The Tupelo journal., 1912-04-26

Tile OlIlGI, dllQ WdAtS0 AaeASA SSAS~AJ
for him to tell her.
tits not so very much, but It will
mean an immense lot TO us. What
people die of in the arctic is not Sc
often disease or accident, or even, di
rectly, cold or starvation. They die
more often of disgust and WEAKNESS
and exhaustion. Your father knew
that, and he set apart from his gen
eral stores some Injuries and delica
cies, or things that would seem to be
such to men in their plight, to be uset
against emergency. I'm sure that's
why he took them up there and hiC
them away. Part of them are left.
wish he could have known to whom
they were going to be of use. There's
q little cask with brandy in 1t, a good
sized pot. nearly full of beef extract,
Jar of dried eggs. three tins of con
densed milk, a big ten-pound box o.
Albert biscuit"
His voice broke off there sharply
but without the downward infection
she would have expected had he
reached the end. So she looked quick.
ly and curiously up into his face. As
quickly, her eyes sought the bit OF pa
per which still lay open in his hand.
You didn't finish" she said. There
was something else"
Il thought too late. Oh! it's moth
ing, but it caught me-rather, and ]
thought / would spare you the twinge
that finding 1t had given me- / might
better have read it right out. 1t was
a big plum pudding, in a tin, you
know-Cross & BlackwelIs. But there
it was, waiting, l suppose, to lend
some sort Of an air OF festivity to
their next Christmas"
The girl rose from her seat beside
him and going over to the window,
stood for a while gazing up the
beach.
1t was just about the same time in
the afternoon that 1t had been yester-
day when As set oVt a-wing. to find
her, end had ccIe flying down cut OF
the sky to drive away the sudden
nameless terror which had besst her.
That Thought led him, now to yisua-
lie some sticks of wood. rather too
large to carry, which had been lying
on the beach neal where he had found
her. Thinking that 1t would be a
good. time to get them and drag them
in, he got a harpoon line, and 1t was
the girls question what he meant tc
do with the rope, which caused him to
tell her what part of the beach he In
tended to visit. He asked her then II
she cared to come with him, but, after
a moments hesitation, she declined.
1T will be high time for supper be-
fore you can get back" she said. and
I'd better stay here and get it ready,
that is, unless l can help you"
So he set off alone.
For awhile the occupation of setting
their %disordered living room to rights
and getting the supper started were
sufficient to take the whole of the
girls attention. But later, when it was
a question merely Of waiting for the
pot to boil, and of not watching 1t so
that It would boil sooner, she moved
restlesslys to the door and stood there,
before the hut, gazing down the beach
in the direction Cayley had taken. He
was already out OF sight around the
headland. ~ s<tss :
She wished, she had gone with
Philip, and she gazed with strainins
Y g toward the narrow bit of slant
ing beach around the base Of the head
land which was the place where he
must appear. He was not to be ex.
pected yet, not for a long time, prob
ably, for his progress, dragging those
great sticks he had set out to bring
home, must be slow.
And then, even as she looked, she
saw him, not moving slowly with his
burden, but running--running at his
topmost speed, like a man In fear OF
something.
Instinctively she moved forward to
meet him, and this move of hers en-.
abled him to see her. He slackened
his pace instantly, and waved hel
back toward the hut. She obeyed that
imperative gesture Of his, without hes
itation, but still remained in the door
way, watching him as he rapidly drew
nearer
When he had got near enough sc
that she could see his face and read
more or less, what she saw there, she
again moved forward to meet him,
and this time he did not wave heI
back. When he came within arms
reach of her, he caught her and held
her tight in his two hands.
What is 1t, Philip" she asked
searching the depth Of his eyes and
trying to plumb the horror she saw
in them. What happened out there?'
"Nothing-happened. But saw
something there that made me anx.
ious for your safety. It's ali
right now you're safe. Nothing has
happened here, has there, while l have
been gomez"
Nothing. What could have hap.
pened, Philip. It can't be anything
that you're afraid to tell me-" she
went on, for he had not answered her
There can't be anything you'd be
afraid to tell me now-not after yes
terday."
"Oh, NO. It's not - bad ~ that, but
l saw that / had been wrong to leave
-. evan %nr thaf Itf1n while YOf,