The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-12-14
CHAPTER v.

Echo courtesled to the morning
breeze, Coast awakened.
For a moment almost thoughtless
he lay drowsily enjoying the rise and
dip Of the boat, as drowsily conscious
of a faint thrill of excitement; most
ly comparable, perhaps, to the first
waking sensations Of fourteen
year-old boy on Fourth of July
morning.
Then without warning the small
chronometer on the transverse above
his head raped out smartly two dou
ble.chimes-ships time: four bells:
ten o'clock In the forenoon.
Astonished, he sat up quickly, and
his still sleepy gaze. passing through
the companionway. encountered the
amused regard of the soi-disant Mel
chisedec Appleyard. Promptly Coast
found himself In full possession OF his
faculties. That in obedience to first
instincts he nodded with a cordial
smile, was significant.
Appleyard returned the salutation
with quick bob of his small head.
"Goodmorning, hero!" he sang out
Cheerfully.
He sat In the cockpit, huddled into
the folds of gray blanket, volumin
Gus for his slight figure, thin but
wiry forearm barred to WELD the Gig.
arctic he was smoking with every In
dcatlon of enjoyment.
"Goodmorning, he returned. How
dyou feel after your adventure"
"Unclothed but In my right mind,
said Appleyard, with a twinkle OF anx.
iety amending: ito the best Of my
knowledge and belief" He indicated
arly the various articles constituting
his painfully simple wardrobe. Wait
ing for 'em to dry"
Appleyard hoped up, fingered his
everyday attire critically, and pro-
nounced 1t bone.dry; then, bundlIng
It up. he returned to the cabin, seat
ing himself on the opposite transom
10 dress.
And the sensations of hero. re-
treshed by sound slumbers, are"
Hunger" said Coast. He moved
forward and began to experiment
gingerly with a new and untried alco-
hol stove. 81 can offer you eggs. cof-
fee, biscuit-and nothing else" he
added, producing raw materials from
locker. You see. hadn't expected
to entertain"
Rotten inconsiderate of YOU" Ap.
pleyard grumbled. "I'll wire you a
warning next time 1t occurs to me to
drop in unexpectedly"
Divided between amusement and
perplexity, In the course of the meal
Coast reviewed a personality singu-
larly enriched by variety of sug-
gestions consistently negative. The
mans age was observation-disclosures
where between thirty and forty-hve.
Loosely summarized, he might have
been anybody or nobody on a lark or
his uppers.
Appleyard looked up quickly, with a
shy, humorous smile.
Well what d'you make of me?"
Its hard enough to guess what
you've made of yourself"
"Flattery note" observed Apple.
yard obscurely. yet you win my sym.
pathy; sometimes am moved to won.
der-really." He tapped an egg
thoughtfully, crinkle forming be,
tween his colorless eyebrows ITS
really not what man makes of him.
SELF it's what his temperament does
to him."
Temperament"
Yes; you really ought to keep one,
100; they're all the rage Just now
and such excellent excuses for the in.
ouIgence of your pet idiosyncrasies. "
oh! And you blame yours
for what?"
for making me al presume pos
terity' In the final analysis, will ad.
Judge me Romantic"
Llterature?' asked Coast, aghast.
GOOD Heavens, no! Nothing like
mat Life" He sighed profoundly.
ohall | rehearse to you the story OF
my lie? No, shall not rehearse TO
you the story of my life. But at all
COSTS shall talk about myself for a
space insist upon It: love to. You
uon seriously object?" he added,
lnen compose yourself.
norh at an early age-in fact at as
a''y an age as you can comfortably
"as'he-l found myself Immediately
o sport OF sardonia fortunes. That
u"lne' Melchisedec! One felt that
Ho ,"ete must be in ones future life some
,oa "' 'u'h OF Romance to compensate
ror 'aat infamous ignominy. So la
,u any reasonable human should
ds'Vally have looked forward to sure
seneration snt into the American peas.
St.. the New England magazine
~ type, sans brains, bowels,
hN'u' beauty. A born iconoclast.
v"ever' as soon as | wakened 10 re-.
roso,, on OF my plight mutinied and
Thoaa To,sea to live down my shame
taklnO takl''orward set myself to pains
soo,,i undertaking in modern life,
withnns the compensating Romance
life Out which life were but death in
at o. lie paused and cooked an eye
what?" '"u LOT beginning
disnasa,,''e ,''e prolix," commented Coast
NOR r'se'onately' falling in with his hu.
Romoron out a continue. You found your
,on0. What a. is so.called-alas. yes, |
for Cr,. ~ us a rule, nom de guerre
Lnrad hv legend.