The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1908-02-06

the natives Gf Puget sound SAai! :! ~
with batcd breath.
FIRST | cal! for 81 worth of pork al
beans an then full grown platter "f
canned salmon. When the waiter lays
'em out in front of me, look them
vittles coldly in their diSgustin' viiage'
an say in sarcastic accents:
..Spt there. d you. an watch ne
eat real grub which proceed 70 do.
cleanin' the menu from soda 70 hook.
When have done NY worst. pie
bones an olive seeds an peeiinS al
over them articles Of nouriShment.
stick tootEpicks into 'em, an, hav.n'
offered 'cm what other indignities oc-
cur to me. | leave the place"
Dextry and the girl were leaning
over the stern rail. chatting idly in the
darkness. 1t was the second night out.
and the ship lay dead in the ice pack.
All about there was a fiat, foe clOgged
sea. leprous and mottled in the deep
twilight that midnight brought in this
latitude. They had threaded into the
ice field as long as the light lasted.
following the lanes of blue water till
they closed, then drifting Idly till 9th
ers appeared; worming out into leagues
OF open sea, again creeping into the
shifting labyrinth till darkness rem
dered progress periious.
Occasionally they had passed herds
Of wairus huddled sociably upon ice
pans, their vet hides glistenfns In the
sunlight. The air had been clear and
pleasant, while away on all quarters
they had seen the smoke Of other ships
toiling through the barrier. The spring
neet was knocking at the door OF the
golden north.
Chaflng at her imprisonment, the girl
had asked the old man to take her out
| on deck under the shelter Of darkness;
then she had fed him to speak Of BIB
own past experiences and Of Glenis-
ter's, which he had done freely. She
was frankly curious about them. and
she wondered ut their apparent lack OF
interest in her own identity and her
secret mission. She even construed
their silence as Indifference, not realiZ-
| ing that these northmen were offering
her the trueSt evidence OF camaraderie.
The frontier Is capable of no finer
compliment than this utter disregard
of ones folded pages. 1t betOkens that
highest faith in ones fellow man, the
belief that he should be measured by
/ A.: h,-h 4
says, translated: This is Gods free
country, where Il man IS 4 man. moth
ing more. our land is new and pure.
our faces are To the front. II you have
been square. so much the better; II
not. leave behind the taintS Of artificial
things and start again on the level.
That's all
1t had happened, therefore, that,
since the men had asked her no ques-
tions, she had allowed the hours to
pass and still hesitated TO explain fur
ther than she had explained to Captain
| Stephens. 1t was much easier to let
| things continue as they were, and
thele was, after all, 50 little that she
| WIS dt llDcItN ~ zen tueiu.
In the short time since meeting them
the girl had grown to like Dextry, with
his blunt chivalry and bOyish, whimsi-
cal philosophy, but she avoided Glen
ister, feeling shrinking, hidden ter
, ror Of him, ever since her eavesdrop-
ping Of the previous night. At the
memory of that scene she grew hot,
then cold-hot with anger, Icy at the
sinister power and sureness which
| had vibrated In his voice. What kind
Of life was she entering where men
spoke Of strange women with this as.
! surance and hinted thus Of ownership:
That he was handsome and uncon-
scfous of 1t she acknowledged, and
| had she met him In her accustomed
circle OF friends, garbed In the con-
ventionalities, she would perhaps have
thought Of him as Q striking man, Wig
orous and Intelligent, but here be seem
ed naturally to take on the attributes
! Of his surroundings, acquiring pic
turesuue negligee Of dress and morals
and suggesting rugged, elemental
| chilling petentialities. While with
him-and he had sought her repeat
edly that day--she was uneasily aware
of his strong personality tugging at
her; aware Of the unbridled passion
ate food Of nature unbrooking OF
delay and needless Of denial. This 1t
was that antagoniEed her and set her
every mental sinew in rigid resistance.
During Dextry's garruious rambings
CANISTER emerged from the darkness
and silently took his place beside her
against the rail.
What portent do you see that makes
YOU stare into the night 30 anxiously!'
he inquired.
81 am wishing for a sight OF the
midnight sun or the aurora borealfs,'
she replied.
TOO late for one an too fur south
for the other" DeItry interposed.
We'll see the sun further north
though"
Have you ever heard the real origin