The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-08

Sheldon opened Joan's letter:
Dear Mr.. Sheldon-Please forgive me for
stealing the FItbberty Gtbbet l simply
had TO- The Martha means everything to
US Think OF II, only &55 for ner. s275.
II / don't save her. / know | shall be able
to pay all expenses out of her gear which
the natives u Ill not have carried of Ana
IL DO save rseE It is the maui Of life
time. And II don't save her I'll fill the
Emily and the F'Hbberty Gibbet with re-
cruits. Recruits are needed right now on
Berande more than anything else.
And please, please don't be angry with
me. You said | shouldn't go recruiting on
the FHbberty. and / won't I'll go on the
Emily.
l bought two cows this afternoon That
trader at Nogi died Of fever. and / bought
them from his partner-Sam Willis MS
uame-who agrees to deliver them, most
likely by the Minerva next time she Is
down that way. Berande has been long
enough on timed milk.
And DR.. Weishmere has agreed 10 get
me some orange and lime trees from the
mission station a Ulava. He will deliver
them the next trip Of the Apostle. II the
Sydney steamer arrives before | get back
plant the sweet corn she WIFI bring be
tween the young trees on the high bank
Of the Balesuna- The current is eating IN
against that bank, and you should do
something to save 1t.
/ have ordered some fig trees and To-
quats, too. from Sydney. DR.. Welshmere
VIII bring some mango seeds. They are
big trees and require plenty Of room.
The Martha is registered 10 tons. She
is the biggest schooner in the SolOmons
and the best | saw a little of her lines
and guess the rest She will sail like a
witch If she hasn't filled with water
her engine will be all right. The reason
she went ashore was because it was not
working. The engineer had disconnected
the feed pipes to clean out the rust. Poor
business unless at anchor or with plenty
Of sea room
Plant all the trees in the compound even
If you have to clean out the palms later
And don't plant the sweet corn all at
once. Let a few days elapse between
paintings JOAN LAKELAND.
He fingered the letter. lingering over
it and scrutinizing the writing in a
way that was not his wont. How
characteristic, was his thought. as be
studied the boyish wI-cIear to
read. painfully clear, but none the less
boyish.
He looked long at the name Joan
Lackland-just an assemblage Of let
ters, Of commonplace letters, but an
assemblage that generated a subtle
heady magic. 1t crept into his brain
and twined and twisted his mental
processes until all that constituted him
at that moment went out In love to
that scrawled signature. Joan Lack
land! Each time be looked at it there
arose visions of her in a myriad moods
and guises. coming in out Of the flying
smother Of the gale that had wrecked
her schooner, launching q whaleboat
to go Fishing, running dripping from
the sea with streaming hair and cling
ing garments to the fresh water show
er, frightening fourscore cannibals
with an empty chlorodyne bottle. ju-
venilely rafting on about romance
and venture. bright eyed. her face
flushed and eager with enthusiasm.
Joan Lakeland, He unused over the
cryptic wonder OF it till the secrets Of
love were made clear and be felt
keen sympathy for lovers who carved
their names on trees or wrote them
on the beach sands Of the sea.
Then be 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 PEG
pied with q 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 q whaleboat
for POOnga POOnga. But the next in
slant the idea was dismissed What
could be do If he did go? First she
would resent it Next she would laugh
at him and call him a silly.
There was much in her vfllfuI con-
duct that caused him to vince in the
heart of him. He was appalled, by
the thought of her shoulder TO shout
der with the drunken rabbe OF trad
ers and beach cOmbers at Guvutu. 1t
was bad enough for a clean, faStidiouS
man, but for young woman. girl at
that, ii was awful The theft of the
tlibberty GtbDet 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 bad
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 brawny Tahitian following.
and his anxiety faded away. being re-
placed by irritation that she should
have been capable of such wfldneSs OF
conduct And the irritat ton was still
on him as he got up and went inside
70 stare at the hook on the wall and to
wish that her Stetson bat and revolver
belt were banging from it
Several quiet weeks slipped by.
The steamer from Sydney, the KAN
mambo. broke the quietude OF Be
rande for al hour while landing mail.
supplies and the trees and seeds Joan
had ordered. The Minerva. bound for
Cape Marsh. brought the two cows
from Nogt- And the Apostle. hurrying
back to Tulagi 70 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 it ragged, lull-
ing at times to short dura lions of calm.
then shifting point or two and rag
ing with renewed violence.
1t was In the good weather that fol-
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