The Mena weekly star., 1911-12-28

va aug thiHS m Just as TAR on the
edge of things as you are"
I'm your case. then. I'll admit there
Is bit of romance" he confessed.
he could not help but think OF the
preceding nights and OF her sleeping
In the hammock on the veranda under
mosquito curtains. her bodyguard OF
Tahitian sailors stretched out at the
far corner OF the veranda within call
He had been too helpless to resist. hui
now be resolved she should have his
couch inside while he would take the
hammock.
"You see. had read and dreamed
about romance all my life" she was
saying. but | never In my widest
fancies thought that | should live II
II was all so unexpected. Two years
ago thought there was nothing left
to me but She faltered and made
moue OF dlstaste. ''Well. the only
thing that remained. IT seemed to me
was marriage"
And you preferred cannibal isle
and cartridge beltY' he suggested
II didn't think Of the canniba isle
but the cartridge belt was blissful."
"You wouldn't dare use the revolver
II you were compelled to. Or" noting
the CLINT in her eyes. IF you did uss
1t towel, TO bit anything.
She started up suddenly to enter the
house. He knew she was going for
her revolver
Never mind" he said. heres mine.
What can you do with itY
Shoot the block Off your dag hal.
yards"
He smiled his unbelief.
II don't know the gum" she said
obviously.
IT'S a light trigger and you don't
have to hold down. Draw ane."
"Yes. yes" she spoke impatiently.
II know automatics--they jam when
they get hot-only don't know yours "
She looked at It moment. tits cock.
ed. Is there cartridge in the cham
ber?"
She dred. and the block remained
intact
IT'S a long shot" he said. With the
intention of easing her chagrin.
Rrt she hit her lin and fired again
Inc bullet emitted a sharp shrek as
it ricochetted into space. The metal
DOCK ratified back and forth. Again
and again she fred, till the clip was
emptied of its eight cartridges. Six
of them were hits. The block still
swayed at the gaff end, but 1t was
battered out of all usefulness. Shell.
don was astonished. 1t was better
than be or even Hughie Drummond
could have done.
woman" he said. you only missed
1t twice, and it was a strange weap.
on
But / can't make out the two
misses" she complained. "The gun
worked beautifully too. Give me an
other clip and III hit it eight times
for anything you wish"
81 don't doubt it. Now I'll have to
get new block. viaburi. Here, you
fella, catch one fella block along store
room"
"Ill wager you can't do it eight out
of eight-anythin you ~ she
challenged.
mo fear of my taking it on was
his answer. .Who taught you to
shoot?'
"Oh, my father at first and then
Won and bis cowboys. He was a
shot-dad, mean, though Won was
splendid too"
Sheldon wondered secretly who Won
was, and he speculated as to whether
1t was Won who two years previously
had led her to believe that nothing re-
manned for her but matrimony.
what part of the United States is
your home,' he asked-"Chicago or
Wyoming or somewhere out thereT
mo: Hawaii. | was born there. 1t
is a beautiful land. My, I'm almost
homesick for 1t already. Not that
haven't been away. l was in New
York when the crash came. But
do think it is the sweetest spot on
earth-Hawaii, mean.
Il might as well begin at the begin
ming" She lifted her head with q
proud air of Diminishing sadness after
the manner of a woman qualified to
wear a Baden-Powell and long bar
relied Colts. Il was born at Hilo.
That's on the island of Hawaii, the big
gest and best In the group. l can't re-
member when first got on horse
nor when learned to swim That
came before my A b C's. Dad owned
cattle ranches on Hawaii and Maui
big ones for the islands. Hokuna had
100000 acres alone. 1t extended in
between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
and ii WAS there learned 10 shoot
goats and wild cattle.
"Von had been in the army. and dad
was an old seadog. and they were both
stern disciplinarians-on Von's girls
had no mother. and neither had /, and
they were two men. after all They
spoiled us terribly. You see. they
didn't have any wives, and they made
chums out of us-when our tasks were
done. We had to learn to do every
thing about the house twice as well as
the native servants did it-that was so
that we should know how to manage
some day.
more than once one or the 9th
or of us had our rifles taken away
for week just because of tiny
speck of rust. We had to know how