The Washington herald., 1914-04-26

such task she had laid out for herself the way
was so stormy and beset with thorns. But she
could not lose. She must get back to Manila and
clear her sweetheart of the charge against him.
At times the task seemed impossible and there
was no language for her misery save a moan.
Then she would take fresh brace as the picture
of Lieutenant Gibson rose before her stern mas
terful, every inch man even while her father
was accusing him of betraying his country for
money.
1t was the eighth day she was awakened
from one of the maps she had accustomed herself
to taking by the girls turning on her pallet and
regarding her out of eyes that held the light of
sanity in lieu of the derium il had seemed so
impossible TO combat. Lucille quickly. her
hand feeling the steadying pulse. smoothing the
forehead that had been so feverish before.
Slow ly, very slowly, under the abrupt reaxa-
tion of the strain under which she had been. her
knees sank from under her and beside the bed of
rushes she knelt. shaking with incoherrnt SObs.
filled with JOY great the tears refused to flow
How long she knelt she did not know, was
never to know. But merciful slumher came to her
and she was awakened by the tender touch of a
calloused hand upon her shoulder. Startled she
sprang to her feet then laughed at her alarm as
she looked at the Chief and saw from the express
sion upon his face that he knew his child was out
of danger.
She turned to the patient. still sleeping. Yes,
no one could fail to that the crisis reach
ed and passed. The girls emacated bosom
rising and falling evenly. the breath coming with
none of the effort that had racked the fragile
frame before. And the black fever spots upon the
brown cheeks had disappeared.
From outside came a sudden clash of sound,
a ripping, drumming sound that diminished to
almost an echo only to rise slowly, gradually into
perfect thunderous wave. There was something
musically triumphant about it which seemed to
her to gibe with the ma jestic tones of huge
organ. Fascinated Lucille listened to the barbaric
music, suddenly becoming that the old
Chief was standing motionless beside the hut
opening, his face emotionless save for the CLEAN
of gratitude that suffused his eyes.
Slowly his right hand reached out his head
slowly bending in obedience. Lucille wonderingy
placed her fingers upon the forearm of the man
and emerged into the open, her eyes rounded in
wonderment at the sight that greeted her
Gorgeously caparisoned in scarlet and gold,
wonderful throne of the same coors upon his
back, a bronzed native astride his head, knelt
milk wE!te esSphant almost at her feet Before
the hgts ES-sS ne natives, their wide shields held
across tAs ssS&>sls of their right hands while
they SSeHTSSz &c, the chorus she had observed
before - siSS=S tseir spears against the tightly
drawn ss~SSsG- Sae old Chief stood motionless
besides sls~ rs. tod .he realized slowly that
he meat FOR - ~, =ake the seat
She shcs< Se= need Il negation. She was too
utterly tired api Es-n out to do anything. Be
fore she had time to regret her decision the old
man stepped toward her, unwinding a curiously
shaped amulet from about his neck. Came a
crowding forward of the natives from every di-
rection, the in the forefront, the women and
children in the Something in the silence
that succeeded the drumming noise, in the sober
faces of the orderly throng surrounding her made