The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1912-01-19

decent food to eat. And finally, l
won't listen to any of your protests.
On the other hand. If you don't agree.
/ will 60 across the river. beyond your
jurisdiction, and build village for
myself and my sailors. whom l shall
send in the whaleboat to Guvutu for
provisions. And now l want you to
teach me billiards.
Joan took hold Of the household with
no uncertain grip. revolutionizing
things till Sheldon hardly recognized
the place. For the first time the bun
galow was clean and orderly. No
longer the house boys loafed and did
as little as they could; while the cook
complained that head belong him
walk about too much from the siren
nous course in cookery which she put
him through. Nor did Sheldon escape
being roundly lectured for his lazi-
ness in eating nothing but timed pro-
visions. She called him a muddler
and a SLOUGH, and other invidious
names, for his slackness and his dis
regard Of healthful food.
She sent her whaleboat down the
coast twenty miles for lines and or
anges, and wanted to know scathingly
why said fruits had not long since
been planted at Berande, while he was
beneath contempt because there was
no kitchen garden. Mummy apples,
which he had regarded as weeds.
under her guidance appeared as appe-
tizing breakfast fruit. and, at dinner.
were metamorphosed into buildings
that ELECTED his unqualified admira-
ton. She or her sailors dynamited
fish daily, while the Balesuna natives
were paid tobacco for bringing in
oysters from the mangrove swamps.
Among other things. she burned the
pestlential hospital. quarreled with
Sheldon over the deed and in anger
set her own men to work building a
new and what she called decent hos
pitnl. She robbed the windows Of their
lawn and muslin curtains. replacing
them with gaudy calico from the trade
store and made herself several gowns.
When she wrote out list of goods
and clothing for herself, to be sent
down to Sydney by the first steamer.
Sheldon wondered how long she had
made up her mind to stay.
She was certainly unlike any woman
he had ever known or dreamed of. 50
far as he was concerned. she was not
q woman at all. She neither ianguished
nor blandished. No feminine lures
were wasted on him. He might have
been her brother. or she his brother.
for all sex had to do with the strange
situation. Despite his warnings about
crocodiles and sharks. she persisted in
swimming in deep water Off the
beach. nor could he persuade her
when she was in the boat. to let one OF
the sailors throw the dynamite when
shooting fish. She argued that she was
at least a little bit more intelligent
than they and that. therefore. there
was less liability of an accident If she
did the shooting. She was to him the
most masculine and at the same time
the most feminine woman he had ever
met
A source Of continual trouble between
them was the disagreement owe
methods of handling the black boys
She ruled by stern kindness. rarel!
rewarding. never Furnishing. and h
had to confess that her own sailors
worshipped her. while the house boy,
were her slaves and did three times
as much work for her as he had eve
got out of them. She quickly saw tn,
unrest Of the contract laborers ant
was not blind to the danger. Away
imminent. that both she and Sheldon
ran. Neither Of them ever venture,
out without a revolver. and the sailor
who stood the night watches by Joan
grass house were armed with rifles
But Joan inisted that this reign of ter
ror had been caused by the reign o
fear practised BY the white men. Sh
had been brought up with the gentl
Hawaiians. who never were illtreate,
nor roughly handled. and she general
ICED that the Solomon islanders. un
der kind treatment. would grow gentle
One evening a terrific uproar aros
in the barracks, and Sheldon. aide
by Joan's sailors. succeeded In res
cuing two women whom the black
were beating to death. To save theI
from the vengeance of the blacks the
We're guarded in the cook house TO
the night. They were the two wome
who did the cooking for the laborers
and their offense had consisted of on
of them takinE. O bath in the big ca