The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-03-31

IN htfi she hAa been young. beau
tiful. Clark had caught her IN hls
arms and then. In the flash Of light.
had beheid a withered hag In her
place.
Now Il all came back 20 him with
startling suddcnnesA Ho writhed in
torture az tho thought Of his dis
oovcry.
Where vas hef How aid he come
heres He tried 90 think.
Floyd Clark felt a light touch on
his shoulder. Ha raised his eyes. A
woman stood az his feet-a young
woman radiantly beautiful. un'
clothed except FOR her long hair,
which was wound about her waist
as girdle. She spoke. Her voice
was soft and musical Ne, her
speech was strange.
Ho stared wonderlngiy AZ her. lie
put out HIS hand and touched her,
she stirred. Yes. she was real. she
Was not yision.
The woman did not seem 20 BE-
afraid % him. In her eyes there
seemed 20 Hhine great pity. an
overwhelming sympathy. she held
out 4 jar. II contained water.
Al sight Of Il Clark forge, the
woman. the strange place IN which
he had found himself. forgot every
thing but his thirst.
lie pressed the Jar 20 his lips. lie
drank greedily. II seemed that he
was consumed with a terrible fever.
The cool water refreshed him lie
drank more, Tho woman gently
withdrew tho jar.
Clark tried 90 hold u ana realized
that her strength was greater than
his. For tho first time he noticed
that she was unusually muscular
lie tried TO rise. but fell back weakly
on the sand. Then. tho sun striking
him fun In tho face. binding him
with It's glare. he closed his eyes and
tossed from side 10 eide like child
unable 10 rise,
Tho next moment a pair OF strong
arms raised him from the ground,
He half opened his eyes and gazed
into the face Of tho woman. 10 saw
that she was young-about IS. he
guessed-and that her eyes wcro
filled with tenderness and pity.
She held him like a baby and car.
ried him a. easily as tho no had been
child. He almost doEed OF 20 sleep
under the spell Of tho gentle sway
as she walked.
lie was tired. fevcred. weak. II
seemed as tho he had Just emerged
from a long Illness and that no was
now in hts first stage OF GONZALES
ccnec.
The woman carried him across the
sands and 10 the mouth OF cave on
a promontory above tho roar Of tho
sea. Here she laid him gently on a
mat OF dried grasses.
II was cool in this cave and re.
frcshing. In tho shadow. away from
the binding. trople rays o. tho sun,
he opened his eyes and watched tho
woman who had como 10 hia rescue.
Tho she wore no covering Havo
that Of her long. black hair. sho did
no; appear embarrassed in his pres.
ence. on the contrary. abe was per.
fcctiy at ease. Clark. an artist.
marveled at the superb lines Of her
figure. the slenderncss Of her ankles.
tho rouBdness OF her limbs. tho soft
curves OF her neck and cheeks.
Her features were regular and
firm. save for yolup,uous fullnsss
OF the lips. Her eyes. her most
marvellous feature. wcre big and
black and expressive. There was 10
them n liquid depth. warm kin.
ding Of hidden fires ever smoldering
that stirred him.
These eyes no watched IN soma
thing akin 10 a trance. Whenever
she looked at him ho found himself
beneath their spell.
she busted herself with q cooling
preparation for his head. wet grasses.
first bathing his eyes and lips and
then pillowing his head on them.
Next she broke cocoanut and
held tho milk 10 bis lips. while he
drank long and hunErily OF It's sweet
strength. He laid back and rested
in glorious content.
II was good TO be there and watch
her as she sat by his side.
He tried TO speak TO her. but she
shook her head in token that she did
not understand. and placed her finger
to her lips that he should remain
quiet.
SO he lay s,ilI and tried not TO think.
while outside the cave the surf
doomed upon the rocks and the
sands.
Now no fen 70 studying her more
intently and wished that he had
brush. paint and canvas to create
her likeness in his art.
a flower fell from her glorious
hair. His eyes followed It. She picked
u up and held II to his nose. He
drank deep Of Its perfume and
Slarteo. Inc delicate fragrance Of II
was not unlike that in the wake of
the woman in black whom he had
followed into the old house OF a
hundred rooms.
Strength came to him. He rose
against the woman's protests and in
the sand wrote Seattle" The
woman shook her head.
He made the outline OF an island
and asked her its name. She shrugged
her shoulders. His brow cIouded.
How was he to make her understand
that he wanted TO know where no
was? He know. from the tempera.
ture. that he was far from Washing.
ton. How he came to be hero was
beyond his understanding.
Shadows fell across tho cave floor.
He looked UP. There stood half n
dozen maidens. They. like the woman
who cared for him, were nude, save
for their long hair which they wound
ike girths about their loins.
Wondnrinrly fhev oanan int tLn