The midland journal., 1915-11-05
THE sun GOD
Rv 4. NJ. EGRERr.

ny TIE Ms EGGEnts
(Novelized from the Motion Picture
Drama produced by the Universal Film
Manufacturing Company
!.
A blazing sun, and human figure
that stood naked beneath it, staring
down at the dry river bed! The body
of the man was chocolate red; never
theless once it had been white.
The thing that had awakened mem
Ory and mind was gold. Gold, on an
uninhabited island, where the man
had been cast months before.
With a rush recollection came back
70 the man. The face of Alice, his
sweetheart, seemed etched against the
background Of the hills. Alice, of the
little fishing town where they had
lived since childhood; Old Ben, her
father-and then Captain Harding, the
retired sea shark, rich with his in
surance collected from the rotten
huiks that he had sent with their liv-
ing freight beneath the waves.
Harding had had all that his ILL
spent life had ever held out as a sub
stitute for an unstained soul; but that
had not been enough. The old man
wanted Alice, who filled the young
dsherman's life entirely. The lovers
had sensed it dimly, but they were too
happy to care. and neither suspected
the designs that Harding held in his
heart.
Harding's mate, Anderson, had lured
Herbert aboard his ship and struck
him down treacherously from behind.
Herbert awakened to find the ship far
at sea and himself one of the crew.
A drunken crew, a floating hell, ship
wreck-the panorama of the past un-
folded Itself before Herbert's vision.
Then tie escape of Anderson and him
self, the treacherous seizure of the
beat by the mate, who put out alone
TO sea, months of semicon-
sciOuSnesS the oyster beds
wild fruit and water
shelter gold, on an uninhabit-
ed island!
Lifting mis- eyes, Herbert perceived,
at that moment. fleet of native ca
noes debouching round the point of
the island. They were manned by
brown-skinned savages, whose paddles
swept rhythmically through the wa
ter.
Without thinking, he ran toward the
sandy beach. but halted within twen-
ty yards Of the party that had assem-
bled within little grove of palms.
Noiselessly he crept nearer, and, fiat
on his stomach, surveyed with wonder
some score of natives who had
grouped themselves about a. curious
fiat stone in the center of small open
space. Tied to the stone was a girl,
perhaps twenty years of age. Her long.
black hair fell heavily about her bare
arms. Upon her face was an express
sion of resignation.
From among the savage group
stepped forward an aged man, with
long white locks that hung over his
shoulders. He strained his throat and
shouted an impassioned cry. The
shout was taken up by the group of
natives. The elder began to dance
Frenzy seized on the spectators The
brown limbs heaved, the yells that
burst from the throats of the swaying
natives rang like the sound of TOM
TOMS
Suddenly silence-so swift transit
tion that the effect was more stunning
than the sound. From his loin-cloth
the old man drew sharpened stone
which he poised on high. And at that
moment the watcher understood. He
had heard tales of the Polynesian Gus
toms from many seafaring men. This
was the annual Journey of the Sun
Worshipers to the sacred stone of sac
rifice. And the girl upon the stone
was their destined victim.
Herbert sprang to his feet and
rushed among the natives just as the
priest poised the stone knife above
the heart of the girl. He struck up
the old mans arm and stood before
her. His life seemed not worth a
moments purchase at that instant
But the dramatic action had stupefied
the savages. The old priest stared at
the stranger. Burned as he was, Her
tfves had known, seemed to them a
visitor from some supernal place. And
the same inspiration struck them at
the same moment.
The god! The god of the stone!
With one accord they broke away
in terror and fed to their canoes.
Herbert picked UP the knife which
the priest had let fall and with it sew
cred the hemp ropes that bound the
girl. She rose from the stone and fell
fiat at his feet in alteration The sun
god had come to claim his bride in
life instead Of death.
u.
Daily Herbert toiled in the bed of
the river, amassing fortune in gold
dust. Life had suddenly become fair
or. Alice had grown to be a distant