Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-11-07
CHAPTER ~,
yaAN ACEV AMI

Joan LAKELAND.
~Y the second day of the north
wester Sheldon was in col
lapse from his fever. 1t had
taken an unfair advantage OF
his weak state. and. though it was only
ordinary malarial fever. in forty eight
hours it had run him rs low as ten
days Of fever would have done when
he was in condition. But the dysen
terry had been swept away from Be
rande. A score of convalescents lin,
gered in the hospital. but they were
improving hourly. There had been
out one more death-tbat of the man
whose brother had walled over him in
stead Of brushing the flies away.
On the morning Of the fourth day Of
his fever Sheldon lay on the veranda.
gazing dimly out over the raging
ocean. The wind was falling. but Il
mighty sea was still laundering in on
Berande beach. the flying spray reach
ing in as far as the Flagstaff mounds.
the foaming wash Dreaming against
the gateposts. He had taken thirty
grains of quinine. and the drug was
buzzing in his ears like nest Of hor-
nets. making his hands and knees
tremble and causing sickening pal
pitation of the stomach. Once. open
ing his eyes. he saw what he took to
be a hallucination. Not far out and
coming in across the Jessie's anchor
age he saw whaleboats nose thrust
skyward on smoky crest and dis
appear naturally. as an actual whale
boats nose should disappear. as it
slid down the back Of the sea. He
knew that no whaleboat should be
out there. and he was quite certain
no men in the SolomOns were mad
enough to be abroad in such storm.
But the hallucination persisted. A
minute LATER CHANGING to open his eyes.
he saw the whalebOat. full length. and
saw right into it as 1t rose on the face
of a wave He saw six sweeps ut
work. and in the stern. clearly out
lined against the overhanging wall of
white. man who stood erect. gigantic.
swaying with his weight on the steer
ing sweep. This he saw. and an eighth
man who crouched in the bow and
gazed shOreward. But what startled
Sheldon was the sight Of a woman in
the sternsheets between the stroke
oar and the SteerSman. A woman she
was. for braid Of her hair was flying.
and she was just in the act Of recap
,,,.;,,
hat that for all the world was like
pis own "Badcn-Powell."
The boat disappeared behind the
wave and rose into view on the face
of the following one. Again he looked
into it. The men were dark skinned
and larger than Solomon islanders. but
the woman. he could plainly see. was
white. Who she was and what she
was doing there were thoughts that
drifted vaguely through his conscious
ness. He was too sick to be vitality in
terested. and. besides. he had a half
feeling that it was all a dream.
"Good boatmen." was Shedon's YER
dict. as he saw the boat leap forward
on the face of n huge breaker. the
sweeps flying swiftly to keep her on
that front Of the moving mountain of
water that raced lnadly for the shore.
It was we'll done. Part full Of water.
the boat was flung upon the beach. the
men springing out and dragging its
nose to the gate posts. Sheldon had
1nj ivlv IN h,
at the moment. were dosing the re-
patients in the hospital. He
knew he was unable to rise up and
so down the path to meet the new
Corners. so he lay back in the steamer
chair and watched for ages while they
cared for the boat. The woman stood
to one side. her hand resting on the
gate Occasional surges OF sea water
washed over her feet. which he could
see were incased in rubber sea boots.
She scrutinized the house sharply. and
for some time she gazed at him stead
lily. At last. speaking to two Of the
men, who turned and followed her.
she started up the path.
Sheldon attempted to rise. got half
up out Of his chair and fell back help
lessly. He was surprised at the size
Of the men. who doomed like giants be-
hind her. Both were six footers. and
they were heavy in proportion. He
had never seen islanders like them.
They were not black, like the Solomon
islanders, but light brown. and their
were larger. more regular and
even handsome.
The woman-or girl. rather. he de-
along the veranda to-
ward him. The two men waited at the
head Of the steps watching curiously.
The girl was angry. He could see
that Her gray eyes were flashing and
her lips were quivering. That she had
a temper was his thought. But the
eyes were striking. He decided that
they were not gray after all. or. Mt
least. not all gray. They were large
and wide apart and they looked at him
from under level brows. Her face
was cameolike. so clear cut was 1t.
There were other striking things about
her-the cowboy Stetson hat. the heavy
braids of brown hair and the long bar
relied So Colts revolver that hung in its
holster on her hip.
Pretty hospitality. must say" was