Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-21
CHAPTER IX.-Continued.

Cayley had not meant that she should
know-not now. at least. In the back of
his mind there had been puzzled won
derment why she had come ashore alone.
what curious chain of events could pos
sibly have left her and that hairy mon
ster. Roscoe, face to face upon that wind
swept beach. But the break in her I'M
steady voice and the way she clung to
his arm for support showed plainly
enough that the experience had been an
exhausting one to her. She would not
have turned limp like this after mere
momentary terror, such as the sight OF
Roscoe would cause her, however sharp
that terror had been.
will you let me go inside this hut"
he asked land see if it is habita BILE? If
it is, you'd better go in and let me make
you as comfortable as | can. | don't
think you need have any fears about the
Walrus people. And worrying wouldn't
do any good any way. There's nothing
We can do but wait for daylight Moth
ing can happen anywhere until then
He had. very distinctly. in mind what
might happen then if the Walrus people
were repulsed from the yacht. Unless
they were all destroyed in the attack
they would undoubtedly make trouble as
soon as morning revealed the fact that
they had two hostages in their hands.
But he could fight them off better from
the doorway of the hut than from any
where else. And there was no need of
troubling the girl with that considera-
ton. not for the present, at least.
It's all right in there she said. Il
spent / don't know how many hours there
reading before you came. But the can
die has burned out.
The open door behind them gave ac-
cess into a tiny shed, protruding from
the corner of the hut and serving, evil
IDENTIFY, as veStibule for it. The inner
door. heavier and stronger affair. open
ing at right angles to it, gave access to
the interior of the hut.
Cayley switched on his bulfs-eye and
cast brief glance about the room. There
were two or three rude, fimsy-looking
doors, which undoubtedly opened into
small. cabin-like bedrooms: but the
part of the hut was taken up
by the room in which they found them
selves.
1t was a dismal-looking place enough.
fifteen feet square. perhaps, and not
more than half as high. In one corner
was a heap of smoke blackened stones.
evidently the ruins of a fireplace. There
were shelves and cupboards along the
walls and a number of narrow hunks.
Cayley set his little bull's-eye on a
shelf where they could make the most
of it's thin pencil of light. He then
turned his attention to the door, and
after a little struggle succeeded in get
ting it shut, and what was more Sc
curely bOlted, by means of a heavy wood
en- bar which dropped into an iron crotch.
If they We're attacked with the first of
the daylight this place would afford them
security until the people from the Aurora
could come to their rescue. His revolver
was Colt, forty-five. and his belt was
full of cartridges With that weapon he
m hot 40 had hoo
sidered the best shot in the army.
The girl. when he turned to look at her.
was seated on the edge of a bunk at the
other side of the hut. Her pallor the
the pathetic droop to her lips all en-
phasiZed the thing her voice had told him
already. namely that some emotional
crisis, which she had been through in
those recent hours, had left her quite
Without word he turned to his bundle
which he had deposited in corner of
the room. and f1shed out from it his
sheepskin sleeping bag. 1t was not until
he approached her, with it across his
arm, that his eye fell upon the rosewood
box and the morocco bound book which
lay beside it.
Her eye followed his. They're fathers
papers" she said. Il found the box in
here. That's why l stayed. l had come
ashore
IL
took up the book with a gentleness al
most reverent laid it in the little chest
and set it down on the floor beside the
bunk
too ready tears to her eyes, but he did
not look up at her to surprise them
there. Now" he said, I'm going to
take off these boots Of yours, which are
wet but which will serve eXcellently.
nevertheless. for a pillow. and you are
this bag. Have you ever slept in one?"
He was already Juggling at one of the
boots, and her protest went unheeded-
it was only a half-hearted protest after
all.
When he had taken off the boots, she
submitted, without demur, to his unfas-
tening the frogs on her heavy seaIskin
coat and slipping it off her shoulders.
from him. she nestled down inside the
great f1eece-lined bag, when he had roll
ed her small boots into bundle and
made pillow of them for her head, as
he had said he would, she exclaimed,
half rebelliously. at the comfort of it all.
1T is so delicously warm and soft"
she said. Il didn't know you were just
being a luxurious sybarite when you
refused a mattress and a pair of blan-
kets on the yacht. If only you could be
warm, too. and comfortable
Il shall be, he assured her. '1'll make
a cushion Of that great coat of yours and
sit down here at the foot of the bunk.
You're not to bother about me. You're
TO prove the efficacy of the sleeping
bag by going to sleep in it
And what will you do all the while
sitting there and keeping watch? Would
you like to read fathers
journal? If you would I'd like to have
YOU, after what YOU said long ago about
the men who risked and lost their lives
trying to reach the pole. 1 think if you
will read that book. you will understand.
I'm spite of your wings. And-well Id
like to have you understand"
He moved the bull's-eye to another
part of the hut. where the light from it
would not shine in her eyes, and
would illuminate the pages of the book
she offered him to read, while he sat,
In her great coat, at the foot
Of the bunk.
Once as he passed by her in the COM
pletion Of these arrangements she with
drew her hand from the bag and held
il out to him. You've been very good
to me-" She said-"I don't mean by risk
ing your life and plunging down into
that bank of fog when you knew / was
in danger. brave man would do that,
suppose-Some brave men, anyway. |
But you've been better than that
He told her not to talk, but to go to
sleep; and without any more words en-
sconced himself at her feet. drew his
legs up under him, tailor-fashion, and
began to read
She closed her eyes, or half closed
them, but under the shadow of her
ashes she watched his face. The light |
that did not shine in hers Illuminated |
his 1t was a beautiful face. but in a |
wholly masculine way: the first beauti |
Ful mans face she thought she had ever !
seen that had no trace of weakness or |
effeminacy about it. 1t had looked brave |
into h,S