The Island Bride — page 62: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

64 CAST AWAY. spreading over the western sky. Minnie could now acarcely.— see the island; only the faint outline of the higher land was visible. She rose, hoping to obtain a better view; but the shadows, deepening around her, soon vailed every portion of the isle from her sight. : The sea, however, still being calm, she did not think it ne- cessary to wake her husband. She felt pleased to hear his quiet breathing, which betokened that his sleep was sound, and she hoped that he would enjoy his slumber until sun. rise. Returning to her station by the little mast, she fell into a train of pleasing reflections, which she indulged for about an hour, when she suddenly sprung up and stood in an attitude of attention. A low, cautious whistling, as of some person signaling to another, was borne to her ears. She peered ea- gerly through the darkness, and, to her astonishment and dis- may, beheld the faint outline of cocoanut trees not more than a quarter of a mile distant. “ Good heavens!” she muttered, “I have kept but @ poor look-out. Unperceived by me, the raft has drifted almost to the beach with the in-shore current! And then that. signal\ It came from the shore !” She shrieked as a dark head suddenly emerged to view, within ten feet of her position. Then she sprung toward her husband; but her cry had already awakened him, and he was now sitting up, glancing round in a bewildered manner. “ Harmon, dear Harmon,” she cried, “ we are close to the shore, and some one is swimming toward us!” “ You must be mistaken, Minnie,” he said. “ You :nust. not allow yourself to be so easily frightened, poor child. The shore is more than a league distant.” She perceived that he was only half awake ‘ “ No, no,” she cried, putting a hand upon his shoulder, “the raft has drifted toward the shore since you fell asleep, and—” Thoroughly aroused at last, Weldon sprung to his feet, to confront Bill Choke, who had just climbed upon the floating platform. “ Hist !’ whispered the convict, as Harmon stooped to grasp his hatchet. ‘“ Don’t be alarmed, and don’t be a-making any noise. I’ve come to assist you.” : ComiclOOkS.cOml /,