Yellowstone monitor., 1914-09-24
CHAPTER XVII.


l
This Mortal Tide.
She was very certain she would
aever sleep before her anxiety was
assuaged by word of Alan's fate: but
she reckoned without her host OF
,rlals that had bred in her fatigue
anonymous even to her mental an.
yuish.
For time after Barcus had left
her she fingered upon the sands, In
the mouth of the shelter he had Sc
lected for her, staring hungrily out on
the shimmering sea that, now wholly
divested of its shroud, smiled up to
the heavens, whose sapphire face II
mlrrored, as fair and sweet of seem
Ing as though it had never yelled q
heartless tragedy.
Slowly it darkened as the sapphire
above grew darker, blending insen.
sibly into rare ultramarine with the
slow decline Of the sun, by whose al.
titude above the horizon the day had
not more than ninety minutes to run.
And she thought drowsily that if
that sun sank without her learning
that her lover lived, it would not rise
again upor: world tenanted by Rose
Trine.
1t was not true, she told herself, that
people never die of broken hearts.
She knew that, were he taken from
her, she could no longer live .
And sleep overwhelmed her sud.
denly, like great, dark cloud :.
But its dominion over her faculties
was not Of long duration. Slowly,
heavily, mutinously, she was rescued
from its nirvana-came to her senses
with an effect of one who emerges
from some vast place Of blackness and
terror, to find Barcus kneeling over
and gingerly but persistently shaking
her by the shoulder.
And then she sat up with a cry of
mystified compassion; for in the brief
time that he had been absent-it had
not been more than an hour-Mr. Bar
Gus had most unquestionahly been Sc
verely used
He had acquired long cut over one
eye, but shallow, upon which blood
had dried, together with q bruised and
swollen cheek that was badly
scratched to boot. And what simple
articles Of clothing remained to him,
after his strenuous experiences of the
last forty-eight hours, had been re.
duced to even greater simplicity; his
shirt, for example, now lacked q sleeve
that had been altogether torn away
at the shoulder,
mol" he told her, as soon as he saw
her wits were awake once more
don't waste time plying me. I'm all
so Is Alan! That's the
main thing for you to understand: he's
still alive and sound"
"But where Is he? Take me to
hint" she demanded, rising with
Of such grace and vigor
that it seemed hard to believe she had
ever known an instants WEAKNESS.
That's the rub" Barcus confessed,
squatting on the sands and knuckling
his hair. II dassent take you to him.
Judith might object. Besides, you can
see for yourself it isn't safe to mingle
with the Inhabitants of this tight |
little island-and you can't get to
where Alan is without mingling con.
siderably. Sit down. and I'll tell you |
all about it, and we'll try to figure out
what's best to be done. Maybe we
IAN manage q rescue under cover OF
aight."
And when the girl had settled her
self beside him he launched into
detailed report,
nIt's Katama island. all right" he
"hut q change has come
,ver the place since visited 1t some
Years ago. Then it was q community
II simple-hearted villagers and fisher
nen; now. unless all signs fail, It's q
len Of smugglers, / noticed num-
,er Of Chinese about; and that. taken
y connection with the fact that, when
ventured to introduce myself to the
'illage ginmill and ask few inno-
'ent questions, the entire population.
o child, landed on me like thou
and brick-the two circumstances
made me think we'd stumbled on 9
ettlement Of earnest workers at the
entle art Of helping poor Cinnamon
wade the exclusion laws"
With wry smile. he pursued: As
or me, landed out back OF the joint.
a the nape Of my neck. and took the
cunt, surrounded by lot OF unsym-
athletic boxes and barrels that had
cen better days. And when ! came to
nd started to crawl unostentatiously
way, was Just In time to witness the
anding of your amiable sister. that
ang Of cutthroats she keeps on the
ay roll. and Alan In company with as
holce crew of scoundrels as you'd
are to see. / gathered from few
lords that leaked out Of the back door
{ the barroom, that It was a. ] had
1ought Judith had stolen boat
Fom the ship that picked her up. and
lmmed i on Nozton's rect; and after