The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-05-24
The New Call.
BY r. RAY BAKER.
Copyright. 1918. by the Mcclure
Now.rv,o4,cr CtpdGogtat

q OF his eyes too closely rcsembled
Suat or the Occ1a Again, b hal
tnree frecklcs. one ON the Iaft .lr u
his neck, one on his chin and tho
Other near the tip OF his nose. They
were faint frecklcs, but they and the
hair an dthe eyes would believe r~v
assumption that he belonged 10 tho
tribes OF swarthy nomads.
Nevertheless. Earl and pvnrics had
one pronounced trait in common. L
was the wanderlust. lie had Travelled
on five OF the seven seas; E, had
killed crocodiles on Tho huazln Ea..
garOos IN Australia and mosquitoes in
New Jersey. He had eaten sal0mon in
Portland. Oregon. rice in Toxic end
prunes in France, as well as In Brook.
lyn. He was a nOmad
After seeing all the sights offered
BY fourteen countries some strarre
Whim Of fate guided him % Cemport.
. town In the State Of Washington
mat the man makers forgot. and no
took job in the first second third
ana only national or any other kind
q bank 70 be found there A whole
year he spent az the desk. and he PC.
tually had begun 10 have that settled
sensation when along came letter
nom Edward Stevens. The letter was
pOStmaTked Wamson Alaska. and II
had 10 do with nuggets and sure.pay
venture. II 1t had been from any one
else, Earl would have been exceeding.
" skeptical, but Stevens had been
Dis companion in various adventurous
fambles into strange climes. and his
coed Intentions and verac!ty we're not
% he questianed.
The letter revived the LONGING 10
lOam. Il caused the the call Of adveu-
ltre TO echo and reccho through
EarlS mind. II was an irestible call
which had only been lying dormant
during the last year and was not
gllenced forever as he had come to
suppose. SO he prepared to respond
There was only one drawback. The
Drawback was Elsie Webb, a diminu.
i've. dark-eyed, attractive piece OF
humanity employed in the bank. Until
The receipt OF the letter Earl had con.
bldeFed his inspirations but now she
vas IN the way 10 his answering the
call Of adventure. He was fond of her
% such an extent that he had asked
her TO marry him only two weeks pre-.
ViOusly-and she had consented; hut
that was before this letter came offer
ing riches and red-bloodel life in
Alaska. It suddenly dawned on him
that he had made a mistake lie
could see now that he was in no fnan.
Clal condition TO he married The
money he had saved was scarcely
enough for the proverbal rainy day:
while this letter from Stevens offered
an opportunity TO obtain a fortune
and pave the way to luxury.
So he told her his intentions the
night after he received the summons
from the north. He preached the sub.
iect as carefully as possible and with
as much consideration for her feel.
ing8 o. he could master-which was.
Mt saying much. She merely bit her
iip and fiCkered her eyelashes and
said:
"AiI right, Earl. You know best. I
would not stand In the way Of your
success for the world. We will con.
slider the engagement at an end"
He left her home in n rather dazed
condition. She had taken the matter
very sensibly. he told himself, and yet
he felt sure that she cared more than
che showed. He could have felt pretty
dOWncast himself only he dared not
permit Il. The old call was sounding
and be must answer.
tt was early IN he evening and some
late workers were just jol'rneying
homeWaTd. One Of them. sturdy
young man with a healthy face and
tteadfast eyes, carrying a dinnerpail,
stopped Earl and asked for a match
% light his brlar pipe
Thanks" said the laborer, as he
pulled contentedly after Earl had fur.
nished the article sought Mice eve.
ming"
The laboref walked off briskly.
"Hurrying homo to his family" mus.
ed Earl 1T must seem rather
nice"
But he must not let such thoughts
intTude. They might deter him from
his chosen course. So he thrust them
savings from the bank and resigned
his Job.
Two weeks later he stepped OF a
boat at Sitaka and clasped the hand
Of HI old pal robust weather-beaten
man OF tAirty. clad in furlinged
clothes. Earl was escorted 10 a hotel
where he was QUILTED in apparel ap-
propriate for a journey inland.
TITS a regular bonanza sure
thing, said Stevens. as they sat in
the lobby discussing the proposed
venture. "All we gotta do is to get
the coin. There's another young fel.
low IN town that Id have taken If
couldn't a landed you His name Is
John Pierce, an he's a regular scout,
but o. course I'd rather take my old
ehum: an two besides myself in the
crowd Is one unnecessary. It's goin'
20 be a tough trip, too, let me tell
you. I've got twelve huskles but l
doubt Il six Of them will live 10 reach
the end o the trip. Real adventure.
OF top. right out in the wlds an a
new kind to you Better'n worldn'
m any little Of bank, oh. Of MANI"
While they were talking Earl motto.
"a q tall man carrying a cane and
dressed IN exceptionally good clothes
Tor this city OF non-pretending. rough.
going. big.hearted folk The stranger
walked up TO the desk and asked the
cltfk for q key. When he turned
BrOund tn mount the stairs his face
vas "a plain view and Earl saw that