The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1912-01-03

! doll. For that matter, here's nv es
cort. aud there are seven more lik,
him.
Adamu Adam stood beside her. tow
ering above her. as he lowered abov,
the three white men.
I'VE start In an hour i'm the whale
boat for Guvu.u, big brother" Joan
said TO him. Tell your brothers. all
Of them. so that they can get ready
We catch the Upolu for Sydney
Leave the guns behind. Turn them
over TO Mr.. Sheldon. We won't need
them
IF you are really bent upon GO
ing 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 Off, 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, slim figure
of woman In the tight fitting jacket
she had worn ashore from the wreck,
the long barreled Colts revolver hang
ing from the loose belt around her
waist. her clear cut face like boys
under the Stetson hat that failed to
conceal the heavy masses of hair be.
meath.
or rnf into rha1 eI
called to them. There's q big squall
coming, and | hope you've got plenty
of chain out. Captain Young. Goodby,
Goodby. everybody
Her last words came out of the dark
ness. which wrapped itself solidly
about the boat. Yet they continued to
stare into the blackness in the direc-
ton in which the boat had disappear
ed, 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 solemnity. The discov-
cry seemed to have been made on the
spur of the moment. "She is only
girl" he repeated with greater solem-
nifty.
"a dashed pretty one and a good
traveller" Tudor laughed. "She GER
tainly has spunk, ell, Sheldon?'
'Yes, she is brave" was the reluc-
tant answer, for Sheldon did not feel
disposed to talk about her
They gained 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 a good boats crew.
and she's sailor herself. With this
favoring bit of breeze she has sail on
already. and she'll make Guvutu by
daylight. Good night
II guess I'll turn in, old man." Tu-
dor said, rising and placing his glass
on the table. "I'll start the first thing
In the morning. It's been disgraceful
the way I've been hanging on here
Good night"
Sheldon. sitting on alone. wondered
II the other man would have decided
to pull out i'm the morning had Joan
not sailed away. Well. there was one
bit of consolation in it-Joan had GER
tainly fingered at Berande for no man.
not even Tudor. 1t was not very fiat
tering. but what could any man count
in her eyes when n schooner waiting
to be bought in Sydney was in the
wind? What creature. What crea-
ture.
Berande was a lonely place to Shell
don in the days that followed In the
after Joan's departure he had
seen Tudor's expedition off on its way
up the Balesuna. in the late afternoon
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
ut the nail upon which from the first
she had hung her Stetson hat and her
revolver belt.
Why should he care for her? he de-
of himself angrily. Never
had he encountered one who had so
irritated him. rasped his
feelings. smashed his conventions and
nearly every attribute OF what
had been his ideal of woman. But he
loved her. That was the point of 1t
all. and he did not try TO evade II. He
was not sorry that il was so. He loved
her. That was the overwhelming.
fact.
Once again he discovered a big en-
thusiasm for Berande. II must sue
coed not merely because Joan was q
partner in II. but because he wanted
TO make thar partnership permanently
Three more years and the
plantation would be splendid paying
They could then take
yearly trips to Australia and oftener,