Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-01-16

Anu ptauk knC sDWGGk WIN oo -
once Let a few days elapse between
paintings. JOAN LAKELAND.
He fingered the letter. lingering oveI
It and scrutinizing the writing In g
way that was not his wont. How
characteristic. was bis thought as he
studied the boyish scrawl-clear te
read. painfully clear. but none the less
boyish.
BE looked long at the name. Joan
I.acklnnd just an assemblage Of let
ters. OF commonplace letters, but an
assemblage that generated q subtle
heady magic. 1t crept into his brain
and twined and twisted bis mental
processes until all that constituted him
at that moment went out In love to
that scra wled 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 whalebOai
10 60 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 chIorodyne bottle. ju'
venilely rattling on about romance
and venture. bright eyed. her face
flushed and eager with enthusiasW
Joan Lakeland. he mused over the
cryptic wonder of II 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 he came back to reality. and
his face hardened. Even then she
was on the wild coast Of Malaita 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 boats crew and
starting Immediately In a whaleboat
for Poonga .Poonga But the next In
stant the Idea was dismissed What
could be do II he did go? First she
would resent IT, Next she would laugh
at him and call him silly.
There was much In her willful con-
duct that caused him to vince In the
neart OF him. He was appalled, by
the thought of her shoulder to shoul-
der with the drunken rabble Of trad
ers and beach combers at Guvutu. II
was bad enough for clean. fastidious
man. but for a young woman. a girl at
that. II 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
he found consolation In the fact that
the task OF making OlesoD drunk had
been turned over to the three scoun'
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 Adamu Adam and Noa Noah
and all her rawny Tahitian following.
and his 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 to
wish that her Stetson hat and revolver
belt were hanging from 1t.
Several quiet weeks slipped by.
The steamer from Sydney. the kam-
mambo. broke the quietude OF Be
rande for an hour while landing mail.
supplies and the trees und seeds Joan
had ordered. The Minerva. bound for
Cape Marsh. brought the two COWS
from Nogi. And the Apostle. hurrying
buck to Tulagi TO connect with the
Sydney steamer. sent boat ashore
with the orange and lime trees from
Ulava. And these several weeks mark.
ed a period of perfect weather.
Then came the long expected nor
wester. For eight days 1t ragged. lull-
Ing at times to short durations OF calm.
then shifting point or two and rag
Ing with renewed violence.
1t was in the good weather that fol-
lowed one Of the house boys ran him
down With the news that the Martha.
the Flibberty Gibbet and the Emily
were heading in for the anchorage.
Coming into the compound from the
rear, Sheldon saw everything at once
first, q glimpse at the sea. where the
Martha aoated huge alongside the cut
ter and the ketch which had rescued
her; and next. the ground In front OF
the veranda steps. where u great
crowd of fresh caught cannibals stood
ut attention. From the fact that each
was attired In a new, snow white lava
lava. Sheldon knew that they were
recruits. Part way up the steps one OF
them was Just backing down into the
crowd. while another. called out by
nume, was coming up. II was Joan's
voice that had called him. and Shell
don refined In his horse and watched.
She aat ut the head Of the steps. be-
hind a table. between Munster and bis
white mate. the three Of them check
ing long lists. Joan asking the ques'
lions and writing the answers In the
big, red covered. Berande labor jour.
nal.
what nameT she demanded Of the
black man ON the steps.
"Tagari." came the answer. accom-
panied by grin and n rolling OF curl.
GUS eyes; for 1t was the hrst white
mans house the black had ever seen.
The black stepped down. and an
other mounted to take his place. But
Tagari just before he reached the bot
tom step caught sight Of Sheldon. II
was the first horse the fellow had ever
seen. and he let out frightened
screech and dashed madly up the
steps. At the same moment the great
mass of bucks srrged away panic
stricken from Sheldon's vicinity. The
Rrinning house boys shouted encour'
agement and explanation. and the
stampede WIS checked, the new caught
head hunters budding closely togeth
er and staring obviously at the rear
full monster.
"Hellow Joan called out What DO
you mean by frightening all my boysl
Come on up"
What do you think Of themT she
asked when they had shaken hands.