The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-01-14
CHAPTER XVII.
h Mor1a! Ttda.


She was very certain she would
eve sleep before her anxiety was
assuaged by word OF Alan's fate; but
she reckoned without her host Of
trials that had bred In her a fatigue
anonymous v to her mental an
guish.
yor q 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
Invested of It's shroud, smiled up to
the heavens, whose sapphire face 1t
mirrored, as fair and sweet of seem
ing al though 1t had never yelled a
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 II
that sun sank without her learning
that her lover lived, it would not rise
again upon a world tenanted by Rose
Urine.
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. i. E.
And sleep overwhelmed her sud.
denly, like a 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 energies
from some vast place of blacknees and
terror, to find Barcus kneeling v g
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 unquestionably been Sc
verely used.
He had acquired a long cut over n
eye, but shallow, upon which blood
hdu lCuy tO6CIhCI IN q VI ALI
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 ven greater simplicity: his
shirt. for example, now lacked a sleeve
that had been altogether torn away
at the shoulder.
mol" he told her, as soon as be saw
her wits were awake once more
don't waste time plying me. I'm all
right-and 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
him!" she demanded, rising with a
movement Of such grace and vigor
that it seemed hard to believe she had
ever known an instantis WEAKNESS.
That's the rub" Barcus confessed,
squatting on the sands and knuckling
his hair. 81 dassent take o to him.
Judith might OBJECT. Besides, you can
see for yourself 1t isn't safe to mingle
with the inhabitants Of this tight
little standard you can't get to
where Alan is without mingling con
siderably. Sit down, and I'll tell you
all about 1t, and wen try to figure out
what's best to be done. Maybe we
can manage q rescue under cover Of
night"
And when the girl had settled her.
self beside him he launched into a
detailed report.
tits Katama island, all right" he
announced, but a change has come
over the place since I visited 1t some
years ago. Then 1t was q community
Of simple-hearted villagers and fisher
men; now, unless all signs fail, it's q
den of smugglers. ! noticed q num-
Der of Chinese about; and that, taken
in connection with the fact that, when
/ ventured to introduce myself to the
village ginmill and ask q few inno-
cent Questiors. the entire population.
to q child, landed on me like q thou
sand brick-the two circumstances
made me think we'd stumbled on q
settlement Of earnest workers at the
gentle art OF helping poor Cinnamon
evade the exclusion laws"
With q WY smile, he pursued: "As
for me. l landed out back Of the joint.
on the nape Of my neck. and took the
count, surrounded by . lot Of unsym-
pathetic boxes and barrels that had
seen better days. And when I came to
and started to crawl unostentatiously
away. I was just In time to witness the
landing Of your amiable sister. that
gang Of cutthroats she keeps on the
pay roll. and Alan In company with AZ
choice = crew OF scoundrels ~ you'd
care to see gathered from . few
words that leaked out Of the hack door
Of the barroom. that Il WA a. I had
thought-Judith had stolen . boat
from the ship that picked her mp. and
rammed 4 on Nortonis teef; and aftsr
sha 9athsred Alan IA the Schooner Of
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