Charlevoix county herald., 1909-11-06
- N8&MqssyS!


drained away.
At the foot, about the swollen pool,
was wide stretch of rubbish and
mud. He worked his way around the
edge, and came out on the plain,
where the sandy soil was all the firm
er for its drenching. He swung away
at lively clip. The air was fresh
and pure after the storm, and slight
| breeze tempered the sun-rays.
He kept on along the cliff until he
| turned the point. 1t was not alto
! gether advisable to battle at this time
of day; but he had been caught out by
| the cyclone in corner of the swamp,
across the river, where the soil was
Of clay Only his anxiety for Miss
Leslie had enabled him TO fight his
way out of the all but impossible
morass which the storm deluge had
made of the half-dry swamp. At
dawn he had reached the river, and
swan across, reckless of the croco-
| dies. The turbid water Of the
| stream had rid him Of only part Of his
accumulated slime and ooze. So now
as well as he could without soap, and
while they were drying on the sun
| scorched rocks, swan about in the
clear, tonic sea-water, quite as reck-
less of the sharks as he had been of
the ugly crocodiles in the river.
For all this, he was back at the
baobab before Miss Leslie had
stitched up the last slit in the torn
flag.
She looked up at him, with a brave
attempt at smile.
II am afraid I'm not much Of a
needle woman" she sighed. Look at
those stitches!"
Don't fret. They'll hold all right,
and that's what we want" he reas-
sured her. Give it me, now. I've got
to get it up, and hurry back for nap.
No sleep last night was out beyond
the river, in the swamp-and tonight
/ III have to go on watch. The barri-
cade is down"
"Oh, that is too bad! Couldn't
take a turn on watch?"
Blake shook his head. "No; I'll
sleep to-day, and work rebuilding the
barricade tonight. Toward morning
l might build up the fire, and take a
nap"
He caught up the flag and its new
staff, and swung away through the
cleft.
He returned much sooner than Miss
Leslie expected, and at once began to
throw up a small lean-to of bamboos
over a ledge at the cliff foot, behind
the baobab The girl thought he was
making himself hut, in place of the
canopy under which he had slept be-
fore the storm, which, like Win
thrope's, had been carried away. But
when he stopped work, he laconically
informed her that all she had to do to
complete her new house was to dry
some leaves.
But l thought it was for yourself!"
she protested. Il will sleep inside the
tree"
doc Blake says no." he rejoined-
mot till it's dried out"
She glanced at his fact, and replied
without moments hesitancy: Very
well. / will do what you think best"
That's good" he said, and went at
once to lie down for his much needed
sleep.
He awoke just soon enough before
dark to see the results of her hard
days labor. All the provisions stored
in the tree had been brought out to
dry, and great stack of fuel, ready
for burning, was piled up against the
baobab while all about the tree the
rubbish had been neatly gathered to-
gether in heaps. Blake looked his ad-
miration for her industry. But then
his forehead wrinkled.
you oughtn't tove done so much"
he admonished.
I'll show you I can tote fair!" she
rejoined. During the afternoon she
had recalled to mind that odd express
been waiting her opportunity to ban
ter him with 1t.
He stared at her open-eyed, and
laughed.
Say, Miss Jenny, you'd better look
out. You'll be speaking American,
first thing!"
Thereupon, they fell to chatting
like children out of school, each hap
by to be able to forget for the moment
that broken figure up on the cliff top
and the haunting fear of what another
day might bring to them.
When they had eaten their meal,
both with keen appetites, Blake
sprang up, with a curt Goodnight"
and swung of down the cleft. The
girl looked after him with lingering
smile.
Il wish he hadn't rushed off so sud-
denly" she murmured. II was Just
going to thank him for-for every
thing!"
The color swept over her face in a
deep blush. and she darted around to
her tiny hut as though some one
might have overheard her whisper.
Yet, after all, she had said nothing;
| or at least. she had merely said