The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-08-19
By ROBERT AMEs BENNET
Copyright, 1908, by
A. q. McClurg & Co.
CONTINUED from Our Last Issue)

\ Catching sight of bit of white
down among the bamboos, shs
weat to 1t, and was not littl,
surprised to see the tattered re
mains of her duck skirt. II ha(
evidently been torn from the sig
nal staff by the first gust of the
cyclone, whirled down into the
/. cIaft and wadded so tightly int
the heart of the thick clump Of
stems that all the fury of the
storm had failed to dislodge It
I Its recovery seemed to the girl 9
/, special providence; for, OF course
they must keep up a signal on the
cliff.
Having started her fire and sci
( on q stew, she hunted out heI
sewing materials from their crew
Ice I'm the cave. and began mend
Ing the Sits in the torn flag.
When Blake appeared, he ex-
Stained, Whats that?-the flag ?
Day, that's luck! I'll break out a
bamboo right off. Old staff's car.
ried clean away"
Mr.. Blake--just a moment
please. What have you done with
with IL
Blake jerked his thumb up
ward.
You have carried him up on
the cliff"
BEST place | could think of. No
animals | piled stones over.
But, I say, look here"
He drew out a piece of wadded
cloth, marked off into little
BQuars by crossing lines OF
stitches. One Of the squares near
the edge had been ripped open.
Blake thrust in his finger, and
worked out an emerald the size
OF q large pea.
"O-h-!" cried Miss Leslie, as he
held the glittering gem out to her
In his rough palm.
He drew Il back, and carefully
thrust it again into its pocket.
"That's one" he said. There's
another in every square of this in
nocent. harmless rag-dozens OF
them. He must have made a
clean sweep of the duke,s-oI
more like, the duchess jewels
Now. il you please, | want you to
sew this up tight again. and
II cannot cannot touch it,
she cried.
''Say. didn't mean to- II was
COMPOUNDED stupid OF me-" mum.
bled Blake. Won't you excuse
mel"
''of course! 1t was only the
! the thought that"
mo wonder. I always am a foo
when it comes to ladies. I'll fl,
the thing all right"
Catching up the nearest small
pot, he crammed the quilted cloth
down within it, and filled 1t to
the brim with sticky mud.
There! Guess nobody's going
to run off with jug of mud
and It won't hurt the stones till
we get chance to look up the
owner. He won't be hard to find
English duke minus a pint oil
first-class sparklers, Will you
mind its setting in the cave after
things are fixed up?"
mo; not as it is"
He nodded soberly. "All right
then. Now I'll go for the new
flagstaff"
She nodded in turn, and turned
again to her sewing.
He was back before Miss Leslie
had stitched up the last slit in
the torn flag.
She looked up at him, with q
brave attempt at a smile.
II am afraid I'm not much OF
o needle-woman," she sighed
Look at those stitches"
Don't fret. They'll hold all
right, and that's what we want.
he treasured her. "Give it to me
now. I've got to get it up, and
hurry back for a nap. Tonight
Ill have to 60 on watch. The
barricade is down"
He caught up the flag and its
new staff, and swung away
through the cleft.
The next few weeks were lived
through much as had been those
OF the past.
As soon as he had finished with
the barricade, Blake devoted him
self to tailoring and shoe-mak
ing; while Miss Leslie, between
her cooking and wood-gatherine
and daily visits to the cliff fol
eggs. had much to occupy both
her thoughts and her hands.
One morning Blake appeared
in an outfit to match her leopard
skin dress.
"Hey, Miss jenny" he hailed;
what d you think of this fol
fancy neediework
Splendid. You're very pictur.
esque."
That's it, is it? Glad I've go,
something to call your leopardine
gown that won't make you
huffy."
I'VE can at least call our cos.
tunes serviceable, and mine has
proved much cooler than | ex-
pected."
What do you say?-there's a
good breeze-Let's take a hike. .
She nodded, and FASTENED to
prepare breakfast, while be
!. packed a skin bag with food. and
sxamfned the slender tips Of his
arrows.
The morning was still fresh