Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-12-22

| Dig lcIId SCuOOueT CIOSe up.
Even as he spoke. they heard the
rumble Of chain through hawse pipe
and from the veranda saw a big black
painted schooner swinging to her just
caught anchor.
Its Yankee" Joan cried. "See
that bow! Look at that elliptical stern
All, thought So as the stars and
stripes duttered to the masthead.
Martha. San Francisco" Sheldon
read. looking through the telescope
cts the first Yankee l ever heard of
in the Solomons. They are coming
ashore. whoever they are. And. by
Jove. look at those men at the oars.
It's an all white crew. Now. what rea-
son brings them herc?"
They're not proper Sailors" Joan
commented. I'D be ashamed Of crew
Of black boys that pulled in such a
fashion. Look at that fellow In the
bow-the one just jumping out: he'd be
| more at home on a COW pony"
The boats crew scattered up and
down the beach. ranging about with
eager curiosity. while the two men who
had sat in the stern sheets opened the
gate and came up the path to the bun
galow. One Of them. a tall and slender
man. was clad in white ducks that 1T
ted him like semimilitary uniform.
The other man. in nondescript gar
ments that were both Of the sea and
shore and that must have been uncom-
fortably hot. slouched and shambled
like an Overgrown ape. To complete
the Illusion. his face seemed to sprout
in all directions with a dense bushy
mass Of red whiskers. while his eyes
were small and sharp and restless.
Sheldon. who had gone to the head
OF the steps. introduced them to Joan.
The bewhiskered individual. who
looked like Scotchman. had the Teu-
tonic name of Won Blk and spoke
with an American accent. The tall
man in the we'll fitting ducks. who
gave the English name Of Tudor-.John
1udor-talked purely enunciated Eng.
lish such as any cultured American
would talk. save for the fact that it
was most delicately and subtly touched
by faint German accent.
Won Blk was rough and boorish. but
Tudor was gracefully easy in every
thing he did. or looked. or said.
They were on gold hunting ex-
petition. He was the leader and Tudor
was his lieutenant. All hands-and
there were twenty -eight-were share
holders. in varying proportions. in the
adventure. Several were sailors. but
the large majority were miners. culled
from all the camps from Mexico to
the Arctic ocean. 1t was the old and
ever untiring pursuit Of gold and they
came to the SoIomons to get 1t. Part
Of them. under the leadership OF Tudor.
were to 60 up the Balesuna and pene-
trate the mountainous heart of Guadal-
canar. while the Martha. under Won
Blk. sailed away for Malaita to put
through similar exploration.
"And So" said Won Blk. ''for Mr..
Tudor's expedition we must have some
black boys. Can we get them from
your
I'm the first place we can't spare
Them" Sheldon answered I'VE are
short of them on the plantation as 1t
is.'
"We?" Tudor asked quickly. Then
you are firm or partnership?
understood at Guvutu that you were
alone. that you had lost your partner"
Sheldon inclined his head toward
Joan, and as he spoke she felt that he
had become a trifle stiff
Miss Lakeland has become inter
ested in the plantation since then. But
to return to the boys. We can't spare
them. and. besides. they would be Of
little use. You couldn't get them to
accompany you beyond Binu. which is
a short days work with the boats from
here. They are Malaita men. and thew