IWt XOT tell 'bis r»ory be
€■■ us* either 'be memory or
(«»*» relation of the events is
gri« ASfBt to use. Indeed, it
:» tile record of the most
d.stre* ;ns and humiliating
es; rrimrc in my life Hut
1 am im[<e!led to relate It
as i proles' against tho
prevalent idea that ti.e ex
istence of a castaway on a
tiupic island i* one of com
parative comfort and ease.
In my younger days I was
*n i*w !.* ••■,*• „> 3 i,im ot mer. Hants at Apia.
•'..i**o» at. bad established in busiaenn in the
tltii,-• islands a jrituji t man of tlie name of
r%i $a tots son of a »ei! n tuisstcnary. ills
aendduarters were at Funafuti. and after sev
ral I >*• it lie had pure based from
*k ' K-: e of V_: .p<> th.» small. d< set ted
d»a4 *f Nutrias a- •'Little I-anJ." It lies
,-.j- .me hundred ar.d fifty miles southeast of
• i ul els' « itens’.V" short!*. Sr
■ ends ml. ■. a ia- to j - o;! • an ' r’nnt it.
a d a i.ati-e •• 14 he ,ndi;< e to make his
me tv re. tor tb- K' ce Islanders firmly be
< ,*-4 Ue place . as I t.n'rd by evil spirits.
s-4 i >ng after to:* S/wiids d!fd suddenly.
Bad | MS* ev : Funafuti n the company's
• ~.„ioer to itiat >11 a new manager, w.th in
eirc-tion* 10 stop at V-ulakita on the home
s ild % o age T e lit lie .'..mi and set
a value on r as ?» asset of Svn> r.iis* estate.
We left F»;u.<' I wob a south' <»t trade
>. md " at «r> " :• av. -rt-i for ays we
trifled over a cl as. y ....
Ilwvlty. «e the las' day of Febroaiy. we
roach*4 V -dak id sai’ed t *y nirre 'is
raw at search'tin !■ r «r anchor . :.d land ng.
m liBu- » e ftn:o !«» :tn< fior in fo'vn
it a is !♦**■. •*. a rcir** place on th£
V of the : .n<l ere we er-M see an
—a.• < thrisigh • • reef l'o ,r of the sl ip’s
• • and l made an easy landing. but. flnditie
tteus -lore rent ruttrtnc. we were ron
, j t-, * r--.! r lit u;> <n 'He F inds, for I
lc>* ;,4. <1 to *uV >• 1- ust t ao :• .* -s to inspect
(Ue place
The captain sdrtsed me to era urine the
fitaie he Ttly for hi* bore* le'er w 1 i.:m
•4 a • hat.ge tho* was 'mmrnen* • cd this was
the fist'tw.- »* a in in tl: -se latitudes
at. Ve the sird beach, where had for te r’.y
to. n a -e'tlcrue! t. • few ja kfruit trees were
gi. •. * r:,'lnc be inn overgrown with cllnsrire
« •nd r' e* 'a: is'tes Here I discoV red
* •*.>*' nv'ive sepulcher* which, beside a well
'hat ! local later on. were the only acual
turms of man s hand'work upon the is'r.nd
/■ r tail »'::ieh sc-'in- to delight in sterile
f 1 ••*>d • op."sitIon to the elements, now
(.*'■ n : sir*'Thing fcrtlt its weird
bran -hes and star dine upon its singular stilt
tike roots, an omen of desolation. Here r-.nd
f ee ! penetrated the hush, observing the na
I- e of t*w soft ari not’nr i» in my book
i must bass tones nearly opposite where our
v r-4 lay »’en I came to a beautiful la
4 w. «:th di.irmlng v'stas md lovely glades
lead mg In virion* direc’ions.
I * abr>u* To r.turn to the i.eacn ar.o cr.n
i ■ : r <rr- it around • ** Island. when !
* i - * a rowsket shot—a «ignal for icy return.
; t. .» nkv had darkened :;nd I felt sure that
tlM> gtaw had goac lower. I started directly
for ! « Uoa'-lantinp
T'-sard' the enter of the island the t-ees
-new less vg-wottaly and were fewer In num
ber. and many eld tr-nks lay prone on the
earth The walking became exceedingly diffi
cult for it w;.s bird to penetrate this broad
1-afet stoat-stemmed •. ir.ery.
» had already had several nasty falls but
bad estcdtwd actual Injury, until at last 1
»- on * bat appeared a sound tree-trunk
»•«.- re a ' re --Tired cvssm and felt myself
» -[•:•• ne- • r 1 r.e ;n*n spare, clutching wildly
at the vines as 1 passed through them
My Ik d Lav r.g come into \ olent contact
wnh a JuMlag » oral. ! lay huddled and sense
less at the bottom of a deep pit which In for
n r yea-* had b ej< used as a well and now
» .- partly fi". 1 by the action of *h» eVmenfs
When l revved all was darkness, and rain
was fall-re ,n • Trent* In fart, ii must have
• He r d drenching 1 had had which
h-tfueht me *o trv senses
I ti ed to ra;-e my arms and found them
(urt-mitslr uainjured. but one knee h..d been
see* rely bruised and my bac k was badly
»rer;.-hed *hiU* my head ached as If it were
st»m:t to split in two, and a great lump ex
|>itsned why I had wasted hours in this silua
TV xgii It was v *ry dark, with occasional
-’V. * of ’Ighming ! found no greo' difficulty,
<vi.pt from my own injuries, in gottine up
ward ss these native wells are so constructed
th»* *he owners may walk down one- side to
dip the water with their shells. When I ap
rma n-d 'he mouth of the pit and thrust mv
head through the sopping vines, it setred as If
the world were at an end t could h°ar the
•errsaunc wind rush through the now leaScss
tirao- jew and great boughs and missiles of
I; ny sorts were flying threw h tie- air. mak
ing If lamdcras to rise above the level.
1 thought of our brigantine anJ hoped she had
r ’ away without losing l r anchors At that
»■ m- • • though the tempest r< r d 1 did no'
fear 'or her safely, for from the direct!, n of
t e wind I was sure she had not been blown
ah-ire Such a gale would inevitably drive
' er ^ar away to westward, and her return to
this r- :■ t. of frequent calms was n-iite sure
• o lw ti v and tedious And boro I was. all
unprovided for and destined to pass some days
in otter loneliness In time they would come
ba« k again, and I must contrive to exist till
they iti-ne-J tip This would be an adventure
to recount to my < hildren as they gathered
rout d me in the evening.
How was I tic n to know that this raging
cyrb-ne had utterly destroyed our ship, and
that w'ill- 1 sat s -ver-ng in mv hole, m:.
brate c.r n us wor - in their watery graves?
V. .. r a word was er heard from them
a* n »r : no rra nc- nt of cur poor vessel was
flu owed to mark her loss
V. h -. *: i:rl:‘ i -turned the sun was not
vtj t»‘. tr '.sj t -.ife to fr.- ke my exit vet.
but. 5 -rk God' I liad my i ip- aad tobacco
wt'h me. and t- me matches that were not yet
Waited 9*0 ol that I
was. I wasted several of those precious
tr.at.hes before 1 lighted my damp tobacco.
It was well on in the afternoon when the
panes of hunger drove me forth to seek
provender of some sort. Though the forre
of the gale was Quite strong enough to im
; t-Je rn greatly, I managed to struggle through
the torn hrubberv and tangled vines until I
once mor-' pained the open beach, and stood
arpalled before the ocean’s sublime fury.
Great seas hurled themselves at the trifling
island, and actually threatened to engulf it.
cording to niv calculation I had now been
ab. * for y hours without food. Worn out by
the wretched weather, and quite famished. 1
grasped a stick to aid my injured leg. and set
out to dis.-over food and shelter.
After a pa nful effort 1 came to the second
patch of < ocoanuts. and was not disappointed,
for m* of the fruit lay scattered on the
ground shaken down by the storm. After a
bit of 1 ard work in removing the outer husk,
I reg:'• 1 r. yself upon a ripe cocoanut and Its
firmer nd more matured flesh, and this had
to > r\o ii;e. for I saw nothing else that was
entail!- a; this time.
Nigh: cau.o on while I still painfully wan
dered :n search of shelter, and I would have
h on glad to occupy the pit again had the dif
fi iliy of returning there been less formidable.
The r.ight proved a wild one, and I lay
stretched out to leeward of a giant tree, whose
out-o'' ; round roots and buttresses gave me
jus" i:‘ le protection from the chilling blast.
Here n this miserable situation I passed the
tedieu. V ours till day appeared.
V> injured lec had grown worse and swell
ed tn a considerable size, throbbing and
alarr. me thoroughly. Hunger and thirst
once re assailed me, and painfully I drag
ged tr.y? If forward in the hope of finding
.-ome f >rt of sustenance. If the brigantine had
been 'ost in the hurricane there was very lit
tle chance of another vessel's coming to Nuula
i "a for months ami months. Possibly It
uiipl ' be yea 's before the place was visiied.
S h despairing thoughts as these produced a
snr’ of sinking of 'he soul, an apathetic sad
ness Why struggle farther? Put still I
wri. -rled forward over the soft sands, which
see.. 1 barren enough. A soldier crab cross*
• d my path, and I devoured him raw without
a qualm
liven at this early stage of my imprisonment
T n :st have been a b.t d.elirious. for 1 began to
imagine 1 heard voices calling me. and at
h -• !: I '’ancied I saw people quickly flitting
ab' t as if to avoid my vision.
The pain in my wounded log was very
gr a', hut I sometimes forgot this because of
mental tortures far more acute. Another hcr
r ! melt, and another boisterous day without
the lie.-: comfort, left me s'ill more help
less Reason I believe, was on the verge of
'iapse. when my remaining physical strength
sud ;iiy ga e way. Sleep, delirium, or prob
a': > prolonged unconsciousness, at length re
liev d me
I '.v a honed at last to behold "the splendors
of a tropi ■ sunrise, the great orb soon, shining
directly in my face. My leg was much better
for "he enforced rest it had had. and. strang
est of all. I was not so hungry as I had been.
M ’ ncholy forebodings *hat perhaps I was
f . cd to die there 111;e a dog and lie unburied,
a tea ‘ f r crabs and noxious vermin, spurred
me to further effort. Pride and every primal
instinct urued me forward, and at length, ex
hausted w: h fatigue and in great pain. I
reached the region of the fallen eocoanuts
and after resting sufficiently, food and drink
were again my portion, and later in the day I
was enabled to stagaer along the deserted
bea h upon a rude crutch which I had im
provised
Onward, painfuly onward. I went, craving
satisfying food and rest. Eventually I passed
a sandy place n arked all about by turtles’
t!i; j*rs—a depression where eggs had surely
been dc; osited. More than a hundred eggs
were in the nest, all closely packed together
and covered from marauders. Gathering
seme d.' wood and bark. I built a little rile
and drew forth my treasured matches.
V ha* an appalling disappointment I was to
suffer! The be* in which they were contained
was crushed quite fist, and the matches them
selves were loose in my pocket. Some, being
wet. had lost their black heads. I must dry
the matches carefullj before-x>ne of, them
should be risk d. I did not dare to take any
chances of failure, and always afterward I
would have to keep a smoldering fire or lose
this great necessity. A fiat coral stone ex
posed to the <un was selected, and niv treas
- . y ;,c spread out in the genial warmth. The
;g; iti n papers from the dilapidated box were
•i.H.i i turned until quite crisp, while each
individual match was given careful attention.
When a:l was ready I tried to'strike a light—
tried and tried again until the whole stock
was done, and this with never a glimmer of
success!
Raw turtle eggs are not to be commended as
a steady diet, but they will serve a turn. In
due course 1 was able to get to the rookery,
hut most of the birds were gone, dispersed no
doubt by the violence of the gale. None of
their eegs that I could fir.d were eatable.
I n 'w tried Ineffectually to produce fire by
rubbing two sticks together as I had often
seen the Pamcan natives do. No. I could not
do the trick.
I began "o think of preparing myself some
sort cf shelter—at least a lodgment where I
might sleep in comparative comfort. My ear
liest effort produced a kind of windbreak only.
Raw turtle eggs when steadily adhered to
become absolutely disgusting as a diet, and
on the recovery of my leg 1 sought many ex
pedients that might serve my turn. Raw un
salted meat I could not abide, even when 1
knew that it v.-ns sweet and wholesome. So
now when I caught a bird or turtle. I cut the
fiesh into thin strips and hung them in the
sun. r,r plac; d them on heated rocks until they
received a sort of natural cooking.
Dressed n a worn-out suit of thin pajamas,
my only other pcssessions were a pocket
knife, a notebook and pencil, and a useless
pipe, for the small fragment of tobacco I had
b«-n possessed of had been nibbled away as a
makeshift stimulant.
A spell of wet weather set before me
urgently the problem of constructing a
thatched house.
After manj- fail
ures I at length
owned a weather
proof roof, and
was much pleas
ed with my per
formance.
Salt, in small
quantities and
mixed with sand,
I found in sev
eral spots, and
the need of this
mineral seemed
so great that I
set about its
manufacture from
sea-water, by
evaporation. In
this work I was
fairly successful,
but even this
could not make
me content with
the raw food I
was compelled to
eat.
Now strongly
suspecting the
fate of our ship.
I might have des
paired, but a new
idea entered my
uiam Huu lu. some time claimed my careful
attention. Many young gannets were by this
time occupying nests by the iagoon shore, and
I decided to adopt several of these, bringing
thehm up by hand, and afterward emploj
thehm to carry away letters describing ray
deplorable situation and praying for relief. But
my first efforts were unsuccessful, and ail
three of my adoptions were dead birds within
a few days. This set rae to thinking that per
haps the food I was providing was unsuited to
their immature digestions—that raw turtle
meat, which they ate with avidity, was a dan
gerous diet.
I now enlisted another family of birds, ar.d
by stoning up several small basins near the
reef at high water. I was enabled to catch a
small supply of little fish, when the tides had
fallen and the water had drained away into
the sea. With a supply of what appeared a
suitable food, I was at length able to bring
up a brood of promising birds, who were
taught by me to rest on the usual sort of perch
provided at the other islands. When my
proteges had grown, they were not long in
learning to provide for themselves.
The hopelessness of my situation and mt
constant longing to be with my family often
quite unnerved me, and surely left me less
thankful than 1 should have been for benefits
received and unacknowledged. My mind, at
times thoroughly discouraged, recoiled before
such an existence. Several months had elapsed
and my situation was still unpromising.
The feeding of my pets had provided a cer
tain amount of occupation, and as the birds
rapidly approached maturity. I noted approv
ingly their greater proficiency in flight. At last
all of them were able to make extended excur
sions. I easily taught them to return at the
call of the flag My tattered pajama coat an
swered as a signal.
One day while experimenting with my own
birds, I called from the skies an utter stranger,
who calmly perched himself and squawked
loudly for attention With avidity I searched
him for communications, but evidently the
animal was off on leave, for he bore no let
ters. I fed him slowly, and between whiles I
wrote what I thought would have been any
where construed as a touching appeal for as
sistance. Tearing the leaf out of my note-book
l fastened the missive so that it laid flatly
underneath the feathers of the back.
For several days the new bird continued to
resort to my perch, always returning with my
message, and it was not until I refused him
food continuously that I was able to get rid of
him. Then, some days later, having fastened
missives to all three of my birds, I took down
the perch and refused to notice them at ail—a
treatment they could not understand, for from
their earliest recollections I had been their
only parent
Within a week after the birds had deserted
the island, I re-erected the perch, and thence
forth every afternoon I waved my rotting gar
ment, hoping that some intelligible answer
would reach me. Put days and weeks passed
without any sign whatever and I again grew
utterly despondent.
The turtle season had come and gone, and
the extent of my depredations had so alarmed
the island birds that I was now forced to trap
those which I would use for provender, or
climb the trees at night and secure my victims
quietly.
One day, observing a troop of newly-hatched
turtles painfully dragging themselves towards
the salt water, it occurred to me that if I were
to place these in the lagoon and feed them, a
plentiful brood could he raised, and turtles
would ever after be obtainable at all seasons.
Once more I decided to entice the distant
birds to a renewed perch, and they returned
upon my signals of a welcome. At last I found
a bird with a letter written in the Samoan
tongue and addressed to one of the teachers
Though I could not write grammatically and
with precision in the native language. I was
able to r-;ad sufficiently well. After divesting
the missive of its religious commonplaces,
which begin and end every native communica
tion in these latitudes. I saw that the writer,
living on a distant island, had no knowledge or
care for me. for b* addressed a fellow worker
in the mission field on topics of mutual in
terest.
Detaining the bird for some time by such
entertainment as was sure to please him and
his comrades, I now prepared several messages
in such Samoan as I could muster, and then,
having neglected the animals to induce them
to set out. I once more resumed work upon a
construction somewhat resembling a monstrous
top. which I proposed should spin continuously
in a groove of soft dry wood until ignition
would follow. It must not be supposed that this
was my first effort in this line, for I can recol
lect at least four other constructions which
were wholly useless By my repeated failures
I had at least acquired some experience. This
time success crowned my efforts.
From this moment I date a comfortable
change of diet, and I may say that in the com
pletion of this labor and a contemplation of its
results to me I was happier—at any rate calmer
—than 1 had been since my arrival on the
island.
My misery wa*.soon deepened, aye, made in
supportable, by tlie loss of my precious knife,
the one invaluable treasure that yet remained.
As I was stooping over my turtle cage to ob
serve the welfare of its occupants it slipped
from my pocket and dropped into the water.
For some time I had been of opinion that
the bad weather would soon have its ending. |
and that probably a gale of wind would mark
its exit. The accuracy of my calculations was j
Justified, for after several days of great heat
and unexampled calm, one of those sudden con- ■
vuisions of tropic violence assailed the island j
with cyclonic force. My frail hut was bodily
lifted by the blast as if it were a feather’s ,
weight, and no portion of it or its conteats ever :
met my eye again. Torrential rain in blinding i
sheets, almost suffocating in its profus’on. ut
terly drenched me, and the great oceaa. lashed ,
into a wild fury, seemed bent on submerging
the little island, as it had done on previous oe
casions.
From the ending of this storm, my days j
were spent in searching for food and praying i
to the fiend, and my nights were troubled with
such realistic dreams and phantoms—if such
they were—as wholly to wreck my reason.
Naked and unkempt, I roamed over the lim
ited extent the land afforded; attached now to
no particular place, and heedless of any at
tempts at rescue, I no longer kept a lookout, j
I.ike a wild man that I was. I gleaned such
food as the place afforded, untroubled by.
qualms of any sort.
One day while drowsily musing, new sounds
assailed my ears—more intelligible, more bar
monious they seemed, than the others I had
been accustomed to. Though they evidently
came from behind, I expected the new breed
of infernals to deploy suddenly In front, as
thehir predecessors had always done, there
fore I did not turn until one of them laid a
rough hand on me. This was a new experi
enee. for till now the busy imps had unde*
close inspection seemed intangible.
Turning to the touch, a number of figures i
in white garb met my astonished gaze. and
though their countenances seemed pitying and
beneficent, I knew them for their deceitful
worth, and cursed their uncalled-for interfer
ence. I would have chased them from the
island. Till now all goblins and little inquisi
tive imps had fled before my rage, but these
new-comers closed in around me. seizing my
weapon and overpowering my fiercest efforts
until I lay fast in bonds, and quite insensible
The end had come. I had been rescued by
an adventurous and devoted party of Samoar
missionaries and their Ellice Island followers
Strange to say. nearly if not all of my mes
sages had safely reached some inhabited
island, but unfortunate^ none could read ar.c'
understand the English words.
Paulo, the teacher on Xanomea, sent mes
sage after message through the group, and
these timely explanations came to the south
ern teachers, enlightening them as to the
real meaning of my misspelled and almost un
intelligible Samoan notes which they had
been getting from time to time by bird post —
a letter-delivery service which was soon ac
tively employed in my behalf.
As soon as the defective system would al
low, the teachers consulted, and one bole
spirit, an aged man, brave old Alamoa—jour
neyed from Xicutao to Yaitupu. and on tr
Funafuti, in an open boat, to give directior
to the work of rescue.
As an example of infinite unselfishness, oi
noble devotion to high convictions of duty, 1
think that the work of my difficult rescue car
be favorably compared with many other shin
ing records of Christian endeavor.
The original party "f thirteen adventurers
set out from Funafuti In an ordinary open
boat, three oars on a side, ard using a bat
tered compass as their only guide. After r
rest of several days on Xukulailai. and with in
creased stores of food and water, the perilous
journey to Xuulakita was successfully at
tempted.
Who can with pen or type recount the rap
tures of a return such as mine turned out tc
be?
By kindness and generosity, my employers
sought to reward the good teachers and the
workers who had saved me from a living death ,
at the imminent risk of their own lives, and
my good wife and children set down in feeling
terms the heavy obligations under which they
lay; but I, who more immediately knew the i
case, felt that a long life of thankfulness to
and respect for the good people of the Ellice
Group no more than paid my score.
Was Fully Equal to the Occasion
)ome Guests Would Have Submitted
to Inccti.en enet. But Not for
This Youth!
“it la funny." said a well known so
Hetjr woman, "how diff* rent people
wet wider embajTamain* circumstances
You will notice that some people gtara
wser and stutter and act like fools.
while others will act as composed as
ft BOUtlPS biA-hanren. d.
"I never see anyone embarrassed
that I do not think of what happened
at my home one evening when I was
giving a dinner party.
“We had almost reached the final
course when hot chocolate was served
my guests. It was steaming hot, but
the whipped cream gave it a different
appearance. The young man of whom
. I am speaking was engrossed in cop
versatlon with one of the debutantes
and did not notice the chocolate teas
hot. He took one gulp, and then what
happened I will never forget.
“He merely turned his head to one j
side and spat the chocolate on the
new wall paper. Not in the least em- j
barrassed he turned to the guests and
remarked:
“ ‘Now, don’t you know that some ■
fools would have swallowed it.’ It was
so funny that we were all forced to
laugh."
Comprehensive Census.
A blank crop report was sent out by
a Cleveland paper for the farmers to
fill out, and the other day one of them
came back with the following written
on the blank side in pencil: "All
we’ve got in this neighborhood is
three widders, two school ma'ams, a
patch of wheat, the hog cholera, too
much rain, about fifty acres of ’taters.
and a durn fool who married a cross
eyed gal because she owns eighty
sheep and a mule, which the same is
me, and no more, at present. "
Causes Havoc.
"A great many men of genius make
a sad mistake.”
“And that is?”
“They frequently get the idea that
alcohol and the ‘divine afflatus’ are
identical.” i
Fear.
“Have rivalries arisen among the
suffragettes?”
“Some,” replied Mrs. Baring-Ban
ners. “I fear we may yet develop the
1 hat pin that knows no sister.”
XX
Love’s Border
* * *
By JEAN DICKERSON
(CopsrU’ht. 1912. by Associated Literary Press.)
a
Converse was out with a scouting
party when he came upon the little
thatched hut half hidden in the chap
arral. In the light of a full moon sift
ing down through the foliage he was
inclined to believe that the hut was
a creation of his fancy and the white
gowned form that vanished at his ap
proach was of the same illusive mate
rial.
"\Vliat's that?” muttered Murphy at
his side. “Thought I saw a hut—or
is it this confounded moonlight that's
deceiving me?” He peered toward the
hut with his near-sighted eyes.
What was it that prompted Con
verse to deny the presence of the hut?
Heretofore he had been most zealous
and untiring in his search for Mexi
can sharpshooters on the border.
Something held his tongue front ad
mitting that he, too, had seen the hut,
and more.
"You’re seeing double tonight, Mur
phy," he laitghed. “Move along to the
east and let us thrash out that
thicket."
"Then you better duck if you see
me shootin'!" retorted the Irishman
grimly. "With these deceivin’ eyes of
mine I'll be takin' myself for one of
them lit tie w oolly burros and commit
suicide!"
"I’ll take the risk," assured Con
verse leading the way in the opposite
direction.
Together they moved noiselessly
through the mesquite growth, pushing
aside the shrubs with hands wary of
the long thorns that scraped skin and
clothing and retarded their progress
at every step.
When the two men returned to the
American camp the moon was still
bright. Between them they escorted a
prisoner, a surly, half-breed Mexican
who had leaped at them from behind
a tree only to fall a victim to their
superior numbers and swiftly moving
arms. After this bloodless skirmish
their thorough search of the hill was
ended and so they returned to camp.
Instead of seeking the rest his
weary body demanded, Blake Converse
waited until the confusion incident
upon their arrival had died away and
when the sentry's steps had dimin
ished to a distant shuffle the young
scout quietly rolled under a loose flap
of canvas beside his bed and disap
His Hand Closed on the Warm Round
ness of Her Arm. ~
peared In the dense shadow cast by
the adjacent hill.
Now he was impatient of the detain
ing fingers put forth by the mesquite
thicket. More than once he heard
the ripping of flannel as he pulled his
arms free.
At last he stood forth in a little
open space that seemed familiar.
Strong contrasts of moonlight and
black shadows produced grotesque
effects. What he had supposed to be
the mysterious hut for which he was
searching proved to be a huge rock
patched with moonlight and when he
proceeded to touch the white surface
it moved and shrank away from him.
He rubbed his eyes and looked
closely. The rock was there immov
able. Against its surface and blend
ing with the moonlight cowered the
form of a woman dressed in white.
When he spoke her face turned to
ward him and the light fell full upon
it revealing her to be young and beau
tiful. In that swift glance he saw
that her hair was bfack as the deep
est shadows and that her eyes were
dusky pools set in the marble pale
ness of her face.
“Who is there?” he asked sharply.
A quick drawn breath and a fright
ened sob instantly suppressed, an
swered him. Then the white gown
moved away from the rock as if to
escape him. Converse followed swift
ly and overtook her at the door of the.
hut. His hand closed on the warm
roundness of her arm.
"I am sorry, but you must tell me
who you are and what you are doing
here,” he said in a firm tone.
She surprised him by replying In
his own language.
“I have a right here!” she breathed
in his ear. “A better right than you
have!”
“I hope so," he said fervently; "but
you know the American troops are.
camped below here on the plain?”
“Ah!” she cried bitterly, "do I not
know? Have I not been avoiding
their prowling bands for three days.”
"You are Mexican?” asked Con
verse.
"And if I am,”
"If you are Mexican you are in a
dangerous situation here on the bor
ders where there is continual figbt-i
ing. You are not alone?” He spoke
in a brisk, matter-of-fact way, with
an undertone of kindness.
"Xo. I am not alone.” she answered
calmly. “My grandfather is within—•
he is sick, perhaps dying. When they
shelled the city our home w'as de
stroyed and we fled. We hoped to
cross the river into the states. We
have relatives in El Paso, but we have
had to avoid the rebels as well as tho
American troops. We lost our way
and have hidden in this ruined hut
since yesterday morning. My grand-,
father has had little to eat—I cams
out now to seek something. There(
that is all!” She threw out her hand
with a defiant gesture. "Do what you
will!”
“The first thing to do is to get some
thing to eat,” said Converse decisive
ly. “After that, if you will trust to
my guidance 1 will escort you into the
American camp and see that you
reach El Paso at once.”
"You are very kind, sir,” said the
girl brokenly. “I am afraid I am
severe—rude—but we have been
alarmed and harassed and earlier this
evening our retreat was almost dis
covered.”
i rtiia tut; uur w uu siai ucu ,* wu
then—that is why I came back again,"
said Converse in awkward explana
tion.
“How did you know—how did you
guess that we were not sharpshoot-.
ers?" she asked, surprised. “Why did
you not investigate?”
"I don't know!" he replied slowly.
“It is well for us that you waited!
until you were alone,” she said in low
thrilling tones that stirred him
strangely. “Another might not have
been so kind as you have 6hown your
self to be.”
“It is nothing,” declared Converse
brusklv. “May I see your grandfa
ther?”
“Certainly—he is within, very sick.”
She led the way to the tiny hut whose
roof was half torn away. Through
this great aperture the moonlight
flowed brightly, lighting up a grass
bed on the ground whereon an old
man lay covered carefully with sev
eral blankets.
Converse bent over the old man
and addressed him in halting Spanish.
To his surprise the refugee answered
him in fluent English and in a few
words substantiated the words of his
granddaughter and added a brief ex
planation.
His name was Juan Barros, a re
tired merchant of Juarez. He was a
widower with this one granddaughter
who had been educated in the United
States. They had lived happily to
gether until the revolution had'
brought hostilities to their doors. The
loss of their home followed aud now
he was on his way to El Paso where
he had a brother; once there he
would make a Siptne for himself and
Almeda. If the kindly Americano
would help them—the old man's voice
had failed here.
Blake Converse did help them
across the border and delivered them
into the hands of an escort which
would see that they reached El Paso
It was not surprising that the
young soldier should obtain leavo of
absence and hurry to El Paso to make
a ceremonious inquiry concerning the
health of Almeda's grandfather, and
such was Blake's solicitude for the
old Mexican and so warm were the
greetings that he received from both
the refugees that he was encouraged
to repeat these calls until old Juan
Barros smiled into his beard and was
ready with his blessing upon them
long before Blake found courage to
ask it
Body Cells and Foods
“The cells of our body never learn
what the character of the food which
we eat really is." With this sentence,
delivered at a recent meeting of Swiss
men of science. Prof. Emil Abderhal
den has concisely defined a modem
viewpoint of nutrition which is rapid
ly becoming prominent Before they
’cave the alimentary tract the food
stuffs which we eat are broken up into
fragments that serve as the real food
of the body. Complex carbohydrates
are resolved into sugar; fats are split
into glycerol and fatty acids; proteins
yield an aggregation of characteristic
substances. Indeed, the main function
of digestion Is to put these compara
tively simple “building stones” at the
disposal of the internal tissue cells so
that they can select or further re
arrange them as the special functions
require. Whether it is meat or cereals
that we eat is. after all, largely a mat
ter of indifference, for they all furnish
similar digestion fragments, so long
as the digestive processes perform
their duty—Journal or the American
Medical Association.
Not an Absolute Embargo.
The expert burglar, disdaining the
j use of explosives, had attacked the
! itself. “This may be a combina
; tion somewhat In restraint of my
trade," he muttered, turning the knob
! slowly to the right again and listen
ing intently, "but you couldn’t call it
a case of unreasonable restraint"
Apparently his view was correct, for
presently he was engaged in the un
restricted pursuit of his trade, and
reaping large profits.
Unclassed.
Visitor—Now, Willie^ let’s see how
much you know of the physiology you
are studying. What part of the ani
! mal kingdom do I belong to?
Willie—1 don’t know. Pop 8ays
; you’re an old hen and mom says
! you’re an old cat
