hited
Tale of
By Will Levington Comfort
Copyright. 19)6, br Will Lerinrton Comfort
Copyriiht, 1907. by J. B. Lifpincott CouPA.fr All rights reserved
CHAPTER III. (Continued.)
They had reached the highway. Con
, stable was thinking that he would have
journeyed across the world to study a
laboring monster, like Pelee in his pres
ent stress, but the idea of the girl b'eing
in the shadow of danger took all the
relish from the work.
"I should prefer to hear you discuss the
treachery of volcanoes outside of the fire
lone," she said, shivering. "It's like
listening to ghost stories in a haunted
ouse."
"I'll tell you the best' way out of it,"
he declared. "I don't say that Pelee Is
about to rise and rend Saint Pierre, but
I want to take you all out to sea for a
few days. The Madame will behave her
prettiest with you on board."
"I can't imagine anything finer, but
you know mother is not a graceful sail
or." "Unfortunately, any effort of mine to
prevail upon her might spoil matters,"
Constable sai'd.
"Oh, I don't think that," she replied;
''but it will be something of a conquest
for any one to shake her trust in Pelee.
Still, I'll do what I can."
"And I'll begin work to-night upon
Uncle Joey. By the way, Miss Stans
bury," he added in a lowered voice, "don't
you think that if I chose to stay here in
Saint Pierre, your mother, might consent
more willingly to try a few days on the
Madame? You know Pelee is more than
eiver interesting to me now."
"That would be entirely unthinkable,"
he replied hastily.
Telee rumbled again, and the girl's fin
gers tightened upon his arm. The heavy
wooden shutters of the plantation house
rattled in the windless night ; the ground
upon which they stood seemed to wince
at the monster's pain. The man was con
scious of the fragrance of roses and mag
nolia blooms above the acrid taint of the
air. It was as if, through some strange
freak of the atmosphere, a pressure was
exerted upon the flowers, forcing a sud
den expulsion of perfume. The young
(noon was a ellow, formless blotch in the
fouled sky. A sigh like the whimpering
of a sick child was audible from the ser
Tants' cabins behind the big bouse.
"You'll plead with your mother to
night?" he whispered, as they walked
tack.
Mrs. Stansbury was on the porch. Her
nicely modulated voice, as she spoke to
her daughter, struck Constable with a
cold force. The women went indoors.
Breen and L'ncle Joey were in conversa
tion. Constable drew his chair to the
north end of the porch, and faced the
mountain a vast black beast couchant
under the dim stars. Since he had gazed
In that direction from the ship the night
before, the whole purpose of his life had
changed. Then he had asked no sweeter
favor of the Fates than to be permitted
to observe the giant's struggle to contain
the fury of his fluids. Now his thoughts
were magnetized by a new substance
the substance of fear. Self, the tribune
of all his reckonings heretofore, had been
' lifted from his brain, as a familiar vol
ume Is lifted from its case. .
"I knew it," he muttered. "I knew it
five years ap;o that I should come back
here some day, look upon that girl, and
become a raver like other men. To think
that I could stay away from her a year
t a time !"
He regarded the double chain of lights
out in the harbor the Madame pulling
at her moorings among the lesser craft,
like'a lustrous empress in the midst of
dusky maid-servants. Between the black
mountain and the illumined ship stretched
a battle. It was his own particular bat
tle. His name was called from the lists.
To win was to run away. The old mas
tering complication was his at last. Yes
terday a splendid contribution to the Im
perfect records of seismology, such as
was now within his grasp, was Identified
with his highest ambition. To-day the
safety of the woman towered above it,
as the dome of St. Peter's above the
head of a tourist. He was afraid of Pe
lee. Breen drew over to him and sat
down upon the railing.
"What's on your mind, Peter?" '
"A mountain," said Constable.
Rain did not fall in the night, and
Constable was abroad with the dawn,
regarding the white world and the source
of the phenomenon, with the sketchy
tints of earliest morning upon the huge
eastern slope. He had slept little, and
that with his face turned to the north.
He would scarcely .close his eyes before
a cortege of volcanoes would pass before
him, as in a dream all the destroyers
of history, each with a vivid Individuality,
like the types of faces of all nations
the story of each, and the smearlt had
mado of men and. the works of men.
. Most of them had given warning. Pe
lee was warning now. His warning was
written upon the veins of every leaf,
. painted upon the curve of every blade of
grass, sheeted evenly white upon the tiles
of every roof. Gray dust blown by steam
from the bursting quarries of the moun
tain, clogging the gutters of the city, and
the throats of men ! It was a moving
white cloud in the rivers, a chalky shad
ing that marked the highest reach of the
harbor tide. It settled in the hair of the
children and complicated the toil of the
bees in the nectar-cups of the roses. With
league-long cerements, and In a voice that
caused to tremble his dwarfed cohorts,
the hills and mornes, great Pelee had
proclaimed bit warning In the night.
1
S
epulchre
Pelee
Constable was standing In the garden.
"Good old Vulcan, to wait for her!" he
murmured. "Sit tight for another day,
and keep a stiff bridle-arm for one more
day !"
"It isn't really ash, you know," he
found himself saying at breakfast, "but
rock ground as fine as neat and shot out
by steam through Pelee's valves."
"How intensely graphic!" Mrs. Stans
bury observed.
"It's a graphic morning," said Breen,
"and Peter is virile from a night of medi
tation. I believe he has made a covenant;
with the mountain."
Constable had met the eyes of the
daughter, and found no hope there. He
had taken bis uncle apart and charged
him to labor for the cause of flight.
"Ursula," the planter began gravely, ad
dressing Mrs. Stansbury, "Peter has .ask
ed us to spend a few days with him in
the Caribbean, on board the Madame. I
confess that I don't like the way Pelee
is acting, and the heat is telling on us
all. The prospect of a refreshing breath
of the Trades is a mighty pleasant one to
me. Doesn't it sound so to you?"
"As a specialist in volcanoes, I should
think Mr. Constable would find it im
possible to leave ul bacli a time," the
elder woman answered smoothly. "The
mountain needs his doctor more than ever
now."
"I have not yet attained unto such a
scientific passion that I can forget my
friends entirely," Constable said earnestly.
"For my part," the girl hastened to
say, "Mr. Constable's invitation is im
mensely alluring."
Mrs. Stansbury's eyelids contracted
ever so little, and she lingered upon the
words of her ultimatum, as if there were
a tang of pleasure in the utterance. "The
Panther arrives day after to-morrow
morning, with the New York mail. I
would not under any condition think of
leaving Saint Pierre before receiving Mr.
Stansbury's letters."
Constable stared at the face of the
daughter. He read there terror of the
mountain, and pity for himself. He arose,
not daring to trust himself to speak again.
Breen found him in his room a few min
utes later.
"Peter," he said softly, "has it ever
occurred to you that the map of Europe
and the history of France might greatly
have been altered if our beloved Joseph
ine had been gifted with a will like that?"
CHAPTER IV.
In the Rue de Rivbli there was a little
stone fruit shop. The street was short,
narrow, crooked and ill paved a cleft In
Saint Pierre's terrace work. Just across
from the vault-like entrance to the shop,
the white, scarred cliff arose to another
flight of the city. Between the shop and
the living rooms behind there was a little
court, shaded by mango-trees. Dwarfed
banana shrubs flourished in the shade of
the mangoes, and singing birds were cag
ed in the lower foliage. Since the sun
could find no entrance, the shop was dark
as a cave, and as cool. One window,
if an aperture like the clean wound of
a thirteen-lnch gun could be called a win
dow, opened to the north ; and from it,
by the grace of a crook in the Rue de
Itivoli, might be seen the mighty caliber
ed cone of Pelee.
Tere Rabeaut's fruit was very good,
and some of it was very cheap. The ser
vice was much as you made it, for if you
were known you were permitted to help
yourself. In this world there was no
one of station too lofty to go to Tierre
Rabeaut's ; you would meet no one there
to whom it was not a privilege to say
"Bon jour."
"Come and see my birds," the crafty
Rabeaut would say, if he approved of
you.
"Where do you live?" you might ask,
being a stranger.
"In the coolest hovel of Saint Pierre,"
was the invariable answer.
And presently, if you were truly alive,
you would find yourself in the little stone
shop, listening to the birds. In due
course Soronia would appear in the shad
owy doorway and it would seem that the
bird songs were hushed as she crossed the
court.
If the little stone shop were transplant
ed in New York, artists would find it
and have difficulty in getting In and out,
for the crowd o' nights. Thither Con
stable and Breen made their way on this
burning morning which Mrs. Stansbury
darkened with her decision. The pair sat
down In the cherished cpolness, Constable
at the little window, so that he could
look at the mountain.
"Breen, I dare not leave them here for
forty-eight hours, until the Panther
comes," Constable said.
"Do you really think Pelee can't hold
out that long?"
Constale shook his bead impatiently.
"I'm not a monomaniac at least, not yet,
Breen," he said, and his voice suggested
the world of pent savagery In his brain.
"The ways of volcanoes are past the pre
visions of men. I do not say that Pelee
will blow his head off this week, or this
millennium. I say I'm afraid for this
girl. I say there are vaults of explo
sives in that monster, the smallest of
which could make this city look like a
leper's corpse upon the beach. I say
that the Internal fires are burning high ;
that they are already fingering the vital
cap ; that Pelee sprung a leak last night,
and that the same force which lifted this
cheerful archipelago from the depths of
the sea Is pressing against the leak at1
this instant. I say that Vesuvius warnwl
before he broke ; that Krakatoa warned '
and then struck ; that down the ages these '
safety valves scattered over the face of
earth have trembled before giving way.
Pelee is trembling now,- and there is a
woman here whose safety Is important
to me. She is two miles away this mo
ment, and I am as powerless as a man in
a street fight, with bis lady's arms about
him. What shall I do?"
"Peter, there is a short cut," Breen
said.
"Tell me !" Constable urged.
"Are you zealous and strong-souled?"
"Try me."
At this Juncture Soronia entered the
shop from the little court of the song
birds. Ailing the eyes of the Americans.
A dark, ardent, alluring face; flesh like
dull gold, made wonderful by the faintest
tints of ripe fruit ; eyes that could melt
and burn and laugh ; a fragile figure, but
radiantly abloom, and as worthily draped
as a young palm In a vine richly blossom
ing. Such, vaguely, was Soronia. She
made one think of a strange, regal flower,
an experiment of Nature, wrought in the
most sumptuous shadow of a tropic gar
den. She was gone. Breen's face bore a
drained look.
"An orchid?" he whispered. "Will the
visitation be repeated? Do I wake or
sleep?"
"Old Pere Rabeaut married a French
woman," Constable observed.
"Some Daphne of the islands, she must
have beeu, since Pere Rabeaut does not
seem designed to father a sunrise," Breen
added, his eyes, lost in the shadows of the
court, from whence the bird songs came. .
Pere Rabeaut was a worthy soldier ot
France, I have heard," said Constable. "I
have never seen the mother, but every
year I have seen Soronia for a moment
like this. She was but a child when I
came first five years ago but a radiant
child even then."
"Five years ago," Breen mused. "Fivt
years ago I had not ceased to paint. I
should have put her on canvas."
There was a moment of silence, then
Constable said in a low voice, "I must go
back. Tell me the shorter way."
"Peter, you are a man, and she a wom
an. Forgive me, but I know what has
sprung into your heart in the past twenty
four hours from the seeds that have been
there five years. Tell her tell, her all
about those five years and the one day
what they have meant to you, and your
dream of the future. If you tell her
mightily enough, she will follow you to
the Madame, and cast no longing look be
hind ! I shall stay here for an hour or
two."
Constable left the shop. He was'' very
miserable, full of undirected wrath. Nev,
er in his life before had there been a
time when a stiff shoulder, dollars, an ath
letic mind, or all three, had failed entirely
to move an obstacle in his way. Here he
was ground by impotence absolute. The
suggestion of Breen entailed such a deep
and vital thing that he dared not think of
it, here in the glaring day, with the pant
ing crowd about him. It was against the
very structure of his mind to act precipi
tately in this, of all matters, most deli
cate. It is true that he meant now to
win Lara Stansbury, if such a stately
citadel lay within range of a man of his
caliber; but be had vouchsafed to strike
only after a flawless investment were
laid.
Breen did not return for luncheon,
and the name of Pelee was not beard. In
his room, afterward, Constable fell asleep,
with his face to the north. He awoke
out of a horrid dream, in which black
fingers were . tightening, like a garrote,
upon his throat. It was the ash and
sulphur fumes again. Pelee was obscur
ed by the fresh fog. Instantly, upon
awakening, the old thoughts and dreads
resumed their hateful swing in his brain.
The sight of the Madame, lying out in the
harbor, her needle-boom pointed like a
black, fleshless finger across the smoky
sunset, whipped him again to the sense
of action which had no means of expres
sion. Thoughts of the night the locked
doors, the still halls, the wail of chil
dren from the native cabins, sleeplessness
without hope, vigilance without meaning,
and this new master-romance shining far
and bright and alone, like a brave star
above wind-hurled clouds--out of these
were moulded thoughts of little mercy, as
the shadows grew long upon the whiten
ing lawn.
Pelee's moods were variable that after
noon. The twilight brought ease again,
and with the old freshness of evening
came' a glad hour of reaction. There was
a rippling wave of merriment frjm the
darky quarters, and a score of childi'en
went blithely forth to bathe in the sea.
Never before was the volatile tropic soul
so Imperiously evidenced simple hearts
which glow at little things, 'whose swift
tragedies come and go like blighting
winds, which slay but leave no wound.
Constable was ashamed for the ma
ment. Throughout the day bis eyes had
fixed in stubborn gloom upon a cataclysm.
Up the stairway, airily as laughter, came
a bright melody from the piano, lie was
thrilled, and held, and his mind was stir
red with tendernesB. She was like her
island people, quick to enter the groves
of serenity when the blact cloul bad
blown by. Could Breen be tight? he
thought. The suggestion appealed to him
now in a new high-light. Were there
not some words which ,had never yet
found the ears of woman from the Hps of
man some key to instant supremacy in
the undiscovered country of a lovely
woman's nature?
(To be continued.)
Ambiguous.
"I would like to see more moving
verse from your pen," said the ad
mirer. "Do you mean something pathetic,
asked the poet, "or something about
springtime moves?" - Kansas City
Times.
Flah-Skin Disease.
Ichthyosis from the Greek word fot
Huh is the scientific name for a pecul
iar disease, or rather deformity oi me
skin characterized by an overgrowth
of a horny, scaly layer and an abnor
mal dryness. It usually exists from
birth, although u few fuses of acquired
fish-skin disease have been observed.
Its cause Is uuknowu. It often affects
several members of the same family,
and In many eases is evidently hered
itary. Although existing from birth, it ma,
not be very marked In the' Infant, but
may be little more than a roughness
and unusual scallncss and dryness of
the skin. It Increases gradually, be
coming very apparent by the third or
fourth year, for Blx or eight years per
haps, and then its progress stops and It
remains practically unchanged for life,
although a slight Improvement Is some
times noticed as the child approaches
manhood or woma'nhood.
It varies with the seasons, being bet
ter In the summer and better the hot
ter und inulaier Ihe ull" li UliJ worse
again In winter. The skin Is also liable
to Inflammation In cold weather and
chaps easily, giving rise to painful
cracks over the knuckles and at the tips
of the fingers. The nails are rough and
often break and split, and the hair is
also dry and frayed at the ends.
There are all degrees of the disease,
from a simple, dry roughness and scall
ness, to a condition In which the sur
face Is covered with thick plates resem
bling the scales of a crocodile. In al
most all cases there are more or less
definite markings, especially over the
extensor surfaces of the Joints, resem
bling fish scales or a serpent's skin. The
disease may occur In patches or in
curved bands of vnrylng width, with,
healthy or nearly healthy skin between,
but most commonly it Involves the en
tire surface, being least marked where
'he skin Is naturally thin.
The treatment is mainly local, Its ob
ject being to remove the excess of horny
scales and keep the skin soft. Anoint
ing the body at night with soft soap,
followed by a warm bath and thorough
rubbing with a coarse towel or a flesh-
brush will, If often repeated, keep tbq
scaling within limits. The free use of a
good cold cream, borax and glycerin In
water, lanolin or vasclln, applied Imme
diately after the bath, and If necessary
again In the morning, will go fnr to
keep the skin soft and pllnble. More
severe cases will require more severe
remedies, which should be used only
under medical direction.
Origin of "America."
"I supiKwe I am the only person here
who heard 'America' sung the first
time in this country," said the Rev.
Edward Everett Hale, D. 1)., in an ad
dress at the Old West Roxbury meeting
house. "It was on a Fourth of July
when I was a hoy. I had spent IT
celebration money and on my way
home had to pass Park Street oh inch.
I decided to go Into the church, where
there was a celebration of the natlou's
holiday.
"There was a chorus of boys and girls
who sang 'America' on that day for the
first time. I don't remember whether
I tried to "sing It. I-ater In life Dr.
Smith told me how he came to write the
versos to the tune of 'God Save the
King.' -
"The minister of Park Street church
told him that there was to he a cele
bration of the Fourth of July at the
church and that he wanted Dr. Smith
to write some verses of a song for It,
and handed to Dr. Smith a number of
English and German music books and
told him to find some tune In them and
flt his verses to the music.
"Dr. Smith looked through the books
and selected the tune, which he had
never heard, and which has been sung
as 'America In this country ever since."
Boston Transcript.
After That the Delna-e.
Towne There are some hot games
up at the bull grounds these days. Why
don't you take your wlfo to one of
them?
Browne Gracious! I don't want to
be a widower. She's too tender-hearted
and sympathetic.
Towne What has that to do with
It?
Browne Why, It would be Just like
her to sympathize with the umpire.
Philadelphia Tress.
What It Was.
"Oh, John!" she exclaimed, "now
that you've seea my new bonnet, you
simply can't regret that I got It. Isn't
It Just a poem?"
"Well, If It Is," replied John, "I guess
a proper title for It would, be 'Owed
to a milliner.' "Philadelphia Press.
SOCIETY MEETINQS.
CHAMROCK CIRCLE No. 195. W. O. W. Kee
ular mectinm the Second and Fourth Thurs
day! of each month in Smith ' Hall.
MRS. ELWOOD CARET.
GEORGIA BENNETT, Guardian Neishbor.
Clerk.
CUGAR LOAF CAMP No. tog. Vf.of theW.
Meets on the Fint and Third Tuesdays ef each
month. c. E. HULING.
E. SCHNEIDER. Clerk. Consul
JyJYRTLE LODGE No. 78. A. F. A A. M. Meota
moon. E. SCHNEIDER,
L. A. ROBERTS. Secretary. W. It,
CLGIN CHAPTER No. 24. O. E. S. Meets on
the First and Third Friday evenings of each
month. MKS. J. C. BROWN.
GEORGIA BENNETT, Secretary. W. it.
POL. JEWELL POST No. 53. G. A. R. Meets
w on the First Saturday before full moon, at
s'clock p. m.
,. W. LUN DY. T. M. HERMAN,
Adjutant Commander
flYRTLE POINT LODGE, T. O. 0. F. Meets
" every Saturday nljfht at S o'clock.
LLOYD SPIRES. L. H. PEARCE,
Secretary Noble Grand
PROFESSIONAL CARDS.
L A. ROBERTS,
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
MYRTLE POINT, OREGON
A. LEEP, M. D.
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Office on Spruce street, adjoining Myrtle Point
Hardware store. Res. on Willow street.
MYRTLE POINT, OREGON.
E. A. DODGE
U. S. Commissioner
Myrtle Point, Oregon
THE MODERN LIGHT
Soft, but Brilliant
Off or On in an Instant
Electricity Is a Modern Necessity
Residences and business houses
that are up-to-date are wired
for electric light. They are
handy, clean, economical, pret
ty, stylish, neat and right in
all ways.
This popular light is furnished
by the
ille River Electric Go,
FRANK MORSE, Proprietor
COQUILLE OREGON
TRANSPORTATION.
STEAMER ECHO
K. H. JAMKH, Master
Lcavei Myrtle Point every day ezoept sun
day at 8 a. m. and arrlrss at Coqullle City at 10
a. m. Leaves Coqullle City at 1 p. :a and ar
rlTes at Myrtle Point at 4 p. ra.
"
r dispatch
r. D. WHITI, Mistsb.
1 caret Bandan at 7 a. a. and arrives at Oo
qullle City at :N a. m. Leaves Coqullle City
at 1 p. m. and arrives at Bandon at 8:10 p. ra.
All kinds ol steamboat work done at reason,
able rates.
ROSEBURG-MYRTLE POINT
STAGE LINE
- Leaves Roseburt and Myrtle Point all, at
a. m. and arrives at p. a. ec pasrliessie
apply o
B. Fcnton, Prop- Myrtle Point. Orcta