The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1916-02-26

pie eat, therefore tney muot PiONO
the wherewithal These men mere
shoot seals in order to live; Tor the
same reason | sail this schooner; anu
Mr.. Van Weyden, for the present at
any rate. earns his salty grub by as
sisting me. Now what do you 90!
She shrugged her shoulders.
AT present" she said, after slight
pause, Il earn about eighteen hundred
dollars a year"
With one accord, all eyes left the
plates and settled on her. A woman
who earned eighteen hundred dollars
a year was worth looking at. WOLF
Larsen was undisguised in his admit
ration.
Salary or piecework?" he asked.
"Piecework," she answered prompt
ly.
Eighteen hundred" he calculated.
That's a hundred and fifty dollars
month. Well, Miss Brewster, there
is nothing small about the Ghost
Consider yourself on salary during the
time you remain with us.
She made no acknowledgment. She
was too unused as yet to the whims or
the man to accept them with equa-
| nimity.
Il forgot to inquire" he went on
suavely. AS to the nature of your oc-
| cupation. What commodities do you
turn out? What tools and material do
| you require"
| Paper and ink" she laughed. And
oh. also typewriter"
You are Maud Brewster" l said
slowly and with certainty, almost as
though | were charging her with a
crime.
Her eyes lifted curiously to mine
How do you know"
Aren't you?" l demanded.
| She acknowledged her identity with
a nod. 1t was Wolf Larsen's turn tC
be puzzled. The name and its magic
signified nothing to him. | was proud
that it did mean something to me, anC
for the first time in weary while
was convincingly conscious of a su
periority over him.
81 remember writing a review of
thin little volume" / had begun
carelessly, when she interrupted me
"You!" she cried. You are
She was now staring at me in wide
eyed wonder.
| nodded my identity, in turn.
Humphrey Van Weyden." she cor
cluded; then added with sigh OF re
lief, and unaware that she had glance
that relief at Wolf Larsen. Il am
glad"
II remember the review" she wen
on hastily, becoming aware OF tn
awkwardness of her remark; that too
too fiattering review"
Not at ALL" denied vcliantly. "Yo
impeach my sober judgment and max
my canons of little worth. Besides
all my brother critics were with mi
Didn't Lang include your Kiss FL
dured' among the four supreme sol
nets by women in the English lal
guage?"
You are very kind, am sure" sh
4 murmured; and the very convention
\ ality of her tones and words, with tn
\ host of associations it aroused of tn
old life on the other side Of the worl
| gave me a quick thrill-rich with r
| membrance but singing sharp wit
i inconsistencies.
And you are Humphrey Van We
den," she said, gazing back at me vii
equal solemnity and awe. How u
\ usual! l don't understand. We SUI
" are not to expect some wildly I
| mantle sea story from your sob
) penn"
II No, am not gathering material,
assure you," was my answer. Il ha
IN neither aptitude nor inclination
~ fiction
n. Tell me, why have you alwa
" buried yourself in California;" s
m next asked. 1T has not been kind
r.. YOU. We of the East have seen
very little of you-too little, indet
~ of the Dean of American Letters. t
Second"
"a | bowed to, and disclaimed. the co
III pliment. Il nearly met you, once,
Philadelphia, some Browning affair
n. other-you were to lecture, you knc
at MY train was four hours late"
Is. And then we quite forgot where
fe were, leaving Wolf Larsen strand
tn and silent in the midst of our f1C
of gossip. The hunters left the ia
". and went on deck, and still we talk
ga Wolf Larsen alone remained. Sudd
a " became aware Of him, lean
To- back from the table and listening
do riously to our alien speech of a wo
he did not know.
mt | broke short of in the middle
sentence. The present, with all