The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-26
A Romance of The South Seas

Adam along me. Tell m that fella Ornfid make m kai-kai take along whaleboat" She rose to her feet, look ing at Sheldon. And you. please. have the boys carry down the whale boat-my boat you know. I'n be off in an hour"
 "I'll go ovee with you," Sheldon an- nounced.
 Let me run you over in the Mi nerva." said Young.
 She shook her head laughingly.
 "rm going in the whaleboat. You, MT. Sheldon. as my partner. cannot permit to desert Berande and your work out or a mistaken notion of cour- tesy. And as for you. Captain Young, you know very well that you just left Guvutu this morning. that you are bound for Marau and that you said yourself that In two hours you are getting under way again"
 "But may l not see you safely acrossg' Tudor asked. pleading note in his voice that rasped on Sheldon's nerves.
 No. no, and again noy' she cried. You've all got your work to do. and % have l. came to the Solomons to work, not to be escorted about like doil. For that matter. here's my es- cort, and there are seven more like him."
 Adamu Adam stood beside her. tow the three white men.
 We start in au hour in the whale boat for Guvutu. big brother" Joan said to him. Tell your brothers. all of them. so thst they can get ready. We catch the Upolu for Sydney. Leave the guns behind. Turn them over to MT. Sheldon. We won't need them"
 1 ''tf you are really bent upon go- inx'- Sheldon began.
 That's settled long ago." she an- swered shortly. '.I'm going to pack now"
 An hour later the three men had shaken hands with Joan down on the beach. She gave the signal, and the boat showed of. six men at the oars, the seventh man for'ard and Adamu Adam at the steering sweep. Joan was standing up in the stern sheets reiterating her goodbys, a slim figure of . woman in the tight fitting jacket she had worn ashofe from the wreck. the long barreled Colts revolver hang ing from the loose belt around her waist. her clear cut face like "a boys under the Stetson hat that failed to conceal the heavy masses of hair be- meath.
 "You'd better get into shelter" she called to them. There's big squaIl coming: and hope you've got plenty of chain out. Captain Young. Goodby! 0oodby. sverybodyr'
 Her last words came out of the dark ness. which wrapped itself solidIy about the boat Yet they continued to stare into the blackness in the direc- tion in which the boat had disappear cd. listening to the steady click of the oars in the rowlocks until it faded away and ceased.
 "She is only girl" Christian Young said with slow soIemnity. The discov- cry seemed to have been made on the spur of the moment. "She is only girl" he repeated with greater solem-, nity.
 "A dashed pretty one and good traveller" Tudor laughed. "She cer- tainly has spunk. eh. Shefdon?'
 Yes. she is brave." was the reluc-, tant answer. for Sheldon did not feel; disposed to talk about her.
 They guined the veranda. where; they sat in silence over their whisky, each man staring straight out to sea, where the wildly swinging riding light of the Minerva could be seen in the lulls of the driving rain.
 An hour later Christian Young stood up. knocked out his pipe and prepared to go aboard and get under way.
 ''She's all right" he said. apropos of nothing spoken and yet distinctly rele- want to what was in each of their minds. 'She's got good boats crew. and she's sailor herself. With this favoring bit of breeze she has sail on already. and she'il make Guvutu by daylight. Good night''
 "I guess I'll turn in. old man," Tu- dor suid. rising and placing his glass on the ia hie "I'll start the first thing In the morning. It's been disgracefui the way I've been hanging on here Good night"
 Sheldon. sitting on alone. wondered If the other man would have decided to pull out fin the morning had Joan not sailed away. Well. there was one bit of consolation in ft--Joan had cer- tainly fingered at Berande for no man, not even Tudor. It was not very fias- terins, but what could any man count in her eyes when a schooner waiting to be bought in Sydney was in the wind? What Creature! What crea- ture.
 Berande was lonely place to Shel- don in the days that followed. In the morning after loans departure he had seen Tudor's expedition of on its way up the Balesuna. in the late afternoon through his telescope he had seen the smoke of the Upolu that was bearing Joan away to Sydney, and in the even- Ing he found himself standing staring at the nail upon which from the first she had hung her Stetson hat and her revolver belt.
 Why should he care for herr he de- manded of himself angrily. Never had he encountered one who had So