The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-21
f~ontinued from Yesterday
CHAPTER ~.
THE THROWING STICK

~oh, I suppose said Jeanne. there's
no use worrying
Across the table from where she sat
at breakfast 81 the snug. warm. iuxu-
gious little dining-room on the Nacht
old Mr.. Fsashaw methodically LAID MS
coffee s7sS1pn IN the saucer beside his
cup. and looked NJ at her with his
sioY deliberate smile.
"My dear" be said. remember that
Tenn is tn the party. I MESS they ind
everything that, by the utmost stretch
az hope they could find. he would in
sist on keeping up the search as long
as the light lasted. and when the light
failed there would be No more light
to come home by. Don't think OF wor-
rying don't, Wen hear nothing OF
them for bours,'
1T won't be as long as that she
predicted confidently My sky man
viii probably bring me news before
then"
i old air. Tanshaw halted his coffee
cup half way 10 his lips Your
what" he questioned. "Oh. / under
stand" And then he laughed. But
his face grew suddenly serious. and he
looked intentIy, curiously, into hers.
-My child" he cried. lit can't be that
you are taking that dream of yours
seriously II thought that, ] would
have 70 believe that this queer Arctic
climate was doing strange things with
those nimble wits OF yours. A man
lighting on the ice-hoe. out of mid
air. ard telling you that he had just
dropped in from Point Barrow, It's like
the flight from the moon Of CYrano
de Bergerae."
she pressed her finger tips thought
fully against her eyelids. y know.
she said, Its perfectly incredible, I'm
Gle Jerry, but it's perfectly true for all
that
..Nonsense Nonsense he said, ex-
plosiyeiy. Don't carry "a joke too far
my dear"
ssIt's anything but a joke" she said
SLOWLY, .and If ii was dreaIn--if he,
4 the sky-man, was nothing but a vision
he certainly left me &. material souve-
mir of his visit" Then. with nod
toward the buffet, she spoke to MIR
Fanshaws hig negro valet who was
serving their breakfast; Hand Mr.
Fanshaw that queer looking stick
Sam. the one on the buffet. Why
why what's the NATTER For she had
lifted her eyes to the mans face as
she finished speaking. Ii was wooden
with fright. and the whites showed
all around the pupils of his eyes.
NO, Miss Jeanne he said "scuse
me I wouldn't touch dat stick. not
s for all de gor and jewels In de world
not even to oblige him.
Whats that Fanshaw exclaimed
whiriing upon him What do you
mean What the devil are you talk
ing about?
II seen him. Mr.. Fanshaw. l seer
ham myself, comm down out OF de sky
las night. / was out on deck. sun
Fansbaw looked quickly from this
negro's face to the girls, as If he sus-
pected a hoax, bat tire terror in one
face and the mystitication in the other
were obviously genuine.
Then he rose and went over to the
buffet, returning TO the table with the
oddly shaped rudely whitfield stick
do you mean to say" he demanded
hooking up a. the girl with puzzled
frown--"do you mean 10 say that he
the man YOU dreamed about. made you
a present of this stick?'
She laughed "If that seems a rea'
sonable way Of putting 1t, yes: al leas
IL slipped out Of his belt and / foune
il where he had been sitting. But cal
you imagine what he used 1t for -
.-0h. know what II ia, but that only
2 makes the puzzle all the deeper. It:
an Eskimo throwing stici. They us'
ii to shoot darts with. 1t lies III tbs
palm of the hand. so, and the dart II
put In that groove. though the butt o
lftAs DIis SStIiS CuiiDbStJ
can't make it fit my hand. But
cant figure out how the thing go
aboard the yacht. 1t wasn't here yes
terday."
.tof course not she said, my sky
man brought it"
He ran hts fingers through hi:
bushy gray hair perplexedly. Their
laid the thing down and seated him
self at the table "At any rate" hs
said I'VE needn't let even "a mystery
spoil our breakfast. Come my dear
you've eaten almost nothing. Tina
cmelet deserves better treatment"
0bediently she took up her fork. bui
almost Immediately laid it down again
and he saw her eyes brighten witt
tears. "Of course, if there'd been any
news, If there'd been anything 10 find
we've have heard
Silently he reached across the table
and patted the hand that lay there od
zhe white cloth.
'fOh. l know / oushtnt 10 cry she
said land 1 won't; it's your goodness
and kindness to me rs much az any
thing else. Ever since he went away
you've been like "A father To me. and
Tom, dear old Tom. Ike brother
And then building this ship and com
ing up here yourself, facing the dan
gers yourself and letting Tom face
them, all for suck an impossible, hope
PICTURE