The Washington times., 1919-06-14
HEARTS OF THREE
LeOnica Is Bitten By Snake and
Francis Treats Wound Only To
Find Reptile Was Harmless
By JACK LONDON.

Henry Morgan, historic buccaneer, de-
cidss TO pass up activities Of city life tor
q while and plans a fishing trip. TO
Thomas Regan, stock operator, comes
Alvarez Torres, q South American, who
announces he has tip on the location OF
pirate days ReEan has an idea
Young Morgan sails for South Amer
lea in pursuit Of the treasure. upon
landing he encounters a strange young
woman who appears TO mistake him Tor
some one else. He is fred upon BY three
natives and seeks safety aboard his Ves-
Francis learns he and Henry, the nys:
FERROUS islander, are both descendants OF
Pirate Morgan
Henry was responsible for his peculiar
greeting upon first landing on Souh
American territory.
His first warning OF her prox-
unity was Immediately thereafter,
when q startled scream Of fear
aroused him. Note and pencil fell
to the sand as he sprang toward
the direction Of the cry and collid-
ed with a wet and scantily dressed
young woman who was recoiling
backward from whatever had
caused her scream. The unexpected
ness of the collision was provoca-
tive of a second startled scream
from her ere she could turn and
recognize that it was not a new
attack, but q rescuer.
She darted past him, her face
eolorless from the fright, stumbled
over the Indian boy, nor paused
until she was out on the open sand.
What is it?" Francis demanded.
"Are you hurt? What's happened?"
She pointed at her bare knee,
where two tiny drops Of blood
oozed forth side by side from two
scarcely perceptible decorations.
at was a viperine," she said. "a
deadly viperine. I shall be a dead
woman in five minutes, and 1 am
glad, glad, for then my heart will
be tormented no more by you"
She leveled an accusing finger at
him, gasped the beginning Of de-
nunciation she could not utter, and
sank down in a faint.
Francis knew about the snakes Of
Central America merely by hear
say, but the hearsay was terrible
enough. Men talked Of even mules
and hogs dying in horrible agony
five to ten minutes after being
struck by tiny reptiles fifteen to
twenty inches long. Small wonder
she had tainted, was his thought,
with so terribly rapid a poison
doubtlessly beginning to work. His
knowledge OF the treatment of
snake-bite was like wise hearsay,
but flashed through his mind the
recollection OF the need OF a tourin-
quet to shut off the circulation
above the wound and prevent the
poison from reaching the heart.
He pulled out his handkerchief
and tied ii loosely around her leg
above the knee, thrust in a short
piece Of driftwood stick, and twist
ed the handkerchief to savage
tightness. Next, and all by hear
say, working swiftly, he opened the
small blade Of his pocket-knife,
burned il with several matches to
make sure against germs, and cut
carefully but remorselessly into
the two decorations made by the
snakes fangs.
He was in a fright himself work
ing with feverishness dizziness and
apprehending at any moment that
the pangs Of dissolution would be-
gin to set in on the beautiful form
before him. From all he had heard
to swell quickly and prodigiously.
Even as he finished excoriating the
fang wounds his mind was made up
10 his next two acts. First, he
would suck out all the poison he
possibly could, and next, light
cigarette and with its live end, pro-
coed to cauterize the flesh.
But while he was still making
light, criss-cross cuts with the
point Of his knife-blade she began
to move restlessly.
Lie down." he commanded, as
she sat up, and just when he was
bending his lips to the task.
In response he received a re-
sounding slap alongside Of his face
from her little hand. At the same
instant the Indian lad danced out
OF the jungle, swinging a small dead
snake by the tail, and crying ex-
ultingly:
"LabarriI Labarri!'
At which Francis assumed the
worst.
Lie down and be quiet." he re-
peated, harshly. You haven't a
second to lose"
But she had eyes only for the
dead snake. Her relief was patent!
+ I
for he was bending again to per-
form the classic treatment OF
snakebite.
You dare" she threatened him.
IFS only a baby labarri. and its
bite is harmless. I thought it was
a viperine. They look alike when
the Iabarri is small"
The constructing Of the circuIa-
tion by the toUrniQUet panied her,
and she glanced and discovered his
handkerchief knotted around her
leg.
Only a Baby Snake.
"Oh, what have you one?"
A warm blush begun to suffuse
her face.
But it was only q baby labarri,"
she reproached him.
'You told me it was a viperine."
he retOrted-
She hid her face in her hands,
although the pink Of flush burned
furious in her ears. Yet he could
have sworn, unless il were hysteria,
that she was laughing; and he knew
for the first time how really hard
was the task he had undertaken to
put the ring Of another man on her
finger. So he deliberately hardened
his heart against the beauty and
fascination OF her, and said bitterly:
And now, / suppose, some Of
your gentry will shoot me full of
holes because / don't know a la
barri from a viperine. You might
call some OF the farm hands down