Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-04-08
''The Wings
of the Morning.
BY LOUIS TRACY
Copyrighted by E. ]. Clode)

At first he regarded her with undiS-
guised and wordless amazement. Then
the appalling thought darted through
his brain that she contemplated this
supreme sacrifice in order to save him.
A clammy sweat believed his brow,
but by sheer will power he cOntrlved
to say
''You must be mad to even dream of
such a thing. Don't you understand
what it means to you-and to me? 1t
is a ruse to trap us. They are ungov-
erned savages. Once they had you in
their power they would laugh at a
promise made to me-
''You may be mistaken. They must
have some sense of fair dealing. Even
assuming that such was their lnten-
ton, they may depart from it. They
have already lost a great many men.
Their chief, having gained his main
object, might not be able to persuade
them to take further risks. | will make
it a part of the bargain that they first
supply you with plenty of water Then
you, unaided, could keep them at bay
for many days. We lose nothing; we
can gain a great deal by endeayoring
to pacify them"
''Iris!" he gasped, what are you
saying?"'
The unexpected sound Of her name
on his lips almost unnerved her But
no martyr ever went to the stake with
more settled purpose than this pure
woman, resolved to immediate herself
for the sake of the man she loved He
had dared all for her, faced death in
many shapes. Now it was her turn.
t., l, hi E1,n
her sweet face resigned as that of an
angel.
II have thought it out" she muir
INJURED, gazing at him steadily, yet
scarce seeing him. "It is worth tryin g
as last expedient. We are abandoned
by all, save the Lord; and it does not
appear to be His holy will to help us
on earth. We can struggle on here
until we die. Is that right, when one
of us may live?"
Her very candor had betrayed her.
She would go away with these mon
strous captors, endure them, even
f1atter them, until she and they were
far removed from the island. And then
she would kill herself. In her limo
cence she imagined that self-destruc-
ton, under such circumstances, was
a. JCtI uOucbD1G OlICIlCS. CIlC OIlS save
a life to save a life, and greater love
than this is not known to God or man.
The sailor in a tempest of wrath
and wild emotion, had it in his mind
to compel her into reason, to shake
her, as one shakes a hayward child.
He rose to his knees with this half
formed notion in his feverish brain.
Then he looked at her, and a mist
seemed to shut her out from his sight.
Was she lost to him already? Was all
that had gone before an idle dream of
joy and grief, a wizards glimpse of
. mirrored happiness and vague perils
Was Iris, the crystal-souled, thrown to
him by the storm-lashed waves-to
be snatched away by some irresistible
and malign influence?
In the mere physical effort to assure
himself that she was still near to him
he gathered her up in his strong
hands. Yes, she was there, breathing,
wondering, palpitating. He folded her
closely to his breast, and, yielding to
the passionate longings of his tired
heart, whispered to her
"My darling, do you think I can
survive your loss? You are life itself
to me. If we have to die, sweet one,
let us die together"
Then Iris flung her arms around
his neck