Evening star., 1925-11-15

Il were beautiful The man who
had arrived on the boat which
only that morning came to anchor
In the roadstead of Nome saw her
hands as they lay upon the ledge of an
open window in the Schoolhouse on
the sand-pit. and caught his breath.
Firm across the palms. long and
strong in the fingers, unmarried by
Ten Alaskan Winters, they We're the
white hands of a woman who has
received no niggardly gifts from Ma
lure. AS he looked from the hands
10 the woman, some of their beauty
seemed to run through the tall. slim
body which held itself rigidly in the
window opening and to suffuse the
austeritN of her fine. pinched features.
However. il was not the mans scru-
tiny which warmed and almost beauti
fed the face Of Anna Martin. She
had nots noticed the eager searching
of his. eyes toward her. Her whole at
tention was on thH sea. her whole
mind was filed with the thought that
the Aegean. and not Bering, would
dance and flash before her when an
other Spring arrived.
Had she looked from an opposite
window in the corrugated iron temple
of learning over which she presided,
she could have seen the tundra. But
hated it. Winter and Summer for 10
years she had hated 1t. Up to that
morning she had hated everything
about the north. including the sea.
Then suddenly. interrupting strug
gle to teach the young Eskimo idea
how To spell. she had heard boat
whistle in the, roadstead-the first
boat Of the yeaF. No longer was the
sea universe of glass piled between
tl1i
hut a path toward those thinGs-a
path for her To travel The product
of 10 years school-tea ching in the
north and of 10 years judiciouS in
vestment in the residue of gold left
on the bedrock of placer-worked
creeks lay in the bank. September
would bring the new teacher from the
States. October would mean for Anna
Martin the Pacific, Seattle. hotels and
trains. After that, Rome, Athens,
Paris, a pension Somewhere-the fun
fruits of spinsterhood after lean and
hungry years.
SHE had been at the window less
than 10 minutes when the door
at the far end of the building opened
and little Waluk Johannsen came in.
Turning back to her desk, she sat
down and watched rather grimly as
this morsel of native huma nitv
stumbled up the aisle. despair writ
ten all over his dark little pie of a
face, the while he fumbled in the
folds of his tentlike garment and
finally brought forth a crescent of
carven walrus ivory-a treasure, as
she knew we'll.
The cribbage- board of my uncle"
he blubbered, "for Ticher If she will
say over the white puppy the medicine
of seven times"
Miss Martin recognized the ivory as
representing the past Winters work of
4 certain crafty Eskimo. However
short she might fall on the side of
sentimentality over her pupils, Miss
Martin gave full measure in moral
discipline. She issued an order for
Waluk to return the cribbag board to
it's manufacturer. A wall resulted.
The cribba ge-board of his uncle was
rightful indemnity to him. Waluk.
Having all but laid hold on the incred-
ible sum of SO offered for the
puppy by a tourist lady from the
steamer, the thrice undesirable rela-
tive had interposed with a demand for
twenty, and thus lost all. For during
the argument which ensued a wander
ing malamute leaped upon the small
puppy. damaging it so materially that
even the original offer was withdrawn.
II the unwa anted uncle had minded his
own business, would not the $40 have
been Waluk's? So, If ''Ticher" would
please begin at once with the medicine
of seven
You will return the cribba ge boa rd
Immediately" interrupted Miss Martin.
nd as for asking me to make some
heahen eXorcism-'
But it was only yesterday that
Ticher had said a medicine with glib
ness to amaze even Waluk, Seven
times one are seven,' she had said.
Seven times two are"
A laugh ran through the narrow
metal building, and Miss Martin, look
ing up to freeze it at its source, felt
an uneXplainable glow come over her.
\ man stood in the door, his broad
stopped shoulders making silhouette,
at once young and weary against the
light
There is gray in his hair, but he
laughs like boy" Miss Martin caught
herself thinking. And SO oddly import
ant did the facts of his hair and his
laughter seem that it was not until he
came down the aisle. bestowed $40
upon Waluk and conducted the aston
fShed young man through the door,
that she remembered her original in
tention toward him.
You shouldn't have done that" she
began, sharply. but her tongue faltered
into "a new and gentle note. "Such ac-
lions do the Eskimos no good"
The man slid into a chair beside her
desk. Il didn't want to do him good" :"
he said. Il wanted him to be happy
and TO get out. | saw you. standing at
the window, nd 1t came to me sud
denly that school teachers were like
priests-you could talk to them. I've
been looking all over the world for a
woman / could talk to. Your hands
there's something that makes me re
member the everlasting mercy, in
your hands, and | need-I need"
He leaned forward with his head
Upon his arms on the desk, like child
who, after unchildish wandering and
vigil, finds home and comforting.
Above him Anna Martins face was as
beautiful as her hands.
X X X x
IT was not until the Queen sailed
again for the States that Anna
knew Wande1l Phelps was staying in
Nome. She had heard the boat whis-
ting belated passengers aboard, and
had gone to a window in the school
which looked Over the tundra She
had chosen that window because she
could not bear to see the ships de-
parture. But she heard the last
lighter leave the beach, heard voices
calling, heard the engines in the boat
AS it got under way-heard the lighter
returning. Then, when everything
was over. she looked behind her-and
saw him standing in the door, looking
at her wistfully.
Il didn't CO." he said as he came
toward her. She got to her desk,
and he slipped again into the chair
beside it.
Il didn't go" he repeated again. Il