Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1915-12-23
Harmony Island
A Love Story
By Dick POSey
CHAPTER II.
Harmony Island.
Harmony Island.

of the rosy dawn. My captor had
opened the curtains and a dash of
| fresh air had aroused me. We were
several thousand feet above the sur
face of the sea, and as the light in
creased, the grandeur of it all filled
my soul with awe
AS far as vision could reach to the
west great swels were being pressed
toward us by the hands of a lively
breeze. Far eastward the rugged
outlines of the California coast were
family discernible. From our lofty
height the horizon seemed crowded
to the extremities of the earth.
shall never forget that sunrise, not
a cloud in the sky, not a breath of
vapor rising from the surface of the
ocean. The cold, thin air was thin as
ether | tossed out a piece of paper
and it seemed to- drop straight down
ward. In rapture / saw the bud of
morning swiftly unfolding its rosy
petals into the full blossom of a glori-
Gus day. The unrisen sun spread its
flames around us, they glowed un-
quenched in the waves below Great
flocks of sea birds were out to greet
the morning, while away to the north
giant whale rolled lazily on the
swells and spouted. | watched in
tently the glowing horizon to see the
daily miracle come out of the east.
wish that ! were able to paint
upon the canvass of your imagina-
ton, my reader the splendor of that
wondrous sunrise. From the great
height my eyes pierced the thin, clear
air and ] could see over the curved
rim of the eastern horizon. The
sprite of morning was painting
bushes on the brow of the dawning
day and chasing the night shadows
away to the west. But, watching
closely as / did, failed to see the
sun rise. One moment, a more in
candescent space showed in the bril-
liant arc, the king of day full born
in the. sky.
heard the swift intake of breath
beside me and my companion NUT
tered,
"The fool hath said in his heart
there is no Cod"
I'm not that kind Of a fool" |
retorted.
"No, your face shows that. We
meet on common grounds there he
replied.
I Judged that we had travelled but
little while we slept. He turned to
his machinery and in few moments
we were cleaving the air like a
winged arrow.
I made the best of my enforced i'm
prisonment, throwing myself into the
arms of fate with the best grace that
I could muster. But the evening be-
fore my soul had cried out with
hungry longing for wife and children
and a happy home, now | most fever
emily thanked God that | was spared
the agony of the rude swapping OF
those tender ties. After all, what
did it matter? OF what value was !
in the economy of the great univer-
sal scheme
There | was, the tiniest speck float
ing through the chambers of Gods
vast immensties. Reason told me
that my soul was immortal, then
why should | shrink from being
hurled into the nav of the hungry
sea beneath us? Just one dizzy, grasp
ing moment of terror and forgetful-
ness and my unfettered spirit would
snrng from the crest of an emerald
wave and wing its flight through the
azure glory of the everlasting heavens
while my empty shape made its
couch in the coral depths below.
NY iailer once more produced the
phial that contained our refresh
ments and dropped a tiny breakfast
into my eager palm. | was ravenous-
" hungry and that was just what |
wanted. l placed it on my tongue
and relaxed into full realization OF
its luxury. / remember wondering II
Rossalee had put up that lunch. II
she had | could half way forgive her
for smelling me out. She was already
working her way to my heart through
the well-worn channel of mans stom-
ach.
turned to my captor. would you
be so kind as to tell me the ingredi-
ents that are tangled up in this little
MI, that I hold in my mouth?"
He dismissed the task with weary
sbrug He was evidently exhausted
from his oral effort of the night be-
fore.
Suddenly I was greeted with a gay
"cood morning" from the little In