Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1912-03-21
CHAPTER v.


Sunlight and shadow playing in
swift alienation upon his face. as the
Echo courtesied TO the morning
breeze. Coast awakened
For a moment almost thoughtless
he lay drowsily enjoying the rise and
dip of the boat. as drowsily conscious
or faint thrill of excitement; most
ly comparable, perhaps, TO the first
waking sensations of fourteen
year-old boy on Fourth Of July
morning.
Then without warning the small
chronometer on the transverse above
his head raped out smartly two dou-
ble-chimes-ships' time: four bells:
ten o'clock I'm the forenoon.
Astonished. he sat up quickly and
his still sleepy gaze, passing through
the companionway, encountered the
amused regard of the soi-disant Mel
chisedec Appleyard. Promptly Coast
found himself IN full possession OF his
faculties. That in obedience TO first
instincts he nodded with cordial
smile, was significant.
Appleyard returned the salutation
with a quick bob of his small head.
"Good morning, hero" he sang out
cheerfully
He sat IN the cockpit. huddled into
the folds of gray blanket, volumin-
Gus for his slight figure, thin but
wiry forearm barred TO WELD the Gig
arctic he was smoking with every in
dication of enjoyment
"Good-morning he returned How
d'you feel after your ADVENTURE"
"Unciothed but ia my right mind"
said Appleyard with twinkle OF anx-
iety amending: ito the best OF my
knowledge and belief" He indicated
airily the various articles constituting
his painfully simple wardrobe. Wait
ing for 'em to dry"
Appleyard hoped up fingered his
everyday attire critically, and pro
nounced it bone-dry; then. bundling
It up, he returned TO the cabin seat
ing himself on the opposite transom
TO dress.
And the sensations OF a hero. re
freshed by sound slumbers, are"
Hunger" said Coast He moved
forward and began TO experiment
gingerly with a new and untried alco-
hol stove. II can offer you eggs, cof-
fee, biscuit-and nothing else" he
added, producing raw materials from
a locker. You see, hadn't expected
to entertain"
Rotten inconsiderate of you" APP
pleyard grumbled. III wire you
warning next time it occurs 10 me to
drop in Unexpectedly"
Divided between amusement and
perplexity, In the course of the meal
Coast reviewed a personality singu-
larry enriched by variety OF sug-
gestions consistently negative. The
mans age was indeterminable-som
where between thirty and forty-tive.
Loosely summarized. he might have
been anybody or nobody on lark or
his uppers.
Appleyard looked up quickly, with a
shy, humorous smile.
Well, what dyou make OF me-"
It's hard enough to guess what
you've made Of yourself"
"Flattery note" observed Apple
yard obscurely. yet you win my sym
patty; sometimes | am moved to won
der-really." He tapped an egg
thoughtfully, 2 crinkle forming be-
tween his colurless eyebrows. IT'S
really not what a man makes OF him
self; It's what his temperament does
TO him.
Temperament"
Yes; you really ought 70 keep one.
too; they're all the rage Just now
and such excellent excuses for the In
diligence OF your pet idiosyncrasies."
oh! And you blame yours
for what?"
For making me al presume pos
terity. In the final analysis, will ad.
Judge me a Romantic"
-Literature!" asked Coast. aghast.
Good Heavens, no. Nothing like
that: Life" He sighed profoundly.
Shall rehearse to you the story of
my life? No. ! shall not rehearse 10
you the story Of my life. But at all
costs ! shall talk about myself for a
space: insist upon IT: love to. You
don't seriously object?" he added.
puxious.