Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1911-03-17

ne ulu not answer her question. he
was recalling something which his
amazing meeting with the girl out
here on the ice-foe had, for little
while, put quite out of his mind-the
weird, silent tragedy he had seen en-
acted few hours before upon the
glacier behind the headland. The
victim, the man in the leather coat,
must have been one of the party from
the yacht; but it was impossible that
the little band of his murderers could
be. No one freshly landed from the
yacht would have been dressed as
they were, or would have been armed
with darts.
With no better look at them than
had been possible to him as he hung
above their heads, he had been con-
WINGED that they were white; certain
ly, the leather-coated man had been
talking to them, freely enough, in
English. And yet, if white they must
have been efugees-survivors, if not
of Captain Fielding's Inflated expedi-
ton, then Of some other, tragic, unre-
ported ship wreck.
But if they were white men-refu-
gees, why had they fed from their
hut at sight of the yacht which came
bringing a rescue? Why had they
driven that one luckless member of
the rescuing party who fell in with
them. into that carefully prepared am
bush, and then murdered him, silent
ly? Even Eskimos would not have
done a thing like that
His long silence had alarmed the
girl, and presently, perceiving that
this was so, he drew himself up with
an affected start 81 beg your par
don. ! drifted off, thinking of some
thing else. Living in the sky doesn't
seem conducive to good manners No,
don't believe there is anything to
worry about Any way, as soon as
light comes back, which won't be
long now, | can set at rest any fears
you may have. I'll go and find your
party, and I'll search the land, too
for anything else that may be there.
And then I'll bring you word"
You are very good" she said with
little hesitation, but l cant let
YOU"
He interrupted her with a laugh.
ITS nothing difficult that l am pro-
posing to do for you, you know"
That's true. l had forgotten your
wings. The rocks, the ice. the steep
places, that mean so tragically much
to them, are nothing at all to you But
what are you doing now? Even you
can't find them in the dark
He had already begun unstrapping
the bundle he had made of his wings,
and seemed to be preparing for i'm
mediate fight. That was what caused
her question.
NO" he said; Il shall wait for sun
rise"
But why not here, on the yacht?
We can give you comfortable bed
there; better, certainly, than that
sleeping bag of yours"
Il am afraid" he said, that what
you call comfortable bed In yachts
cabin would be the surest instrument
that could be found for keeping me
awake all night. No, l shall find a
sheltered hollow up at the top of that
headland yonder, where l shall sleep
deeply enough, you may be sure"
She watched him, silently, while he
slipped the steel-jointed rods into
place, drew the catgut bow strings
taut, until they sang-until the fabric
of his planes shimmed in the starlight
-quivered, as if they were instinct
with life of their own
sense of the unreality Of it all
came yelling up strongly within her,
and a touch of an almost forgotten
fear of him.
Good night" she said. holding out
her "gooGby."
"Till morning" he answered.
A little breeze came blowing across
the ice just then. He dropped her
hand quickly, slipped his arms into
their places in the frame mounted the
ledge of ice, and then, with a short
run, sprang forward into the breeze.
She saw his planes bend a little,
undulate, rather, with a sort Of scull-
ing motion, as he few forward, not
far above the level of her head He
dipped down again as soon as he had
open water beneath him, and almost
SKINNED the surface Of it. Then,
gathering speed, he began mounting.
She felt curiously alone now that he
was gone; and little frightened, like
child Just waking out of dream.
And she blew a small silver whistle
that hung about her neck, for signal
to the men on the yacht to send
boat for her.
Then, while she waited, she dropped
down rather Imply on her pile of
bear-skins. Her hand found some
thing hard that had not been there be-
fore, and taking it up she found that
it was a curious blunt stick of wood,
rudely whitfield, and about ten inches
long. 1t must have fallen from his
belt while he sat there talking to her.
She wondered what he used it for.