The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-03-31

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 he felt a
keen sympathy for lovers who carved
their names on trees or wrote them
ON the beach sands of the sea.
Then he 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, peo-
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 a whaleboat
for Poonga -Poonga. But the next In
slant the idea was dismissed What
could he 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 wi1lful 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 rabble of trad
ers and beach combers at Guvutu. 1t
was bad enough for a clean. fastidious
man, but for young woman, a girl at
that. it was awful The theft of the
Flibberty Gibbet 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 Oleson drunk had
been turned over to the three scoun-
drels. And next and swiftly came the
vision of her. alone with those same
cut 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 wildness of
conduct. And the irritation was still
on him as he got up and went inside
to stare at the hook on the wall and TO
wish that her Stetson hat and revolver
belt we're hanging from It.
Several quiet weeks slipped by.
The steamer from Sydney, the Kan
mambo. broke the quietude OF Be
rande for an hour while landing mail,
supplies and the trees and seeds Joan
had ordered The Minerva, bound for
Cape Marsh, brought the two cows
from Nog1 And the Apostle, hurry1ng
back to Tulagi to connect with the
Sydney steamer, sent a boat ashore
with the orange and lime trees from
UlaVa. And these several weeks mark
ed period of perfect weather.
Then came the long expected nor
wester FSr eight days it ragged, lull-
ing at times to short durations of calm,
then shifting point or two and rag
ing with renewed violence.
IL was in the good weather that fol-
lowed one of the house boys ran him
down with the news that the Martha,
the Flibberty Gibbet and the Emily
were heading in for the anchorage.
Coming into the compound from the
rear, Sheldon saw everything at once
first, glimpse at the sea. where the
Martha ioated huge alongside the cut
ter and the ketch which had rescued
her; and next, the ground in front of
the veranda steps, where a great
crowd of fresh caught cannibals stood
at attention. From the fact that each
was attired in a new, snow white lava
lava, Sheldon knew that they were
recruits. Part way up the steps one of
them was just backing down into the
crowd, while another, called out by
name, was coming up. 1t was Joan's
voice that had called him, and Shell
don reined in his horse and watched.
She sat at the head of the steps. be-
hind table, between Munster and his
white mate. the three of them check
ing long lists. Joan asking the ques-
tons and writing the answers In the
big, red covered, Berande labor jour
nal.
What Manner she demanded of the
black man on the steps.
'Tagari," came the answer. accom-
paOind hv grin and a r-oIiipcr of o1rri-