The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1912-02-16
v.

Sunlight and shadow playing In
swift alienation upon his face, as the
Echo courtesied to the morning
breeze. Coast awakened.
For a moment almost thOughtless
he lay drowsily enjoying the rise and
dip of the boat, as drowsily conscious
Of a faint thrill of excitement; most
ly comparable, perhaps. to the first
waking sensations Of a fourteen
year-old boy on a Fourth Of July
morning.
thermometer on the transverse above
his head raped out smartly two dou-
ble-chimes-ships' time: four bells:
ten o'clock in the forenoon.
Astonished, he sat up quickly, and
his still sleepy gaze. passing through
the companionway, encountered the
amused regard of the soi-disant Mel
chisedec Appleyard. Promptly Coast
found himself in full possession of his
faculties. That in obedience to first
Instincts he nodded with a cordial
smile, was significant.
A%ppleyard returned the salutation
with a quick bob of his small head.
"Good-morning. hero!" he sang out
c%heerfully.
He sat in the cockpit, huddled into
the folds of a gray blanket, volumin-
GUS for his slight figure, a thin but
why forearm barred to WELD the Gig
arctic he was smoking with every in
dication of enjoyment.
"Good-morning," he returned. How
d'you feel after our adventure?"
"Unclothed but in my right mind"
said Appleyard, with a twinkle of anx-
tety amending: Ito the best Of my
knowledge and belief" He indicated
airily the various articles constituting
his painfully simple wardrobe. wait
ing for 'em to dry"
Appleyard hoped up, fingered his
everyday attire critically, and pro-
nounccd it bone-dry: then. bundling
it up. he returned to the cabin. seat
ing himself on the opposite transom
to dress.
And the sensations of a hero, re-
freshed by sound SAUNDERS, are"
"Hunger." said Coast. He moved
forward and began to experiment
girgerly with a new and untried alco-
hel stove. 81 a offer Vol eggs, cot
see, biscuit-and nothing else," he
added. producing raw materials from
a locker. You see. l hadn't expected
"a entertain"
Rotten inconsiderate of you," Ap-
p:eyard grumbled. iii wire you a
warning mex time it ecu to me to
drop in unexpectedly"
Divided between amusement and
perplexity. in the course of the meal
Coast reviewed a personality singu.
larly enriched by a variety of sug-
ge3tions consistently negative. The
mans age was observation-disclosures
where between thirty and forty-tive.
Loosely summarized, he might have
been anybody or nobody on a lark or
his uppers.
Appleyard looked up quickly, with q
shy. humorous smile.
"Well. what d'you make of me-"
Its hard enough to guess what
you've made of yourself"
"Flattery note" observed Apple
yard %obscurely. "Yet you win my sym
patty: sometimes am moved to won.
der-really." lie tapped an egg
t%houghtfully, a crinkle forming be
tween his colorless eyebrows. Its
really not what a man makes of him
self; it's what his temperament does
to him."
Temperament"
YES; you really ought to keep one
too; they're all the rag just now
and such excellent Xcuse for the in
diligence Of your pet idiosyncrasies.'
"Oh! And you blame yours
for what?"
For making me al presume pos
terity, in the Anal analysis. will ad
fudge me a Romantic"
"Literature?" asked Coast, aghast
Good Heavens, no! Nothing like
that: Life" He sighed profoundly
shall l rehearse to you the story OF
my life? No, l shall not rehearse tc
you the story of my life. But at all
costs ! shall talk about myself for
space: l insist upon it: I love to. Yo,
don't seriously object?" he added
anxious.