Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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piiSlllSSiilili? ' iffifeWin J 1 Morniiv, "Oil." "And the shelter?Is it a house?" "No, a core. If you nre sufficiently rested you might come and take possession." Her eyes danced with excitement. He told her what he had seen, with reservations, and she ran on before him to witness these marvels. ^ "Why did you make n new path to B the she inquired nffrr a rapid ^ survey. "A new path!" The pertinent question staggered him. "Yes, the people who lived here inust have had some sort of free passage." lie lied easily. "I have only cleared away recent gronvth," he said. "And why did they dig n cave? It surely would be much more simple to build n house from all these trees." I> "There you puzzle me," he said ' frankly. They had entered the cavern but a little way and now came out. "These empty cartridges are funny. They suggest n fort, a battle." Wo- < manlike, her words were carelessly ' chosen, but they were crammed with Inductive force. Embarked on the toboggan slope of untruth, the sailor slid smoothly downward. "Events have colored j'our imagination, Miss Deanc. Even in England tfk m men often preserve such things for fu^ * tnre use. They can be reloaded." "Yes, I have seen keepers do that. This is different. There is an air of'? "There is a lot to be done," broke In Jenks emphatically. "We must climb the hill and get hack here in tlme^to light another fire before the sun goes down. I want to prop a canvas sheet in front of the cave and try to devise n lamp." "Must I sleep inside?" demanded Iris. "Yes. Where else?" There was a pause, a mere whiff of awkwardness. "I will mount guard outside," went on Jenks. lie was trying to improve the edge of the ax by grinding it on a soft stone. - s The girl went into the cave acnln. i Slie was Inquisitive, uneasy. s "That arrangement"? she began, but \ ended In a sliarp cry of terror. The > dispossessed birds had returned during the sailor's absence, c "I will kill theui!" he shouted in anger. \ "Please don't. There has been enough of death in this place already." The words jarred on his ears. Then lie felt that she could only allude to the victims of the wreck. "I was going to say," she explained, "that we must devise a partition. There is 110 kelp for it until you construct a sort of house. Candidly, I do not like this bole in the rock. It is a vault, a tomb." "You told nie that I was in command, yet you dispute my orders." lie strove hard to appear brusquely good humored, indifferent, though for one of his mold ho was absurdly irritable. The cause was overstrain, but that explanation escaped him. "Quite true. Hut if sleeping in the cold, iu dew or rain, is bad for nie, it must bo equally bad for you, and witliout you I am helpless, you know." tt ' lie laughed sardonically, and the harsh note clashed with her frank candor. Here at least she was utterly deceived. Ills changeful moods were incomprehensible. "I will serve you to the best of my . ability, Miss Deane," he exclaimed. "We must hope for a speedy rescue, and I am inured to exposure. It Is otlierwlse with you. Are you ready for the climb?" The crest of the hill was tree covered, and they could see nothing beyond their Immediate locality until the sailor found a point higher than the rest, where n rugged collection of hard basalt and the uprooting of some poon trees provided an open space elevated above the ridge. For a short distance the foothold was t precarious. Jenks helped the girl in this part of the climb. His strong, gentle grasp gave her confidence. She was flushed with exertion when they tA/yAlhoi* tlm a iminitf nf thia Divnnt IV^VUIVI UU iUV ouiaa &*???, V1 iutn elevated perch. They could look to j every point of the compass except a mall section on the southwest. Here the trees rose behind tlieui until the brow of the precipice was reached. The emergence into a sunlit panorama of land and sea, though expected, j was profoundly enthralling. They up- ( pcared to stand almost exactly In the j center of the Island, which was cres" cea\ shaped. It was no larger than the , sailor had estimated. The new slopes now revealed were covered with ver- ( dure down to the very edge of tho wa- ( tcr, which for nearly a mile seaward broke over jagged reefs. The sea looked strangely calm from tills height. Irregular blue patches on the horizon to south and east caught the man's ' first glance. He unslung the binoculars he still carried and focused them * eagerly. "Islands," he cried, "and big ones tool" \ "How odd!" whispered Iris, more concerned In the scrutiny of her Imme? <IIa#a aufVAim/Hntra .T^nlra crlntipfwl fit UlUiC DU? iUUUUIIIQUl ? V "? ~ ? - | her sharply. She was wot looking at the Inlands, but at a curious, hallow, a I :i: -S-s?.:fiV< i: > s\?:&VI . -g Wil gsofthegl , By LOUIS &*&! 0 TRACY [ fj Copyright. 1903. by ^ Edward J. Clode ^ :V: v:'k s-; ?.g.-?"v.w u quarry-like depression beneath them to ? the right, distant about 300 yards and a not far removed from the small plateau containing the well, though iso- _ lated from it by the south angle of the main clifT. Ilere, In a great circle, there was not a vestige of grass, shrub or ttee, uoth- n' ing save brown rock and sand. At first the sailor deemed it to be the dried up ? bed of a small lake. This hypothesis b would not serve, else It would be 11 choked with verdure. The pit stared up at them like an ominous eye, though neither paid further attention to it. for the glorious prospect mapped at their ^ feet momentarily swept aside all other j considerations. . "What a beautiful place!" murmured Iris. "I wonder what it is called." "Suppose we christen it Rainbow island?" "Why 'Rainbow?'" JJJ "That is the English meaning of Iris' In Latin, you know." P0 "So it is. IIow clever of you to think jf it! Tell me, what is the meaning of n, Robert' in Greek?" lie turned to survey tho northwest f0 side of the island. "I do not know," he ^h mswored. "It might not be farfetched fr to translate is ns 'a ship's steward, a menial.'" to Miss Iris had meant her playful re- sa fort as a mere light hearted quibble. It fr, innoyed her, a young person of much fir lonsequenee, to have her kindly con- flr lescension repelled. fie "I suppose so," she agreed, "but I p0 inve gone through so much in a few jt lours that I am bewildered, apt to for- _. ;et these nice distinctions." en Jenks was closely examining the reef y<J in which the Sirdar struck. Some se iquare objects were visible near the >alm tree. The sun, glinting on the fr( vaves, rendered it difficult to discern Iinir elfrn?A/?n?i/?A lecessities. As for the sailor, he was jn ?lad that the elianee turn of their conrerantion enabled him to warn her igainst the lurking dangers of the la- >( ;oen. There was no need to mention the devilfish now. lie must spare her n ill avoidable thrills. They gathered the stores from the * first dining room and reached the cave without incident. Another fire was lighted, and while Iris attended to the u kitchen the sailor felled several young trees. He wanted poles, and these 1 were the right size and shape. lie ' soon cleared a considerable space. The timber was soft and so small in girth ' that three cuts with the ax usually f sufficed. He dragged from the beach the smallest tarpaulin he could find and propped It against the rock in ' such manner that it effectually screen- n Dd the mouth of the cave, though admitting light and air. 111 He was so busy that he paid little heed to Iris. But the odor of fried ham was wafted to him. He was lifting a couple of heavy stones to stay the canvas and keep It froyi flapping In the wind when the girl called out: "Wouldn't you like to have a wash before dinner?" c lie straightened himself and looked nt her. Her face and hands were f1 shining, spotless. The change was so 1 great mm ins urow wriumeu wuu perplexity. . "I am a good pupil," she cried. "You Bee I am already learning to help my- ^ self. I made a bucket out of one of 1 the dish covers by slinging it in two ' ropes. Another dish cover, some sand ^ and leaves supplied basin, soap and towel. I have cleaned the tin cups and the knives, and, see, here is my greatest treasure." She held up a small metal lamp. Where In the world did you find that?" he exclaimed. Burled in t?? sand inside the cave." * J A.- < ?? t mm*. ? Double Bill. "There wasn't n dry eye In the house hen the colonel got through spoakig." "Iluh! I met him after the lecture In le barroom, r.nd when he got through olng the handsome thing there wasn't dry throat In the place." "Anything else?" ITls tone was abrupt. She was so disjointed by the seeming want of np:eciation of her industry that a gleam ' amusement died from her eyes, and io shook her head, stooping at once to ttend to the toasting of some biscuits. This time he was genuinely sorry, "b'orglve me. Miss Dcane," he said jnltently. "My words are dictated by ixiety. I do not wish you to make iseovcries on your own account. This a strange place, you know?an uneasant one in some respects." "Surely I can rummage about my vn cave?" "Most certainly. It was careless of e not to have examined its Interior ore thoroughly." "Then why do you grumble because I und the Inmn?" D.#U.UV?l,Vl. pH "What do you mnko of those?" he in- nc iulre<], handing the glasses and bland- < y ignoring Miss Deane's petulance. ar ler brain was busy with other things |,j| vhile she twisted the binoculars to tc] uit her vision. Rainbow island?Iris? t was a nice conceit, but "menial" r,n itruck a discordant note. This man j!C vas no menial in appearance or j IVliy was lie so deliberately rude? < "I think they are boxes or packing qv ases," sh<?announced. < "Ah, tliat was my own idea! I must < dslt that locality." < "How? Will you swim?" Qjj "No," he said, his stern lips relaxing tc] n a smile; "I will not swim, and, by fir he way, Miss Dcane, be careful when pjj *oif are near the water. The lagoon re: s swarming with sharks at present. feel tolerably assured that at low ] ide, when the remnants of the gnle gj, inve vanished, I will be able to walk jr uerc aiong me reer. . "Sharks!" she cried. "In there! A'hat horrible surprises this speck of and contains! I should not have 1m- ^ iginod that sharks and seals could . Jve together!" "You are quite right," he explained, gu vlth becoming gravity. "As a rule, (harks infest only the leeward side of hese islands. Just now they are atiracted in shoals by the wreck." "Oh!" Iris shivered slightly. ^ "We had hotter go back now. The e( ivind is keen here, Miss Deane." She knew that he purposely misunlerstood her gesture. His attitude con- ~ .'eyed .a rebuke. There was no further 10 oom for sentiment in their present ex- u stenee. Tliev had to deal with chill "1 illd not moan any such thing. I n sorry." "I think you are horrid. If you want wash you will Jind the water over ere. Don't wait. The ham will ho izzled to a cinder." Unlucky Jonks! Was ever man fated incur such unmerited odium? lie vngely laved his face and neck. The esh, cool water was delightful at st, but when he drew near to the e he experienced an unaccountable nsation of weakness. Could It l>e isslble that he was going to faint? was too absurd. He sank to the ound. Trees, rocks and sand strewn i rth indulged in a mad dance. Iris* ice sounded weak and indistinct. It i erned to travel in waves from a great stance. He tried to brush away am his brain these dim fancies, but i s iron will for once failed, and he < tched headlong downward Into dark- i ss. f When he recovered, the girl's left * iu was around his neck. For one < Issful instant he nestled there con- t utedly. He looked into her eyes nud t w that she was crying. A gust of r gcr rose within him that he should the cause of those tears. Lie tried to rise. 'Ok! Are you better?" ner lips' ilvered pitifully. 'Yes. What happened? Did I faint?" Drink this." She held a cup to his mouth, and he edicntly strove to swallow the counts. It was champague. After" the st spasm of terror and when the npication of water to his face failed to store consciousness |^is had knocked e head off the bottle of champagne. He quickly revived. Nature had only ven him a warning that he was overawing his resources. He was deophumiliated. He did not conceive the , nth, that only a strong man could ( i all that he had done and live. For irty-six hours he had not slept. Purg part of the time he fought with ildcr beasts than tliey knew at Ephe- , s. The long exposure to the sun, the s ental strain of Ills foreboding that e charming girl whose life depended t >on him might be exposed to even orse dangers than any yet encounter- f I, the physical labor he had under- j me, the irksome vestrnint he strove to | ace upon his conduct and utterances ait these things culminated In utter , taxation when the water touched his , sited skin. , "How could you frighten me so?" de- ] aiuled Iris hysterically. "You must lve felt that you were working too , lrd. You made me rest. Why didn't iu rest yourself?" lie looked at her wistfully. This col- 1 pse must not happen again for her ike. These two said more with eyes j inn lips. She withdrew her arm. Her ( ice and neck crimsoned. "Good gracious!" she cried. "The lm Is ruined!" It was burnt black. She prepared a esh supply. When it was ready inks was himself again. They ate In lenco and shared the remains of the ottle. A smile illumined his tired ice. Iris was watchful. She lind never i her life cooked fcyen a potato or oiled an egg. The ham was her first ttempt. "My cooking amuses you?" she demnded suspiciously. "It gratifies every sense," he murmred. "There is but one thing needil to compete my happiness." "And that is?" "Permission to smoke." "Smoke what?" lie produced n steel box tightly losed and n pipe. "Your pockets nro absolute shops," lid the girl, delighted that his temper ad improved. "What other stores do ou carry about with you?" He lit his pipe and solemnly gave an iventory of his worldly goods. Beond the Items she had previously seen e could only enumerate a silver dolir, a very soiled and crumpled handerchief and a bit of tin. A box of rorweglnn matches he threw away as seiess, but Iris recovered them. "You never know what purpose they lay serve," she said. In after days a relrd significance was attached to this imple phrase. "Why do yon carry about a bit of In?" she went on. Xoiyd it ttfire, Mlaa Deane," ha m TRADE MARK balance time frnm rnttn" Vtii VV/IIVU Fish scrap is us under all crop ? for the Royster H HI T1 H Norfolk, Va. I Columbia, S.C. insAvercd. Luckily she interpreted "here" m ipplying to tlie cave. "Let 1110 see it. May I?" Ho handed it to her. She could mak< lothlng of it. so together they puzzled ?ver it. The sailor rubbed it Avitli t nixture of kerosene and sand. Tlior Igurcs and letters and a sort of dia yrani were revealed. At last they be ?nnic decipherable. By exercising pa lent ingenuity some one had indented he metal with a sharp punch until tht narks assiuued this aspect: / **. a / n! ( 1! 3. b-; *-/ / ; L / 1 ? A A T C, / : ' \ ..'-"V. "W / \ * 7*' / \ lid--'' / Iris \vas quick witted. "It is a plai >f the island," she cried. "Also the latitude and the longitude.' "What does 'J. S.' mean?" "Probably the initials of a man'i lame. Let us say John Smith, for in stance." "And the figures on the island, witl :lie 'X' and the dot?" "I cannot tell you at present," In said. "I take it that lie line across tin sland signifies this gap or canyon, an< the small Intersecting line the cave Hut 31i divided by 1 and an 'X' sur mounted by a dot are cabalistic. The; would cause even Sherlock Holmes t sinoke at least two pipes. I have bare ly started one." "It looks quite mysterious, like tli things you rend of in stories of pirate and buried treasure." "Yes." he admitted. "It is unques tionably a plan, a guidance, given to person not previously acquainted wit the island, but cognizant of some fac connected with it. Unfortunately non nf the buccaneers I can bring to mln frcqupnted these seas. The poor bei gar* who left it here must have ha some other motive than searching for cache."' uiu m; uig ine cave uuu me wen, Wonder V" "Probably the former, but not tli well. No man could do It unaided." "Why do you assume he was alonei He strolled toward the Arc to kick stray log. "It is only Idle speculatio at the best, Miss Deano," be repllei "Would you like to help me to drn some timber up from the beach? If v get a few big planks we can build lire that will last for hours. We wai some extra clothes, too, and it will soc be dark." The request for co-operation grntifn her. She complied eagerly, and wit out much exertion they hauled a r spcctable load of tlrewood to their ne camping ground. They also brought number of coats to serve as covering Then Jenks tackled the lamp. It was most dltlicult operation to open it. A- .1 ?- - l>t-l Ul C lilt; OUII Htflll UUWU lit? BU eeeded nnd made a wick by unravelli a few strands of wool from bis jerSe When night fell, with the suddeuuei of the tropics, Iris was able to Ultra: natc her small domain. They were both utterly tired ai ready to drop with fatigue. The gl said "good night," but Instantly r appeared from behind the tarpaulin. "Am I to keep the lamp alight?" si inquired. "Please yourself, Miss Deaue. B< nptv jjcrhaya. It wUJ oul^ Uuj r * \ ism >B^^Tlic Fci ^ for Big W wl X Less A< Fewer acres, lighter labor, 1, combination secured with FAF ertilizer proved perfect by twent 5 from Southern soil. Farmers d food for every stage of plant j harvesting, and is suited to a gr M 4 . - " to corn, wheat to small truck. IV/lade with F"ish ;ed in every ton of Farmers' Bone, in :onditions and making it famous as a trade mark. ERE'S THE SALES REC X1NK OF THE CROP REC 1885-260 TONS / I890-I.5O0 TONS / 1895?12,000 TONS ^ r 1900-58,4-55 TONS 1905-130,091 TON! F. S. ROYSTER GUANO ( four or five hours anyway." * Soon the light vanished, and he lay down, his pipe between his teeth, close to the cave's entrance. Weary though - he was he could not sleep forthwith. I His mind was occupied witli the signs i on (lie canister head. 1 "IV2 divided by 1: an 'X' and a dot," - he repeated several times. "What do they signify?" Suddenly he sat up, with every sense I alert, and grabbed ills revolver. Souiei thing impelled him to look toward the spot, a few feet away, where the skeleton was hidden. It was the rustling of a bird among the trees that "hud caught lie thought of the white framework of a once powerful man, lying there among the bushes, abandoned, forgotten, horrific. Then lie smothered a cry of surprise. "By Jove!" lie muttered. "There is no 'X' nnd dot. That sign is meant for a skull nnd crossbones. It lies exactly on the part of the island where we saw that queer looking Imld patch today. First thing tomorrow before the girl awakes I must examine that place." He resolutely stretched himself on i Ills share of the spread out coats, now thoroughly dried, by sun and fire. In a minute ho was sound asleep. 3 CHARTER V. " | ly ylE awoke to find the sun high In I 11-1 I the heavens. Iris was prepar1 II II Ing bi'eakfast; a fine fire was ' * erackling cheerfully, and the 0 presiding goddess had so altered her a appearance that the sailor surveyed 1 her with astonishment. >. He noiselessly assumed a sitting posture, tucked his feet beneath him and y blinked. The girl's face was not vlslo bio from where he Rat, and for a few seconds he thought he must surely he dreaming. She was attired In a neat 0 navy blue dress and smart blouse. Her s white canvas shoes were replaced by strong leather boots. She was quite ?- spick and span, this Island Ilebe. a So Roundly had he slept that his h senses returned but slowly. At last t . he guessed what had happened. She e had risen with the dawn and, conquerd lng her natural feeling of repulsion, g- selected from the store he nccumud lated yesterday some more suitable a garments than those In which she est caped from the wreck. 1 i He quietly took stock of his own ! tattered condition and passed a reie flective hand over the stubble on his I chin. In a few days his face wouul I" resemble a scrubbing brush. In that a mournful moment he would have exhi changed even his pipe and tobacco box, [1. worth untold gold, for shaving tackle. l(v Who can say why Ids thoughts took o | such trend? Twenty-four hours can a effect great changes in the human it. mind if controlling influences are ncill tlve. Then came a sharp revulsion of feel;,1 ing. His name was Robert?a menial. Ij_ He reached for his boots, and Iris e. heard him. w uuuu liiui 111 ii^ out; t'licu, ouiuiiiK n ! sweetly. "I thought you would never g nwake. I suppose you were very, very a tired. Please wash quickly. The eggs will be hard." c_ "Kggs!" ,g "Yes. I made a collection among the y trees. I tasted one of n lot that looked 9S good. It was first rate." ,l_ He had not the moral courage to begin the day with a rebuke. She was irrepressible, but she really must not irl do these things. He smothered a sigh c. In the improvised basin which was placed ready for him. I,e Miss Do:; no had prepared a capital meal. Of course the ham and biscuits still bulked large in the bill of fare, but there werg, boiled eggs, filet} bfv rtilizcr Crops I llh creage I arger yields?a happy tMERS' BONE, the y-one years of great ' Bone is richest in M growth from planting eat diversity of crops, ? soring nourishment . crop saver. Look UK1I H ORD 9H jQ Tarboro, N.C. Macon, Ca. uanas and an elderly cocoanut. These things, supplemented by clear, cold water, were not so bad for a couple of castaways hundreds of miles from everywhere. For the life of him the man could not refrain from displaying the conversational art in which he excelled. Their talk dealt with Italy, Egypt. India. He spoke with thG ease of culture and enthusiasm. Once he slipped Into anecdote apropos of the helplessness of Ilritish soldiers in any matter outside the scope of the king's regulations. "I remember," be said, "seeing a cavalry subaltern and the members of an of bags'plMl 'VStf' lflf."JJiUbAK And what do you think were in the bags?" "I don't know," said Iris, keenly alert for deductions. "Riseults! They thought the bags couiamcu parent louuer uuiu i enngiuened tlieui." It was on the tip of her tongue to pounce on hint with the comment, "Then you have been an officer in the army." Hut she forbore. She had guessed this earlier. Yet the mischievous light in her eyes defied control, lie was warned in time and pulled himself up short. "You rend my face like a book," she tried. "No printed page was ever so?legible. Now, Miss Deane, we have gossiped too long. I am a laggard this morning, but before starting work I have a few serious remarks to make." "More digs?" she inquired saucily. "1 repudiate 'digs.' In the first place, you must not make any more experiments in lie matter of food. The eggs were a wonderful effort; but, fiattered by success, you may poison yourself." "Secondly?" "You must never pass ollt of my sight without carrying a revolver, not s.? much for defense, but as a signal. Did you take one when you went bird's nesting?" "No. Why?" There was a troubled look in his eyes when lie answered: "It is best to tell you at once tlint before help reaches us we may be visited by cruel and bloodthirsty savages. I would not even mention this if it were a remote contingency. As matters stand, you ought to know that such a thing may happen. Let us trust in God's goodness that assistance may come soon. The island has seemingly been deserted for many months, and therein lies our best chance of escape. Hut I am obliged to warn you lest you should be taken unawares." Iris was serious enough now. "How do you know that such danger threatens us?" she demanded. lie countered readily. "Because I happen to have read n good deal about the China sea and lis frequenters," ho said. "I am the last man in the world to alarm you needlessly. All 1 mean to convey is that certain precautions should be taken against a risk that is possible, not probable. No more." She could not repress a shudder. The sailor wanted to tell her that he would defend her against n host of savages If he were endowed with many lives, but he was perforce tongued tied. He even reviled himself for having spoken. but she saw the nmrnish hin face, nnd her woman's heart acknowledged him ns her protector, her shield. "Mr. .Jenks," she said simply, "we are in God's hands. I put my trust In him nnd in you. I am hopeful?nay, more, confident. I thank you for what you have done, for all that you will do. ^ If you cannot preserve mo from threatContinued on page 6.