The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-01-08

notice of him, flying close about him,
lighting on the shore close at his feet.
They were intelligent enough to know
that he was only dangerous with gun
in his hand. Presently he got up and
continued his walk. All round the sea
wall of the island measures three miles.
He took this walk every morning and
every evening in the early cool and the
late. The rest of the time he spent in
doors.
When he got back it was past seven
and the day was growing hot. He took
his towels, went down to the shore to
place where the coral reef receded, leav-
ing a channel out to the open. The
channel swarmed with sharks, but he
bathed there every morning, keeping in
the shallow water. while the creatures
watched him with longing eyes. He
wore pair of slippers on account of
the lap, which is a very pretty little
| fish indeed to look at, but he turks in
dark places near the shore, if he is too
lazy to get out of the way, and if you
put your foot near him he sticks out
his dorsal fin, which is pricl1ly and
! poisoned, and when d man gets that
|
and cuts his leg off, and has to pretend
that he lost it in action.
When he had bathed the doctor went
back to his house and performed some
simple additions to his toilet, that is to
say, he washed the salt water out of his
hair and beard-not much else. AS for
collars, neckties, braces, waistcoats,
black coats, rings or any such gewgaws,
they were not wanted on this island.
Nor are watches and clocks. The resi-
dents go by the sun. The doctor got
up at daybreak and took his walk, as
you have seen, and his bath. He was
then ready for his breakfast and for a
solid meal, in which fresh fish, newly
caught that morning, and curried
chicken with claret and water formed
the principal part. A cup of coffee
came after with cigar and a book in
the veranda. BY this time the sun
was high and the glare of forenoon had
succeeded the GOODNESS of the dawn.
After the cigar the doctor went indoors.
The room was furnished with a few
pictures, a large bookcase full of books,
chiefly medical, a table covered with
papers and two or three chairs. No
curtains, carpets or blinds; the doors
and windows wide open to the veranda
on both sides.
He sat down and began writing-per-
haps he was writing novel; think
no one could think of a more secluded
place for writing a novel. Perhaps he
was doing something scientific. He
continued writing till past midday.
When he felt hungry he went into the
dining-room, took biscuit or two, and
glass of Yarmouth. Then, because il
was now the hour for repose and be-
cause the air outside was hot and the
sea breeze had dropped to dead calm
and the sun was like red-hot haring
furnace overhead the doctor kicked off
his boots and threw off his coat, lay
down on grass mat under the mos
quito curtains and instantly fell fast
asleep. About five o'clock he awoke
and got up; the heat of the day was
over; he took long draught of cold tea
which is the most refreshing and the
coolest drink in the world. The SUI
was now getting low and the air wa
growing cool. He put on his helme
and set off again to walk round his do
main. This done, he bathed again
Then he went home as the sun sanl
and night fell instantly without the in
tervention of twilight. They served
him dinner, which was like his break
fast, but for the addition of some cut
lets. He took his coffee; he took pip,
two pipes slowly, with a book-h
took whisky and soda; he went to bed
l have said that he had no watch
hung idly on a nail Therefore h
knew not the time, but it would yer,
likely be about half past nine. How
ever that might be, he was the last per
son up in this ghostly island of tn
anonymous dead.
This doctor, captain, general AM
commandant of Quarantine island wa
none other than the young man VIII
began this history with a row royal an
kingly rage. You think, perhaps, tina
he had turned hermit in the bitterness
of his wrath and for the fault of on
simple girl had resolved on the life of
solitary. Nothing of the kind. He wa
an army doctor and he left the servic
in order to take this very eligible az
pointment where one lived free an
could spend nothing except little fo
claret. He proposed to stay there for
few years in order to make a littl
; money, by means of which he might be
come a specialist. This was his amb
ton. AS for that love business, seve
years past, he had clean forgotten il
girl and all. Perhaps there had bee
other tender passages. Shall a ma
, wasting in despair die because gin
: throws him over? Never! Let hiI
!, straightway forget her. Let him tackl
! his work; let him put off the bushes
: of love-which can always walnut
! he can approach it once more in tn
9 proper spirit of illusion and once NOR
. fall to worshiping an angel.
, CHAPTER v.
: Neither nature nor civilization hav
designed mans life to be spent in me