The Mena weekly star., 1911-12-28
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
continued from last issue)
CHAPTER ~.
loan LAKELAND.

lapse from us ieNef III udt
taken an unfair advantage Of
.s weak state. and. though 1t was only
urinary malarial fever. in forty eigh
hours II had run him as low as ter
DAYS Of fever would have done wher
"a was in condition. But the dysen
,ery had been swept away from Be
,ande A score of convalescents lin
rered IN the hospital, but they were
improving hourly There had been
mt one more death-that of the man
whose brother had walled over him In.
stead Of brushing the dies away.
On the morning of the fourth day OF
bis fever Sheldon lay on the veranda.
gazing dlmly out over the raging
ocean. The wind was falling, but q
4 mighty sea was still laundering In on
Berande beach. the flying spray reach
4 Ing in as far as the Flagstaff mounds.
the foaming wash Dreaming against
4 The gatepOsts. he had taken thirty
! grains Of quinine. and the drug was
] buzzing in his ears like a nest of nor
4
s. tremble and causing sickening pal
81 pitation of the stomach Once. open
Fl ing his eyes. he saw what be took to
Rbe a hallucination. Not far out and
looming in across the Jessies anchor
k3ge be saw whaleboat's nose thrust
&kyward on a smoky crest and dis
8pear naturally. as an actual whale
bats nose should disappear. as II
Nd down the back Of the sea. He
Jew that no whaleboat should be
Mt there. and he was quite certain
- men In the Solomons were mad
e1pugh to be abroad in such a storm.
But the hallucination persisted. A
butte later. CHANGING to open his eyes.
~ saw the whaleboat. full length. and
Nv right into 1t as 1t rose on the face
81 wave. He saw six sweeps al
Nork. and in the stern. clearly out
bed against the overhanging wall of
Nhite. man who stood erect. gigantic
4Faying with his weight on the steer
10 sweep This he saw. and an eighth
Rn who crouehed in the bow and
ped shoreward But what startled
&1eIdon was the sight of n woman In
&1e sternsheets between the stroke
on and the steersman A woman she
was. for a braid of her hair was flying.
10 She was just in the act of recap
furing it and slowing 1t away beneath
y bat that for all the world was like
his own Baden Powell"
The boat disappeared behino 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
urifted vaguely through his conscious
ness. He was too sick to be vitality in
terested and. besides. he had q half
feeling that il was all dream.
Good boatmen." was Sheldon's yer.
oict' as he saw the boat leap forward
on the face of huge breaker. the
sweeps flying swiftly to Keep her on
'hat front OF the moving mountain Of
water that raced madlv for the shore
- was wen done. Part full or water,
the boat was flung upon the beach. the
nen springing out and dragging its
nose to the gate posts. Sheldon had
called vaiLiy to the house boys, who.
at the moment. we're dosing the re-
manning patients in the hospital. He
knew he was unable TO rise up and
go down the path to meet the new
comers. so he lay back In the steamer
enalr and watched for ages while they
cared for the boat. The woman stood
10 one side. her hand resting on the
sate- Occasional surges OF sea water
washed over her feet, which he could
sue We're incased In rubber sea boots.
cue scrutinized the house sharply, and
.oe some time she gazed at him stead.
ny AT last, speaking to two or the
nen' who turned and followed her
sae started up the path.
oaeldon attempted to rise, got half
" out of his chair and fell back help.
sssaS de was surprised ut the size
:. Tue men, who ioomed like giants be
asnu ner' Both were six footers. AMI
,-es We're heavy IN proportion. Tie
M nav never seen islanders like them
Tue. aey We're not black, like the Solomon
ss'anuers. but light brown, and their
sa'ufes were larger. more regular and
sven handsome.
.ne woman-or girl. rather. he de-
sueo-walked along the veranda to-
LAW nim. The two men waited at the
m su OF the steps watching curiously.
,1s glrl was angry. He could see
sa lat Her gray eyes were flashing and
-, ups were quivering. That she had
enper was his thought. But the
=, - were striking. He decided that
10y We're not gray after ali. or. nj
LIST not all gray. They were large
= vide apart and they looked at him
I'm under level brows. Her face
n, ms eameoiikc. SO clear cut was il.
! nere We're other striking things about
aeF-lhe cowboy Stetson hat. the heavy
s'"ias Of brown hair and the long bar.
Ie.ed 81 Colts revolver that hung In III
holster on her hip.
e'sS hospitality. must say was
=. sreenng. letting strangers slnk or
: .th 10 your front yard"
-, Deg your pardon" be STAN.
i'sfea. by a supreme eforf arae.,s.,e.
'stiFfir 70 b.s feet
80 "ks "abbied under him. aud
siNking 20 me A.