Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-10-14

| paratus, but none did she find. There
were dozens of chambers similar to the
one she occupied, what might be g
throne room, a great dining hall, 6
mammoth kitchen, and one big room
that possibly was an observatory, bu
which was most securely bolted, barred
| and cemented shut. Even American
prowess dared not tamper with sucf
solidity of masonry.
Meta and Betty had finalIy accom-.
pilshed species of pigeon dialect thai
IKE Crusoe and his man Friday per.
mitted them to signify their wants ant
oislikes but prohibited the dangerou.
conversation of condolences and per.
sonal communications unto which
women are so prone to fall! Betty hac
given up the idea of the note in a bot.
tle' the sensational wireless message
ana such like methods of communica-
tlon with the loved ones at home, ant
lhose or the newspaper fraternity in
particular ever since she caught sight
OF the pigeons. She surreptitiously
carved this message, Betty Lancey
Africa" on the wing of many a moor
suffering bird and vainly tried to shoe
1t briskly away in the direction that
she thought housed civilized people
rms carving was a work of perspiring
labor but 1t diverted Betty more sue
cessfully than anything else might
nave done. This occupation amused
and exhilarated because it revolved
around. the constantly diminishing
germ of Hope that so was near to dy-
ing in Betty's bosom.
First of all, she had nothing to
scratch with but hairpin. And with
tropical sun, and sea voyaging, hair
pins had become scarce enough to be
valuable. Second, Meta was always
watching, and thirdly, you never could
nnish a bird at one sitting and it was
terrible to try to catch any of the
BIRDS and worse yet to get hold twice
IN succession of the same bird you had
been working on last. frequently there
would be as many as three dozen birds.
half bedecked with Betty's carving.
hopping around at one time. Betty
held the thought that If one of these
BIRDS should perchance be picked up IT
might send people within continent
of finding her.
1nere was something romantic about
llVlng In this desert and swamp-b bound
castle until the rains came on. Then
u was more aggravating than anything
Betty could ever have imagined.
worse than any city editor l know
starting out to play wrecking crew
with an entire ofice." she commented.
grimly,
For an African rain in the central
part OF that shadowy continent il NOT
rainstorm as we know it. The lakes.
the rivers, the sea itself seem to have
risen and to be descending in fiat law
ers and sheets of the wettest wet that
ever mortal knew. Lightning in more
varieties than Betty had dreamed
might ever have been patented broke
round the grim old castle, and the two
lonely young girls loved the goat hard
er than ever.
Later they had an addition to their
family. decrepit old lion, beast 40
NANCY, worm eaten and toothIess that
one longed in pity to kill him then and
there, crept in from the Jungle one
cold, rain-pelted night He frightened
the two girls half to death at t1rst
sight, then they both laughed heartiIv
1t sight of his infrmities aud took hin,
n and made him royally welcome. He
expressed his qualification In crounv
oars that caused Betty to long to feed
lin lard and sugar, the same as her
mother had given her when she was a
,roupy, wheezy kiddie.
But as a burglar alarm thosa roa -.
we're the best Of all inventions. as
BETTY exnresSad IL IN A. s,
vas pretending to keep.
AS perfectly proper property lion.
Iity Editor Burton is a peach"
Betty had. named the lion CITY Ed,-
or Burton" after the one being in the
inquirer Office whose very voice was
calculated to instantly remove tha
calp of any cub reporter whoAver
happened pencil in a newspaper Of
Ice.
Between City Editor Burton ana th.
'igeons Betty found less opportupIty
or worry than did Meta. Perhans that
vas because Tyoga had not told Retry /
he same tale she had whispered thai /
ot morning into the awe-struclr eo 70
( Meta. The black girl knew Of tha |
anger threatening, and feared IN al.
ence.
So strong had grown the attachment
etween Meta and Betty that the
Dung Nubian, who. truth to tell, spoke
nglish with rare perfection, had much
DO to keep up their farce of pigeon
nglish and to refrain from outpour-
lg her soul to the white skinned. hut
ow sadly-tanned Betty.