.
q Yves. leaving the beach, began to
Chamber along a ledge Of rock that
went straight out from the shore like
a natural pier: Gaspard followed him.
treading the seaweed under foot.
Yves led the way till they were
nifty yards from the shore; then he
stopped. turned. and pointed into the
green clear water to the left.
Twenty feet out from the reef lay
what seemed at frst a flat-topped.
reed-Erown rock. The Moco. who
had fiung himself down and was
leaning over the reef ledge so a. to
see better, gave O start. His sailors
eye, after the first surprise, saw
I through the mystery Of the rock grow
ing like hideous flower on a colored
stalk. The rock was the foretop OF a
ship, the column was the coral
crusted mast.
But the mystery dispclled was as
nothing TO the mystery half-unveiled.
To the Noco. who combined In him
self the Imagination of the southern
man and tho magination OF tho sailor.
Tits hint of a ship In the still and
ailent water appealed more forcibly
than the full sight of q wreck on a
thunderous beach.
Tho corai-crusted mast led the eye
down till the sight found the pale,
ash like form OF the ship itself.
"Boufre," cried the Moco; "'tis as
thick as a funnel" Then he was 81
lent as was Yves. and lying side by
aide on the gray dead coral of the
reaf. they contemplated the column
of living coral that once had formed
the mast OF a ship.
The ship below upharmed as to her
fore part, else tho mast would not
have been left standing; driven years
aEo by some great wave. she must
have passed at one stride OF the sea
over the circling reef Of tho lagoon.
10 sink, the water pouring through
her shattered timbers. and lie lost
here forever.
Or, In those past days there may
have been break in the reef built
I'M long ago by the restless coral.