Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-11-22

"a Apostle departed and Captain
"a Oleson had turned IN for
sleep in a veranda hammock
Sheldon opened Joan's letter:
Dear Mr.. sheIdon-Please forgive me for
stealing the Flibberty GibOet. l simply
had TO. The Martha means everything TO
US Think OF It. only G5o for her, $Z7S
II don Z save ner. l know 1 shall De able
TO pay all expenses out OF her gear which
the natives will not nave carried on And
II 1 do save her II IL the maui OF life
time. And II ! don't save her I'll iii the
Emily and the FIibberty Gibbet with re-
cruits. Recruits are needed right now on
Berande more than anything else
And please. please don't be angry with
me You said l shouldn't 90 recruiting on
the FiIbberty. and l won't III go on the
Emily.
/ bought two cows this afternoon That
trader al NoG1 died OF fever. and I bought
them from mis- partner-Sam Wills mis-
name-who agrees to deliver them. most
likely by the Minerva next time she Is
down that way. Beranoe has been long
enough on timed milk
And Dr. Welshmere has agreed TO get
me some orange and lime trees from the
mission sta ton at Ulava- He Will deliver
them the next trip of the Apostle. II the
sydney stea mer arrives before get back
plant the sweet corn she Will bring be
tween the young trees on the high bank
OF the BalesuDa. The current Is eating II
against that bank. and you should do
something 10 save IL.
nave ordered some fig trees and To-
quats too. from Sydney. Dr. Welshmere
Will bring some mango seeds. They are
big trees and require plenty OF room
The Martha IS registered 10 tons She
Is the biggest schooner IN the SoIomOns
and the best. l saw little OF her lines
and guess the rest. She Will sail like a
witch II she hasn't filled with water
her engine viii be all right The reason
she went ashore was because IL was not
working The engineer nad disconnected
the feed pipes TO clean out the rust. Poor
business unless at anchor or with plenty
OF room.
Plant all the trees in the compound even
II you have to clean out the palms later
on.
And don't plant the sweet corn all at
once Let a few days elapse between
paintings JOAN LAKELAND.
He fingered the letter, lingering over
it and scrutiniZng the writing in
way that was not his wont How
characteristic. was his thought. as be
studied the boyish scrawl-clear 70
read. painfully clear. but none the less
boylsh.
He looked long at the name. Joan
LackIand-just an assem- blage of let
tiers. of commonplace letters. bur an
assembIage that generated q subtle
heady magic II Crept into his brain
and twined and twisted his mental
processes until all that constituted him
at that moment went out in love to
that scraw led signature. Joan Lack
land. Each time ne looked at it there
arose visions of her in a myriad moods
and guises. coming in ont OF the flying
smother Of the gale that had wrecked
her schooner. launching a whalebOat
TO go a-tiShinG. running dripping from
the sea with strea ming hair and cling
ing garments TO the fresh water show
er. frightening fourSCore cunnibalS
with an empty Chlorodyue bottle. ju-
venilely rafting on about romance
and venture bright eyed her face
flushed and eager with enthusiasm
Joan Lakeland, He unused over the
cryptic wonder Of II till the secrets of
love were made clear and he felt a
keen sympathy for lovers who carved
their names on trees or wrote them
on the beach sands OF the sea.
Then he came back TO reality. and
his face hardened Even then she
was on the wild coast Of Malaita and
at PoOuGa Poonga. of all vilIaiuous
and dangerous portions the worst PEG
pied with teeming population OF
head hunters. robbers and murderers
For the instant he entertained the rash
thought OF calling his boats crew and
starting Immediately in whaIeboat
for Poouga Poonga But the next in
slant the ides was dismissed What
could he do IL ne did go? First she
would resent H. Next she would laugh
NJ him and call him a silly.
There was much in her willfuI CON
duct that caused him 10 vince in the
heart or him he was appalled, by
the thought of her shoulder 10 shout
der with the drunken rabble OF trad
ers and beach combers az Guvutu. II
was bad enough for a clean. fasyidious