Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Saturday 18 June 1904, page 6


SI'KLLA FKUOEUUP. t

Anything more «ulike " Solomon's Gold Mines " mid some; other works of Hider Haggard could scircoly he conceived. In n prefatory note. Hie author says ho »rote the story tc jilease himself and now publishes it to phase others. " Thc pro-blem of Mich a cotHiet (as is Fct forth in it), common onoiirh did wc but know it. between a departid and a present per-sonality, of which the battleground is a lieirnved human iienrt and the prize is complete posse»¡ot; between earthly duty «nd spiritual desire also: was one that hu i h ug adi neild him." Finding at length n few montas of leisure, he treated t he (.'illienlt lill mr,not indeed as he would have wished to do, hut as best be could. Thc three perrons whose din-tine* mc re-lated are Monis Monk, il .student of phy-sical science mid inventor of an icrophonc, by means of which, mid without the nid of wires, persons sonic distance apart (?(?nh! Injk with each other: bis first cousin. Mary l'orsmi, a big girl with ber hair flill iliiwn her bael;, rather idle in disposition, hut \ery intelligent, when she ihwe; ami Stella" VrrgoVnis. n Danish uii'idcn. ilaitçhtcr nf a parson, wrecked upon Hie coast near Monk's residence. Af, Hie time of our nilroilnilinn Monk and Mun arc cuuagcd in experimenting with the ivrophiinc, mid he succeeded in Inur-ing ber nnswer bis ipicstinns quite dis-mally. She had lo leave suddenly lo alIciul her mol her, whoso illness proved fula), and did not return for upwards nf a year. When ho gol ¡n's icrophonc fixed

'' Susannah mid One Kider. Ky E. Maria-.Miaiicsi. utillinr of Love' mid l,i.|ii-a. London: Methuen "lui Coy. Knckluimptm: W. Munro mid Coy. Mel linen's COIUIÍRI l.ihrnry.

t Sti Ha l-'ivm-lin-: A i'.,|,, ,,f Three Hi-linirs. )!y 1!. I;¡I1,T Jlnirgard. London: Longmans, Creen. a"(l <_?";_ Jtockhiimpj (on: \V. Munn. iiu.l < oy. 'pint, Longman's

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up ililli flied to talk lo lin1, lie was dis-appointed mid angry because lt was silent, ile (humped the tallie in impotent rage sm! «.clm'niod '. Il lin« hoon; why can't il beT" whereupon Mary explained (bc

reason vus Hint be did liol iniderslniid ber a bit, mid added Hint when he found n woman whom he could hear on hi* patent receiver he should marry her. Then in the conversation which follows she in-dicates her feelinir by telling him he was in Imp with his machine, «nd fh.it he should find someone thal would make il

go, and then be would adprc ber by mropbone. Monk's father, once n colonel in the (¿Hards, girds nt his son for wast-ing time nt his" machine, tells him bc is uboiil bankrupt, mid advises bini to marry, suggesting weall hy ladies likely to uceepl bim. Mary and Morris became engaged, mid foy five weeks had n good lime, tliini;; 11 sile (bought him lucking in sympathy. Mr. I'orson and his daughter

fr« io rosine ai wannon, in ino sonni 01

France, for Ihe sake of tho old niall's health. C'olf.nel Moms goes there also, and Monk is left alone to his studies and experiments. It has been ..mentioned that a Danish parson and his daughter are about to take up their residence in thc 1 nrisb. Thc steamer in which they are coming is wrecked on the coast; tho crow ami parson are saved: thc daughter of the hitter lins bren left on the stranded ship. Monk, in obedience to a strong im-pulse, buniche:, his little boat, goes to the wreck, and saves Stella Fregclius, who has made her pirrcnce known lo him in thc dark by singing a death hymn, a Iriuinphitrt, splendid song which rolled ami thrilled above him. At daylight he saw

ber and thus effected her rescue:

"Kow no woman was to lie seen; she had vanished. Morris called and called, but could get no answer, while thc great dead carcass of the shin rolled and la-

boured above, its towering 'mass of iron threat oiling to fall and crush him and his tiny craft to nothingness. He shouted nnd shouted nsain; then in despair lashed bis bout to thc companion, and ran up

th . ladder."

Whore could she have pone ? He hurried forward along the heaving, jerking deck to the main hatchway. Hore he hesitated for a moment ; then, knowing Hint, if any-where, she must bc below, set Iiis teeth und descended. Thc saloon was a foot

deep in water, which wnshed from side lo side villi a heavy, sickening splash, nnd there, carrying a bag in one hand, hold-ing up her garments willi thc other, and wnding toward him from thc dry upper part of thc cabin, at last lie found the Uidv whom bc sought.

''Bc quick : " he shouted : " for God's sake, bc quick ! Thc ship is coming off

(he rock."

She splnshcd towards him; now he had lier by thc hand; now they wore on the deck, and now he was dragging her after him down thc companion ladder. They reached thc beat, and just as the vessel gave a great roll towards (hem, Morris seized thc ours and rowed like a mad-

man.

" Help roc ! " lie gasped ; " the ctirrpnt ii against us." And, silting opposite to him, she. placed her hands upon his hands, pressing forn nrd as He pulled. Her slight strength made a difference, nnd thc boat forged ahead-thirty, forty, seventy

Iyards-till they reached a rock to M ilich,

c>hnnsled, bc grappled with a hook, bid-ding ber hold on to thc floating seaweed. Thus thev rested for thirty seconds, per

I.n|H>, when she s]M)ke for thc first time:

" Luck ! " »Ice said.

As slic spoke tile steamer slid nnd liflcd off the reef. For a few moments she wallowed; tlicn (soddenly her stern settled, her prow rose slowly in thc air till it stood up straight, fifty or sixty feet of it. Then, with a majestic but hideous rush, down went the Tvondhjem and vauishejd for ever. I

AH round about her thc sea boiled and foamed, while in thc great hollow which she made on thc face of thc waters black lumps of wreckage appeared and disap

pcorod.

'. Tight ! hold tight ! " he cried, " or sjie

will suck us after her."

Puck she did. f ill thc water poured over the gumvale. Then, the worst passed, and tho beat rose again. Thc foam bubbles burst or floated away in little snowy limps; thc sen resumed its level, and, save for thc floating debris, lieenmc as it bad been for thousands of years before the. lost Trondhjem rubbed downward to ¡its depths.

? Now. for the first time, knowing the

immediate peril past, Morris looked al tho face of his cumpanion. lt was a fine face, and beautiful in its way. Dark eyes, very huge nnJ perfect, «"hereof the pupils seemed to expand and contract in answer to every impulse of'the thoughts within. Above tho eyes long curving lashes and ¡delicately ]cncilled, arched eyebrows, and aboce them again u forehead low and broad. Thc chin rounded; the lips full, vieil, und sensitive; the complexion of a eleni' mid beautiful panol: the ears tiny; the lands delicate; the figure slim, of medium height, mid alive with grace; thc general elicit ino.-l uncommon, mid. with-out being lovely, breathing a curious power and jicrsoiinlify.

Such wns thc woman whom ho had saved from dcuth."

Uer fallier «nd Stella take up their residence nt 'Monkslund. She becomes deeply interested in Monk's experiments, lier singing and skill in music are found to tie marvellous. Monk and she liecomo attached mut arc married in this fashion :

"Come to this altar," she said, when site bad thought a moment, "and give mc your baud-so. Now, before my Mnkci and the Presences who suiroiind us, 1 marry you, Morris Monk. Not in the flesh-with your Hosh I have nothing te do-but in I lie spirit. 1 take yoiu .sou] to mine, 1 give my soul to yours; your* it was from its birth's day." yours it is and when it ceases to be' yours, let it perish everlastingly'' "So be il to boll nf us, for ever and for ever," -hi

onswf red.

He lind (ried to open communientiot; with the old dead church when' this mar ringe tonk place and Monkslund In leropiinne. Suddenly, ou a stormy night bis electric bell rung mid Stella told bin the sea was engulfing the church, nnd. ot his proposing to obtain help, she says:

" lt is useless tn think of help, mi boat

j url hing could live upon that fearful SCH

mi'ieovcr. within five minutes tin's ehurcl must fall mid vanish.''

" Mv Cud ! Mv (¡nd ! " wnilei

Morris.

"Do nut grieve: it is a waste of pre cious lime, and du not stir fill the end.

want vim lo know that I did not seek thi

dwi! li. J never dreamed uf such a thing. You must tell my fother KO, and hid him not to mourn for mc. It was my inten-tion (o lou ve thc «horch within ten

minutes of yourself. This cup is given to mc Ly thc hand of Fate. 1 did not fill it. Do jon hear nnd understand 1"

" I henr and understand," answered

Morris.

" Now you soe," she went on. " that our talk to-day was almost inspired. My web is woven, my picture; is painted, nnd io me Heaven cays, 'Hold.' The thought that it might bc so was in your mind, was

it not " !

" Yes."

"And 1 answered your thought, telling yon that time is nothing. This 1 tell you ngain for vour comfort in the days timi remain to you of lifo. Oh I 1 hln-s God; I hies» (;od Who has dealt so mercifully witb. ino. Where ari' now the long years of lonely suffering thal I feared-I who stand unoii tho threshold of tho

Eteri¡nt ?.... I cnn tulle no more, Hip water is rising in tile church-already il is about my knees; but remember every word which I, have said to you ;' remember that wc are wed-truly wed, that I go to wait for yon. and that even if you do «ot sec mc I will, if I may, bc near you al-ways-till you die, and nftcrwarda'will he with you always-always."

" Ploy." cried Morris.

"Wh'nt have you lo say? Rc swift,

the wnter rises and the walls are crack-ing." *

" Thal I love you now and for ever and for ever; that I will remember every-

thing: and thal I know beyond a doubt i that you have seen, and speak the

truth."

" Thank you for those blessed words, and for this life fare you well."

Then he hears Stella's death song and the crash of thc falling church and she is

never seen again. Mary Parson returns!

from France, lennis of Monk's strange in-tercourse will; Stella; talks to him; but in three, months' time manics him. She tries to bring bim to tnke a mundane view of things; but he is irreclaimable. He is

consumed üy soul-hunger for Stella, lt is a (dränge, weird story, and wc are afraid not many viii liare patience to rond it to thc end.