The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1915-04-03


l could have sworn there was a
note of disappointment in her
voice.
But my woman, my mate"
kept ringing In my head for the
rest OF the day and for many
days. Yet never did 1t ring
more loudly than that night, as
i watched her draw back the
blanket of moss from the Goals,
blow up the fire, and cook the
evening meal. 1t must have been
latent savagery stirring in me,
for the old words, so bound up
with the roots of the race. to
grip me and thrill me. And grip
and thrill they did, till fell
asleep, murmuring them to my
self over and over again.
1T will SMELL" / said, but 1t
Will keep In the heat and keep
out the rain and SNOW"
We were surveying the COM
pleted sealskin roof.
1T is clumsy, but 1t will serve
the purpose, and that is the main
thing" | went on, yearning for
her praise.
And she clapped her hands and
declared that she was hugely
pleased.
But 1t is dark In here, she
said the next moment, her shout
ders shrinking with a little in
voluntary SILVER.
"You might have suggested a
window when the walls were 60
ing up" / said. ut was for you,
and you should have seen the
need of a window"
But ! never do see the obvi-
Gus, you know" she laughed
back. And besides, you can
knock a hole in the wall at any
time"
Quite true; had not
thought of it," / replied, wag-
! ging my head sagely. But have
you thought of ordering the win
dow-glass? Just call up the
firm, Red, 4451, l think it is
and tell them what size and kind
of glass You wish"
THAT means" she began.
mo window"
1t was a dark and evil-appear-
ing thing, that hut, not fit for
aught better than swine in a civil
liked land; but for us, who had
known the misery of the open
boat, IL was q snug little habita-
ton. Following the housewarm-
ing, which was accomplished by
means of seal-oil and wick
made from cotton calking, came
the hunting for our winters
meat and the building of the Sec
ond hut. 1t was a simple affair,
now, to go forth in the morning
and return by noon with a boat
load Of seals. And then, while
worked at building the huS,
Maud fried out the oil from the
blubber and kept a slow fire I'M
der the frames of meat. I had
heard of jerking beef on the
plains, and our seal-meat, cut in
thin strips and hung in the
smoke, cured excellently.
The second hut was easier to
erect, for l built 1t against the
first, and only three walls were
required. But 1t was work, hard
work, all of 1t. Maud and
worked from dawn till dark, to
the limit of our strength, so that
when night came we crawled
stiffly to bed and slept the ami
mal-like sleep of exhaustion. And
yet Maud declared that she had
never felt better or stronger in
her life. knew this was true of
myself, but hers was such a lily
strength that / feared she would
break down. Often and often,
her last reserve force gone, l
have seen her stretched flat on
her back on the sand in the way
she had of resting and recuper-
ating. And then she would be
up on her feet and toiling hard
as ever. Where she obtained
+, this strength. was the marvel to
me.
We held housewarming in
my hut the night it was rooted.
II was the end of the third day
of fierce storm which had
swung around the compass from
the southeast to the northwest,
and which was then blowing d.
rectly In upon us. The beaches
of the outer cove were thunder
ing with the surf, and even in
our land-locked inner cove a re-
spectacle sea was breaking. No
high backbone of island sheltered
us from the wind, and it whistled
and beloved about the hut till
at times ! feared for the strength
of the walls. The skin roof,
stretched tightly as drumhead
had thought, sagged and bel
lied with every gust; and innu-
merable interstices in the walls.
not 50 tightly stuffed with moss
as Maud had supposed, disclosed
themselves. Yet the seal-oii
burned brightly and we were
warm and comfortable.
It was q pleasant evening in
deed, and we voted that as q So
cial function on Endeavor Island
It had not yet been eclipsed. Our
minds were at ease. Not only
had we resigned ourselves to the
bitter winter, but we were pre-
pared for 1t. The seals could de-
part on their mysterious journey
II into the Aolfh Mt auv TINA uov,