The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 16, 1900, Page 18

18 ?\/—‘\ AN overboard \\ 1t happened so svddenly that W for a mement, the horror of the the smothering embrace of er and the p cry that t thréugh tt arkness seemed but the weird fantasics of a sleep-d d bra T 1: ion gling, choking wr to me only when my hands t again after that first phung hat I ch down there came the a na 1 ¥red's fear-bleached fz & the line of heads bent over the re e gt had lounge: whils we two. looking over at Goat Island’s | shadow, talked 1aly of the dinner from which we were How hopeles 1l the light life and movemc ere ahuve seemed! T heard confused shouts mping rush oi h clank and ratfle of un winding chain ered fro T felt g at we cellent swimm seemed paralyzed ng, act dy = c on my fect, a I hezan to or: k overtired child, =obbing with a bubblir 1g cf the littie breath that it was h a pitiful th there. like a blind puppy. when 1 much to live for—so m plans ahead of me 1 tried to call out. to ralse arms. but the weight at r heavier. t s my ears g ing--I san My op fled by a glare of w i for the moment forced sh tr and looked. througn of unfamiliar faces, into a black dome fringed lines of ghit g stars. 1 the clinging leaden w tness about me; but the s heat some v body, and my Iy of br to sleep s I was shaxen and drag ged up ir My back was resting against a hard and unsympa thetic masculine knee. **Come said an impa Have ur m me ound e men. et ca seething gur I shivered as who was kneeling lips 1soked dowr one of “Or wili back he pointec to the pit with an outflung hand that seemed to my shaker soul to be quivering with menac All the terturing agony of my drowning came back to me with thas g sture, ana I shrank and cowered and caught at ism of abject t arm in a parox) “Let me live: let me live!” T begge:! “I ean endure anything tha Agalln ! Wher 1 awoke re Mo 1 lay dry and t of ts. The star- guidly content in a blar warm anc seft ana fleec encireled dome still looked down upon me, t a high screen surrounded my bed and shut out all else from my sight save the slender figure of a young woman who sat close at hand She had delicate a remarkably pure and pale vy knotted twist of shining red-brown hair at the back of her small head. gazing at her under level lashes w wed on feature: complexion and @ he she vnaware of my return to conselousness, 1 deeided that wi have been very pretty were it not for her expression of deep melancholy. Then I decided that I was hungry, and said so Another woman came at her c: a f.t, middle aged one who looked as if she might have been a candidate for the Xeeley cure in the near t—and s.e gave me something sloppy and weak- tasting out of a bowl. My head felt queer and irresponsible and there was a bandage around it holding it together; evidently I had got a knock on it when I took my header into the bay, and that accounted for my puzzling inability to swim 1 began to fecl more alive and interroga - - with every passing minute, and when the fat woman retired in quest of food mors. suitéd to my energetically expressed demand than that which she had furn- ished, began to ask questions that fairly tumbled over each other; but the girl par- ried them gently “Don’t bot cbout things vet,” she said. “You have been ill and delirious aid are safe and well cared for. Nothing elce maiters just now."” 1 lovked around for a moment in si- lence. Save for that glittering concave above I might have been in a lodging- house hall-bedroom. Where had the de- lirium begun?—and was it quite ended? The girl smiled as I asked. *You fainted after you took the oath,” she sald; “that was ten days ago, and you have not been rational since, until-now. It was a hard struggle to save your life. I wonder if you are thankful to us." 1 stared at her. “I am glad to be alive, et course,” I answered; *‘why should I mot be?” Bhe turned on me sharply. “Do you mean that you didn't wish to die?’ she demanded; “that you didn’t intend suicide ‘when the tide brought you to us?* “I fell off the boat,” I replied. “I had jmo thought of dylug. It was an accident \pure and simple." ¥ THE SUNDAY CALL. A great pity shone suddenly in her eyes. “Then yourare bnth fortunate and unfortunate,” she said. “Your life is saved, but— “Tell me cverything.” 1 demanded, an overmastering desire to know the worst giving me strength to throw off the blan- kets and raise myself on one arm, ‘“or I will go and find out for myself. Where m I, and who are caring for me? It is right to know, and T will!” Her slender hand. cool and softlv mooth as a magnolia petal, pressed me gently back on the pillows “T wiil tell y she said. ‘‘You are inside Goat I , and we who are herc are all p who have tried to commit suicide in the & nd—fuiled. ‘Having all of us, by o t. cast off al- legiance to hum 1 to God, we llve d te er our ccramon ne and utterly apart from the We are living and vet dead, for ing to the new ipers we have myeteriously disappeared’ or- the fact of our suicide has been ablished—‘drifted cut to the sea with As for ways and means: siuce society has drive o this extle. moclety is madc to help support us. For the res:, we are governed by a DI rector, who was the firet discoverer of this retreat twenty 3 ago—and an Ad- fovce certam: law mosgt of ug the oath?” I bo'desi would guarded as it 1= by cscapable v baclk’— I caugh: per hand eagerly. “Who 3¢ back?' T repeated “Then 1 am not « prisoner—I m: go home as If we ober order: and worthy h en those who go nrove trust- we need spen& but five yeafs he words sounded !ke a death se tence. Five vears!'And for me. iu the first flush of manhocd, there was sn much to do—so much that T had meant do to atone for my careless, extrava- it and selfish you How could I ex ist all th time in thig horrible hos hile Ju acro: thut lttle stratch of ckbbing and ‘er my dear ones mourned me 14 ard other men took my rightful place ameng the living? It wag such a little way across—perhaps— ~ht a hope which 1 st through all the daws that fol- red—the hope of es-upe. 7hile T was Btill tr) f agaipst ihe whirlw 1 emotfons that was sweeping ov at woman returned and dismis the girl, whom she called Helen, took he: place by my bedside, and ns she proved I-temperedly taciturn T learned nothing more of my surrounding untli I was able to go out and take up the burden of ex- istence among my mew comrades. In spltc of my mental rebeliion against my cantivity T could not heln being keenly interested in tiie novel conditions of our underground and water-guarded lif>. My prison was an Immense cavern lowed by nature in the {ntevior of the to steady m: i of new. fdeas the areat mound of Goat Islard, and shaped s an Inverted bow! at least 1304 feet In m-ter and 50 fee: “igh ir the center Ther: wers but twn means of access to It —c*> beine that nit in the floor of flat rocs tnts which. ke ati those around me. ] hed been dragged vy the clutch of the irflowing water: and the other, the oniy ecress. being a roundabout passage dip- ing down below the floor level and lead to a deep cove al the back of the land, hidden by a kuge shelving rock. This entrance was completely closed at high tide and was nevir used but by per mission of the director. but T learned that near the end and t when. the tide permitted mysterious rlentifui store of urovisions but to an already large stock of heterogeneous articles of varying vi ue, were made by certain trusted membzra of our fraternity who scemed to have u taste for adven- ture, After a time the knowledge came to me that these mem preyed rapaclously upon thelr fellows and tha: many of the mys- terious robberieg which had baffled the police forces of San Francisco and Ala- meda counties were planned In this sub- terranean hiding place. Once T saw one of the men come back with bloodétains on his garments. which he burned as soon as it was possible to change them, and I felt sickeningly sure that worse than rob- bery had been part of his night's work, but o comment was made on this by the others and I had learsed wisdom enotigh to hold my peace. Though no ray of natural light penetra ed to this vast and gloomy chamber, thara seemed to be hidden crevices through which there was & constant but impercep- tible circulation of air, so that even the smoke of the great driftwood fires occa- sioned no inconvenience. The lights, which made the whole place almost as bright as day, were the wark of a young elec- riclan, who tapped the wire at the cable crossing and diverted a generous portion of the current {0 his own ends. The dor- mitorfes, kitchen, dining, assembly and store rooms were separated from each other by movable screens, and were all comfortably though plainly furnished, but the *‘reception-room,” as that part of the cave containing the pit was called with grim humor, was piled high with driftwood and whatever of the constantly upheaved booty of the bay seemed to the various watchmen worthy the saving. The one thing that struck me particu- larly was the attitude of the men and women toward each other. Though no re- striction was placed upon their inter- course, and all the women except fat Kate (who had, I found, sought death under the compelling influence of inciplent delirium tremms) were young and rather attrace )8, resulting not oniy In additions to . tive, the sexes were self-separated witn Shaker-like austerity. and no touch of sentiment lightened the shadows of this living grave. “‘It is because most of the men tried to kill themselves becavs> of some woman,” explained Helen, when I found opportu nity to ask her, “and the women gener ally bave some grudge against a man— even Kate's husband used to beat her— and they have brought their memories with them “And you?’ 1 asked the question half- fearfully. for iis girl had attracted me from the first, and I longed, yet dreaded, r her story She met my eves frankly ¢ mother was all T bad." ~ ’ he died and T was [il with hunger and frizhtened and discouraged. It was foblish and wod " I ha rer bitterly o vears om when go back, I shall be wiser and braver. From that moment I was determined oniy czscare. tur to take Helen the director's room. which was guarded. but the pit | 1 was good 1eld possihil- wimmer and diver, lous way be- noth- ing comr in that acew tide the wat abovt ter and 1 fou wa lower. Itg » of the sl position of the er thirty feet. erening When T » Helen, after set- thng this er to practice tak- ing them ing full. deej nd ret 2 “It is geod for 1 comes otherwise u and I saw tHat she reaa my meaning. It wars net wnti! F had been over = morthe fu the cave that jt T + possi- ble for Helon and me to meet at the right 1 n at the pit's mouth. Then e one night thr h the kri the cavern. and T whispered my 18 1 fastened firmly about her a life-nreserver. a grimiy jron al pile of which. brought by the water, ructions lay against the wall. At the last moment: met idden!y thout a word. we realized that love was looking ovt of them T bent and k'sse T eald. T will ¢ vou—for myself.” “M? hrave dar- Lest to Do e » the menacng aarkness. ted on the outgo- ing tic to us. but some ten feet do the ontwa=d vassage a column of rock gave whirl pavse to the current, and here T was forced to fight with a strength. Our life-precervers held sutmerred henr airst the rocky roof, hut Helen, glirsipg to we I'ghilv but sure Iy with her right arm throvgh all those interminable moments of sufforating struggle. fended us away from the jagged wall with the other. The coffining reck came to an end at 1ast and the » Swor 2 voward. As we rose 1 shivering shcek and F grasp away frem me. 1 threw my arm around her and wa eame th & together, floating on a eh 3 of moonlit water. The light= of San Franciseo glit- tered clos: at hand. A ferrv-boat w sweening toward ns from the Oakland side. We were free! Extausted and vanting as [ was [ yet am=* suddenly ¢ ns moticnlees silence. He ous of Helen's head was droop- ing in range. disminted wav and A& ith a sudden icy fear clutching my hea A deep ard ghastly hoie stared at me from the middle of her white forehead and from it & crimson vell was spreading over her face: The shock whicha 1 had felt was the :murderous erash of some stalactite-like rock and Helen— A wave splashed over her and she raised her head and smiled at me—a smile that faded into a faint. fluttering and quickly passing shadow like Lhat cast by a flying bird, and then even the world held Helen prisoner no longer. WS S AP SR e 1 opened my eyes in the Harbor Hospi- tal with Fred's face crowded in between the doctors’, radiant with rellef and than'fulness. “Where 13 Helen?' I asked, and Fred laughed half hysterically. ¥ “Never mind where anybody is so that you are here!” he cried. “Whatever pos- sessed you to take that tumble, old maa? I've had the worst three-quarters of an hour of my life since you did that, and 1 guess you have. But it's merry Christ. mas now for both of us."” There was a sound »f beils nigh and far ringing joyfully. and listening to those Christmas chimes, with Fred's hands clasping mine, 1 realized with a strange sense of loss that my whole half year ot weird adventure was but the fleeting vision of a man wavering between life and death! SRR SN sy ey i The next day. in spite of Christmas cheer and much home petting, T felt rest- less and unhappy and, led by a desire to look at the bay that nad so nearly caused my death, I wandered down to the wates front. There was a cluster of men and boys at the end of Clav-street wharf and the grim Morgue wagon stood waiting. A morbid curiosity impelled me to join ihe gaping crowd and I saw on the floating dock below two -fishermen and two Morgue officlals bending over a stark figure in clinging garments with a dank tangle of brown hrir winding about it. A long pine box was beside them and as I stared with a kind of awful fascination they lifted the fishermen’'s dreadful prisq to lay her iIn its rude shelter. As they did so I saw the face—a beav- tiful girlish face with a ghastly water- soaked hole in the forehead. It was the Helen whom I had mct and loved in my death dream! “HER HEAD wAS DROOPING 1A A STRANGE DISJOINTED wAY" b