The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-10-06

ttUntlHNea iFNN3 AeHtti uff -
When finally, with some assistance
from him. she nestled down inside !
the great fleece lined bag, when ne
had rolled her small boots into
handle aud made a pillow of them
Tor her head. as he had said he would,
s.b. exclaimed. half rehelaouslN, at
the comfort of Il all
1T is 50 delei"usy warm and soft.
she said u didR't know Eou were
inst being luxurious svbaritc when
yea refused mattress and PAR
If blankets On the yacht II only
.aii eeH}d he warm, toe. and com
fert8hIe p -,
I shall he" ne assured her y II
make a cushion Of that great coat
Of yours and sit down here at the
foot OF the bunk. You're not 10 bother
about me You're To prove the effi-
cacy ii the sleeping bag es gong To
sleep tn il
And What viii you do all the
while sitting there and keeping
watch Would you~~would yuti like
To read fathers journal? II yeu
would. Id like 10 have You. after
what you said long ago abodt the
men who risked and lost their live.
trying To reach the Pole. think
If yoa viii read that book you VIII
understand, in spite of your wings
And--well Ia like TO have you I'M
tiersta nd -
He moved the buIrs-eye to another
part uf the hut, where the light from
II would not shine IN her eyes. and
would illuminate the pages of the
book she offered him TO read, While
he sat. wrapped IN her great coat,
at the foot of the bunk.
Once as he passed by her in the
completion Of these arrangements she
withdrew her hand from the bag and
held ii out t. him. you've been
very good to me-" she said--"I don't
mean by risking your life and plung
Ing down into that bank Of fog when
you knew / was in danger. A brave
man would do that suppose some
brave men. anyway But you've been
better than that
He told her not to talk. bat 10 go
tn sleep. and without any more words
ensconsed himself at her feet. drew
his legs UP under him. ta&lor-fashion
and began to read
She closed her eyes or half closed
them, but under the shadow OF her
Iashes she watched his face. The
light that did not shine in hers, ilium
mated his. 1t Was beautiful face,
but in II wholly masculine way, the
first beautiful mans face she thought
she had ever seen that had no trace
OF weakness or effeminacY about 1t. Ii
had looked bravely into tempests, that
face-tempests OF the soul, as Well as
those of the open, cruel sky that he
had conquered,
But with all its strength. with all
its defiance, 1t showed spirit. SEN
sitiye. accessible to pain.
Watching him as he read the pages
Of her fathers journal she was as
sure the story Tom had told her about
him was faise-~no, II was not Tom y
faisehood. she knew that he believed
the storyas sure he was innocent OF
that imputed treachery and torture as
Of the murder Of the man who had
once been his intimate friend. from
which her own discovery aid her
fathers journal cleared him
She could almost follow the tragic
narrative that the book contained
from the reflections on the skyman's
face, His eyes never left the finely
written pages, and she was free to
watch him as closely as she chose.
For a while every change In his
sensitive color every contra elton or
widening Of his eyelids every dilation
Of his finely ehiseled nostrils. every
move OF his half parted lips. revealed
to her something OF the spirit Of the
man who read
But presently. the warmth. the com
fort. the stiffness oyercame her and
she slept. or at amy rate. dozed. but
never deep enough to lose her CON
seriousness, of the presence of the man
WHO SAT there reading
When he drew near the end Of the
narrative, she was again transating
the quick succession of his thoughts
in the face, wherein he was uncou-
ssiousiy exhibiting them
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