The evening world., 1914-03-26
CHAPTER XIV.
Nsosfer,


- SMOKE CofORED band.
curious. aud like this
~ curved cloud. cut the ~
- background Of sky to eept-
ward. II was In moy1oa.
Even as he looked II changed subtly
In shape till now 1t became q comet
OF smoke. head pointing to the tslaad.
Far away to the northeast. anotheg
band OF smoke. gray and also IN -.
ton. caught his eye.
There was something sinister -
these apparitions % strange to the
eye. 20 pcrplexinG to the mind. .
dismal In color against the dismal
gray Of tho sky. ~
What could they bot
Tho coin he held In his hand va
forgotten: unconsciously he put II tn
his pocket and, folding his asUA
looked. ......-
Now the approaching comet %
smoke altered again In form. booons
Ing . line definite, distinct anl OWo1e-
ly approaching like an apparftioo u
Y drOAn. 10 ,et
All, what was that-thas voopo
mournful ana complainingf n .
nash the meaning Of The phSneOooon
was revealed. They were hirdA. 4
vast dock Of guils. th0uDan0A 6omoe
Ing the air - With one wing. csyoDg
aloud a. with one voice: then aiio4C
always advancing. 81.
And now the Gulis OF the islaAA
rose clamorins. like . burst OF smelD;
n hA a.
birds. In n moment the oncomers ho1
Joined the island birds. in . momeat
all rising a. II by common oonseot
tho feathered Thousands took deflnlto
form and sncircled tho island In .
vast moving ring.
The hush" Of THAR wings sounded
like the continuous beating Of tno
seas on tho shore.
Gaspard. with head upturnsd. sas-
Ing At the wonderful eight. cav the
second flight approaching. II Joined
the others. circled with them. ard
then. Just an u the moving ring ~
tw1 vast flocis the moving ubot
paused away to westward. became
clouds again. and slowly vanished,
leaving the Island TO silence aud dAoo-
iation.
There WAS something tragic In THE
great migration Of birds and 10, the
utter silence that followed their van.
ishing. There Was something distusb.
Ing In the absolute peace which had
taken the whole world into IT. ksepS
Close to uaspard. caught In tht
branches Of the bay. cedar bushss, Iay
something white. A he turned hio
eyes from the western horfsOsA
whence the great flock had vaatshs4
his eyes caught this white thing. and
he approached Il. It was tho sltuii
OF Serpente, thrown away by SaGeADa,
now krinninR at the gray sky -
though reading thera some frtghtfSi
Joke, some diabolical secret OF Nature.
0aspard turned his eyes from fAlo
thing to tho distant vessel, caught u
Its night, arrested and held In bono-
age by the calm. One might have
fancied that tho grinning skull drew
Its mirth from the predicament Of
Sagesse. To 0aspard II seemed thu [
the skull was the centre from which
all that silence and desolation Of sea
and sky radiated. the Quid obscurum
At the heart Of that peace which was
holding the world In It's spell
He turned to the southern beach
II and lay down to rest his aching
head. tho sea again. moving uneasily,
doomed on tho reef to northward ana
sighed on the sand Of the southero
beach The unrest, the unhappine0
that lives In the heart Of thinOA
seemed to speak In that voice. -.
1t might he months before . 80
rescued him: II might be months be-
fore that ship landed him at . port
where he could get work; II might b
years before he reached Martinlquo-
and meanwhile. what Of Marief All!
the want Of money. J,rst . little Of
that money which the rich and -
burdensome, that want In the curoo
Of the poor. that want In the eGDDnoo
ofthe true tragedy Of life.
The hunger which poverty impoOnD
on man In nothing to the loneliness
and the separation. the heartbreak
and the starvation Tor want OF love.
He loved Marie now. with the love
that comes after marriage. the love
that has nothing to do with passion.
Across separation and disaster ne
saw her AZ she really was. beautiful,
single hearted. loving and faithful
and he might never meet her again,
To reach her he would have to jovr-
ney TO all parts Ut the world. W(IA-
Ing as slave In stokehold with
that ache In his heart. earning oou
by sou the money that would bPiuR
him to her-and every moment OF
separation seemed a year,
Stung suddenly to madness. with
the tears upon his face, he left the
tent and sought the beach outside,
walking up and down II like fren-
zied creature. cursing, cslltn0 DOT.
Wild with tho petty thing that had
him In their grip. the little rxtes that
had bound him To this isle AZ the Lilli-
putians bound CULVER. He saw moth
ing of his own handlwork In this
fate which he cursed. he saw nothlns
OF the grave faults OF mind, the weak
masses. the impetiositIes that had
fawed his life. killing Yves, and bind
ing him Ia the will Of Sagesse: he
only saw his Fate and that 1t was
horrid and he cursed IL.
Next moment Gasplrd was making
across the lslet 10 the northern beach,
When he reached N he stopped.
shaded his eyes with both hands and
looked.
Ito Re ContinuedD