Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1911-12-26
CHAPTER XVI.

sleep in veranda hammock
Sheldon opened Joan's letter:
Dear Mr.. sheldon Please forgive me for
stealing the Flibberty Gibbet. / simply
had to. The Martha means everything to
US. Think OF 1t, only 465 for her, $275!
If don't save her. know 1 shall be able
to pay all expenses out OF her gear which
the natives will not nave carried of. And
IL | do save her It is the maui OF life
time. And II don't save her ri fill the
Emily and the Flibberty Gibbet with re-
cruts. Recruits are needed right now on
Berande more than anything else.
And please. please don't be angry with
me. You said | shouldn't 60 recruiting on
the Flibberty, and 1 won't I'll 60 on the
Emily
/ bought two cows this afternoon, That
trader at Nogl died OF fever. and bought
them from mis- pArtner-Sam Willis mis-
name-who agrees to deliver them, most
likely by the Minerva next time she is
down that way. Berande has been long
enough on timed milk.
And DIR. Welsnmere has agreed TO get
me some orange and lime trees from the
mission station at ulava. He will deliver
them the next trip of the Apostle II the
Sydney steamer arrives before / get back
plant the sweet corn she will bring be-
tween the young trees on the high bank
OF the Balesuna. The current Is eating In
against that bank. and you should do
something to save II.
| nave ordered some fig trees and To-
quats too. from Sydney. DR.. Welshmere
will bring some mango seeds. They are
big trees and require plenty of room.
The Martha is registered ITO tons. She
is the biggest schooner in the, Solomons
and the best / saw little OF her lines
and guess the rest. She will sail like u
witch. II she hasn't filled with water
her engine will be all right. The reason
she went ashore was because 1t was not
working. The engineer had disconnected
the feed pipes TO clean out the rust. Poor
business unless at anchor or with plenty
OF sea room
Plant all the trees in the compound even
II you hove TO clean out the palms later
on.
And don't plant the sweet corn all at
once. Let a few days elapse between
paintings. JOAN LAKELAND.
He fingered the letter. lingering over
it and scrutinizing the writing In u
way that was not his wont. How
characteristic. was his thought. as he
studied the boyish scra wl-ciear to
read. painfully clear. but none the less
boyish.
He looked long at the name. Joan
Lackland--just an assembIage of let
ters. of commonplace letters, but an
assemblage that generated subtle
heady magic. 1t crept into his brain
and twined and twisted his mental
processes until all that constituted him
&C that moment went out In love to
that scrawled signature. Joan Lack
land. Each time he looked at It there
arose visions of her in myriad moods
and guises. coming in out of the flying
smother of the gale that had wrecked
her schooner. launching a whaleboat
to go a-tshing. running dripping from
the sea with streaming hair and cling
ing garments to the fresh water show.
er. frightening fourscore cannibals
with an empty chlorodyne bottle. ju-
veniely rattling on about romance
and venture. bright eyed. her face
flushed and eager with enthusiasm.
Joan Lakeland. He mused over the
cryptic wonder of It till the secrets of
love were made clear and he felt a
keen sympathy for lovers who carved
their names on trees or wrote them
on the beach sands Of the sea.
Then be came back to reality, and
his face hardened Even, then she
was on the wild coast Of Malalta and
at Poonga- Poonga. of all villainous
and dangerous portions the worst. peO
pied With teeming population Of
head hunters. robbers and murderers.
For the instant he entertained the rash
thought OF calling his boaI's crew and
starting Immediately IN whaleboat
for Poonga Poonga. But the next In
stant the idea was dismissed What
could he do II he did go. First she
would resent IL Next she would laugh
at him and call him a silly.
There was much 10 her willful con-
duct that caused him to vince In the
heart OF him. He was appalled, BY
the thought of her shoulder 10 Shout
der with the drunken rabble OF trad
ers and beach combers al Guvufu. II
was bad enough for a clean. fastidious
man. but for a young woman. girl az
that. IL was awful. The theft OF the
Flibberty Gibbet was merely amusing.
though the means by which the theft
had been effected gave him hurt. Yet
be found consolation In the fact that
the task OF making OlesoD drunk had
been turned over TO the three sc0un-
drels. And next and swiftly came the
vision Of her. alone With those same
three scoUndrels. on the Emily. sailing
out to sea from Guvutu in the twilight
with darkness coming on Then came
visions Of Adamn Adam and Noa Noah
and all her brawny Tahitian following.
and bis anxiety faded away. being re-
placed by irritation that she should
have been capable Of such wildness Of
conduct And the irritation was still
on him as be got up and went inside
TO STARE at the hook on the wall and 20
Wish that Der Stetson bat and revolver
belt were banging from IL
Several quiet weeks slipped By.
The steamer from sydney. the KAN
mambo. broke the auiefude OF Be
rande for an hour while landing mall
supplies ana the trees and seeds Joan