Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1911-12-05
NUMBER 4e.

pounQ-on pies. OT course. can
move In tonight. I'll be comfortable
and safe. Tue Tahitians can keep an
anchor watch just as abOurd ship
And then III study c0coanut planting.
In return. III run the kitchen end Of
your household and give you some
decent food 10 eat. And finally. ]
won't listen to any Of your protests.
On the other hand. II you don't agree.
] will 90 across the river. beyond your
Jurisdiction. and build q village for
myself and my sailors. whom l shall
send In the whalebOat to Guvutu for
provisions. And now ! want you to
teach me billiards"
Joan took hold Of the household with
no uncertain grip. revolutionfzing
things till Sheldon hardly recognized
the place. For the first time the bum
galow was clean aud orderly. No
longer the house boys loafed and did
as little as they could: while the cook
complained that "head belong him
walk about too much" from the stren-
nous course in cookery which she put
him through. Nor did Sheldon escape
being round,y lectured for his iazi-
ness IN eating nothing but timed pro-
visions She called him a muddler
and a slouch. and other invidious
names, for his slackness and his dis
regard OF healthfuI food.
She sent her whaleboat down the
coast twenty miles for lines and or
anges, aud wanted to know scathingly
why said fruits had not long since
been planted at Berande. while he was
beneath contempt because there was
no kitchen garden. Mummy apples.
which he had regarded as weeds.
under her guidance appeared as appe-
tizing breakfast fruit. and. at dinner.
were metamorphOsed into puddsngs
that elected his unqualified admira-
ton. She or her sailors dynamited
fish daily. while the Balesuna natives
were paid tobacco for bringing In
oysters from the mangrove swamps.
Among other things. she burned the
peshlentia hospital. quarreIed with
Sheldon over the deed and In anger
set her own men to work building Il
new and what she called decent hos
pitaI. She robbed the windows Of their
lawn and muslin curtains. replacing
them with gaudy calico from the trade
store and made herself several gowns.
When she wrote out a list Of goods
and clothing for herself. to be sent
down TO Sydney by the first steamer.
Sheldon wondered how long she had
made up her mind to stay.
She was certainly unlike any woman
he had ever known or dreamed or So
far rs he was concerned. she was not
a woman at ALL She neither languished
nor blandished NO feminine lures
were wasted on him. He might have
been her brother. or she his brother.
for all sex had to do with the strange
situation. Despite his warnings about
crocodiles and sharks. she persisted In
swimming IN deep water OF the
beach. nor could he persuade her.
the sailors throw the dynamite when
shooting fish. She argued that she was
at least Il little bit more intelligent
than they and that. therefore. there
was less liability Of an accident II she
did the shooting She was TO him the
most masculine and at the same time
the most feminine woman he had ever
met
A source of continual trouble between
them was the disagreement over
methods OF handling the black boys.
She ruled by stern kindness. rnrriy
rewarding. never Furnishing. and he
had to confess that her own sailors
worshlpped her. while the house boys
were her slaves and did three tunes
as much work for her as he had ever
got out Of them. She quickly saw the
unrest of the contract laDorers and
was not blind 10 the danger. always
imminent. that both she and Sheldon
ran. Neither of them ever vpntured
out without a revolver. and the sailors
who stood the night watches BY Joans
grass house were armed with rides.
But Joan inisted that this reign Of ter.
ror had been caused by the reign OF
fear practised by the white men She
had been brought up with the gentle
Ha waiiuns. who never were iltreated
nor roughly handled. and she general
lied that the Solomon Islanders. TN.
der kind treatment. would grow gentle.
Que evening terrific uproar arose
In the barracks. and Sheldon. aided
by .Ioan's sailors. succeeded IN RES
cuing two women whom the blacks
were beating To death. TO save them
from the vengeance of the blacks they
were guarded In the cook house for
the night They were the TWO women
who did the cooking for the lnbOrers.
and their offense had consisted OF one
VI them taking bath In the big cal
dron In which the potatops were boiled.
The blacks were not outraged from the
standpoint of cleanliness: they often
took baths In the caldrOns themselves.
tn. "..uble lay In thar the bather had
beru II low. degraded. wretchad female.
for to the Solomon islanders all fe-
males are low. degraded and wretched.