Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-03-17


hension for her lover, Mona told Dni
that he must give himself up to jus
tice and that by so doing he shoNit
atone for his sin. He pledged hlmsel
to do as she wished, and while sh
protested her undylng love for him, h,
bade her a passionate farewell aht
vanished into the night.
Returning half-dazed to where NV
ans body lay, Dan found that his
fisher friends had planned to take Tx
body out to sea for burial. They EN-
barked upon Dams boat and he reluc
family allowed them to carry out their
plan; owing to their unskilled sewing
of the canvas about Evans body, the
covering slipped apart and the corpse
was washed back to land.
Despite the fishermen's protest that
all would be prosecuted If they re-
turned, Dan insisted upon their doing
so. Evans body having been washed
ashore was brought to the church
where the bishop had just finished his
Christmas service. He and the Deem
ster looked upon the face of EwaBSand
realized the tragedy; and the litter
| haunting his brother with the fact that
If Dan were proved the culprit, the
bishop must pronounce judgment on
| his own son.
DAN who had crept back in the
darkness, witnessed the midnight
burial of Evan, and after slipping
away, narrowly escaped death when
he fell into an old mine shaft where
he remained for some time prisoner.
Meanwhile his fisherman friends were
arrested as implicated in the murder,
but during their arraignment in court
Dan appeared, pushed his way through
the crowd and announced his guilt.
He was placed in dungeon under
the bishops jurisdiction, and his ia
Their, bowed with grief, visited him
and offered him the means Of escape,
which he refused.
At the close of his trial Dan was
pronounced guilty" and awaited the
death sentence which he felt sure
must follow. A more dreaded fate,
however awaited him. With break
ing heart his father pronounced his
sentence: "ThiS man shall be cut off
from his people. From now
forever, let no tongue speak to him.
Alone let him live, alone die"
AS the people shrank away from him
Dan passed from among them to the
south of the island where boat, con-
tanning supplies end provisions, was
awaiting him.
For a year Dan dwelt in this boat
stunning his kind, hut at last, unable
to endure the loneliness of the sea, he
erected rude shelter on a rocky
island not far from shore, where he
could look upon the habitatiOns of
men. On the first night that he slept
ashore, 'frfghtful storm swept his
boat, leaving him prisoner on the
island
Here for seven years, he spent
solitary life striving to make his peace
with God. until at last it seemed. to
him the curse was lifted.
Then at his cabin door appeared a
dying priest, who had landed half
fainting from a blow received from
the boom>of his boat. The priest had
come from Ireland, at the Bishop-of-
Mans request, to succor the people
from a dreadful scourge, called the
sweating sickness"
The priest told Dan that he should
carry on his own unfinished work, con-
vey his message to the bishop, and !
help to stay the plague. Before he
died the sanity man outlined the |
to be followed in order to
check the epidemic.
And then at last Dan knew the OPP
portunity had come to make complete
Able once more to reach !
the shore, he went among the suffer
srs, minlstered to their needs and |
.aught them how to cope with the dis
ease. Soon the epidemic was stayed,
while all the people were loud in
praise of the strange priest whose face
seemed to many familiar one.
The Deemster was among the last
stricken, and Dan, summoned to his
bedside, arrived in time to ease his
inal sufferings and to be recognized
With superstitious horror before his
Incle died, Even as Mona entered the
louse to reach her fathers bedside,
Dan slipped away, and Fastening to
he bishop gave him the dead priests
Message, and also the assurance that
lis son lived and had made atone
nent for his sin.
And now, word went abroad that tht
TRANCE priest, proven to be Daniel
dylrea, had been appointed to sue
eed his late uncle as Deemster, or
udge of the island.
This message read by Mona, filed
Ter with hope and a belief that Dan
hould at last come to his own. Ac-
by one faithful fisherboy,
he 1ourneyed to seek him out, only
o find him unconscious and i'll unto
Ieath, in bare cabin, where he had
allen victim to the disease he had
o bravely combated.
Mona watched beside him until in