The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-01-05

beach She gave the signal. and the
boat showed of. six men at the oars
the seventh man for'ard and Adamu
Adam at the steering sweep. Joan
was standing up in the stern sheets
reiterating her goodbys, a slim figure
Of a woman in the tight fitting jacket
she had worn ashore from the wreck,
the long barreled Colts revolver hang
ing from the loose belt around her
waist her clear cut face like a boys
under the Stetson hat that failed to
conceal the heavy masses Of hair be-
meath.
You'd better get into shelter" she
called to them. There's a big squat
coming. and hope you've got plenty
of chain out. Captain Young Goodby!
Goodby, everybody"'
Her last words came out Of the dark
ness. which wrapped itself solidly
about the boat Yet they continued to
stare into the blackness in the direc-
ton in which the boat had disappear
ed. listening TO the steady click of the
oars in the rowlocks until it faded
away and ceased
she is only a girl" Christian Young
said with slow solemnity. The discov
cry seemed to have been made on the
spur of the moment. She is only a
girl" be repeated with greater solem-
nifty.
"a dashed pretty one and q good
traveller" Tudor laughed. she GER
tainly has spunk. eh, SheldonE'
Yes, she is brave" was the reluc-
tant answer, for Sheldon did not feel
disposed to talk about her
They gained the veranda. where
they sat In silence over their whisky.
each man staring straight out to sea,
where the wildly swinging riding light
OF the Minerva could be seen in the
lulls Of the driving rain.
An hour later Christian Young stood
up. knocked out his pipe and prepared
to go aboard and get under way.
shes all right" he said. apropos Of
nothing spoken and yet distinctly rele-
want to what was In each of their
minds. She's got a good boats crew.
and she's a sailor herself. With this
favoring bit of breeze she has sail on
already. and she'll make Guvutu by
daylight Good night"
Il guess I'll turn in. old man." Tu,
dor said, rising and placing his glas.
on the table. I'm start the first thing
Ia the morning. It's been disgraceful
the way I've been hanging on here.
Good night
Sit oil
II the other man would have decided
to pull out in the morning had Joan
not sailed away. Well, there was one
bit Of consolation in it-Joan had Ger
tainly fingered at Berande for no man
not even Tudor. 1t was not very fat
tering. but what could any man count
n her eyes when a schooner waiting
to be bought III Sydney was in the
wind? What O creaturet What a crea-
ture.
Berande was a lonely place to Shell
don 10 the days that followed. In the
morning after Joan's departure he had
seen Tudor's expedition off on its way
up the Ralesuna, in the late afternoon
through his telescope he had seen the
smoke Of the Upolu that was bearing
Joan away to Sydney, and in the even
ing he found himself standing staring
at the nail upon which from the first
she had hung her Stetson hat and her
revolver belt.
Why should he care for her? he de-
manded Of himself angrily. Never
had he encountered one who had SO
thoroughly irritated him, rasped his
feelings, smashed his conventions and
violated nearly every attribute Of what
had been his ideal Of woman. But he
loved her That was the point of 1t
all, and he did not try to evade it, He
was not sorry that 1t was so. He loved
| her. That was the overwhelming,
astounding fact.
Once again be discovered a big en-
thusiasm for Berande. 1t must sue
I coed not merely because Joan was a
partner in it, but because he wanted
to make that partnership permanently
binding. Three more years and the
plantation would be a splendid paying
investment. They could then take
yearly trips to Australia and oftener,
and an occasional run home to Eng
| land-or Hawaii would come as a
/ matter of course
/ He undertook more clearing of bush,
and clearing and planting went on un-
der his personal supervision at faster
pace than ever before. He expert
mented with premiums for extra work
performed by the black boys and
yearned continually for more of them
to put to work Blacks he must have
and if Joan were fortunate in getting
a schooner three months at least must
elapse before the first recruits cOuld
be landed on Berande.