Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-27

them FAR; certainly not over the glacier
and into the interior there. IL must all
be hidden somewhere, here on the coast.
When we find that hiding place. we shall
probably find all the stores need for
the winter"
Then. I suppose, the next thing for US
to do is to go out and find IT,"
Not quite the next thing. Unless we
have exceptional luck. we can hardly
hope to find Ii for several days: IL may
take a fortnight, and We must have
some temporary security first In the
meantime there is no telling what sort OF
weather We will have. It's rather late
for these beautiful. mild days, ! fancy.
No. the first thing to do is to rebuild this
fireplace and bring in a lot of driftwood
and all those birds that were killed last
night by flying against the cliff. When
we have made this hut habitable against
spell of forty below zero weather. such
as We're likely to have at any time, anG
have accumulated stores of fuel and food
for few days. then We'll begin our
search. And if you'll forego the holiday
l promised you. / think l had better get
to work at once"
She coored suddenly. and spoke with
blunt decisiveness that took him rather
aback, though it pleased him at the same
time. Please don't talk that way nor
take that attitude. The convention that
woman can't be asked to do anything
for herself is all right at ball. but not
here. / want you 10 give me credit for
being an adult human person fairly
strong and capable Of work. We're two
castaways here. j am at least, and
you're pretending you are-no, I'll take
that back. You are just as much |
am. That's the hypothesis we're working
on. And you're captain because you
know the most. You're to tell me what to
do, and I'll obey orders. But | expect
you to work me just as hard as you
work yourself
You're quite right he assented, hold
ing out his hand. That's agreed upon.
l think / can rebuild this fireplace by my
self. Will you go and begin carrying In
firewood and as many of those ducks
and geese and looms as you can find
there along the talus?'
She nodded. and turned to leave the
hut. Take the revolver with YOU, ne
called after her.
At that she halted abruptly in the door
way. why should l have it any more
than you?" Then, answering his smile
with one of her own, she added II sup
pose a well trained crew doesn't demand
reasons for the captains orders-only-
There's a perfectly good reason. I'm
working in the shelter. and you in the
open. Besides that. I'm stronger and 1
have my sheath knife. If l were at
tackled by anything. I could give better
account of myself than you could. You'd
better take belt and holster and all, and
buckle it right around your waist.
1t was late in the afternoon before
Philip completed his task. Rebuilding
the fireplace was a more complicated job
than he had imagined il would be.
Buried beneath the stones he had found
an iron oven and firebox, besides
badly battered iron hood and an iron
pipe, about three inches sin diameter. The
stones were evidently to be built up into
table about four feet long. and. rough
ly, half as high and broad, incasing both
the oven and the fireboX. The firebo--
was open at the top, and directly above il
must hang the hood, much like that ove'
blacksmith's forge. only i'm this case
of course, ii was intended to Badiate as
much heat as possible. instead OF as 1T
tie. All the iron had been badly bent
and otherwise damaged i'm the process OF
tearing it down, and ii had cost linn a
long, laborious hour, or more, pounding II
between unhandily shaped stones, TO get
it into condition to be put up again.
Meanwhile, Jeanne had spent the hours
bringing i'm wood and accommodating, also.
a great feathered heap of the victims OF
last nights fog. At first she had not been
able to pick up one or them witnout tie
thought that Philip himself might have
been lying here this morning, somewhere
along the talus. at the foot OF the cliff,
Just as these birds were.
But the steady routine of the job he
had assigned her was an efficaciouS rem
edy against undesirable thoughts. Those
two heaps outside the hut must grow
must be big enough when he completed
that job of his indoors to bring, If posi-
BILE, an exclamation of surprise and
pleasure from him.
Incidentally she kept their morning fire
burning all day. 1t would not do 10
waste single match out OF their scanty
store, to light a new one in the hut when
Philips fireplace should be ready for ii.
At some time along the middle of the
day they had knocked off for long enough
to finish the duck: He had said he did
not want to stop for a regular meal until
the fireplace was done, and she. in the
enthusiasm of the first real manual labor
she had ever done in her life, was as UNI
willing to rest as he. Since luncheon
or what had passed for il. they had hard
ly exchanged a dozen words. She had
sometimes stood for a moment in the
doorway of the hut, on her return with "A
fresh load Of wood, and given him nod
Of encouragement, and then Immediately
set out again.
He had told her at luncheon time mat
he relied on her to stop working before
she had over-fatigued herself. As the
afternoon wore along feeling that II she
paused at all she would find she was
tired enough to quit work altogether for
the day drove her on to work a little
faster and more continuously.
When Philip finally had his fireplace re-
built in a temporary fashion which he
thought would serve till greater leisure
should allow him to perfect 1t, he stepped
outside the hut and looked first down
and then up the shore i'm search for her.
and was disappointed at finding her mo-
where in sight.
ITO be continued tomorrow