Evening star., 1933-11-27

much sense IN coming over 10 Una!
island alone.
I'd better take you back to shore,
miss. Your canoes wreck. We saw
it down there. It's not worth repair
ing"
The breed got to his feet. wy you
tell dat yong feller get my caynoe?
Wat you 60 do wit me?"
Il ought to pitch you into the lake,
friend But I'm not going to. A night
on this island'll sober you up and
teach you a lesson. You're lucky to
get of so easy"
To smooth out his enmity he added:
I'm not reporting this to the Yellow
stripe because think you've ordinarily
got more decency than you showed this
evening. I'll beach your canoe below
the old post where you got 1t, and III
see that you're taken away from here
in the morning"
He walked out on the rock thrust, got
the girls net and creel OF fish and re-
joined her,
AS they started down the land-wash
together, her hand touched his arm, q
little gesture of gratitude. You ano
your partner to do this for complete
stranger like mel can't think OF any
thing adequate to say"
Curt had not heard her speak be.
fore. Her voice drew his attention. A
low contralto, 1t was tinged with an ac-
cent, faint, rather pleasant, giving ar
odd, sweet overtone to her words Hel
English was precise and flowing. bu'
English was not her native tongue.
mo bother to US" he turned hel
thanks aside. But you do want tc
be more careful than you were tonight. >
He had meant TO give her stern talk
ing to-" coming across to the island. ht
had even though. up several blunt
things to sey. But some instinct
checked him.
Paul had found the canoe and brought
it to the water edge. Use this one tc
Soyna. Our own is muddy from 9
wet portage today, I'll take It,"
He stepped in and glided out into ths
channel. Curt floated the breed.
canoe, helped his companion in, shovel
away and followed in Pauls wake.
The girl took of her tam. wiped he
forehead with a -idculously small ker'
chief, and looked back at the recedlns
islands. For the first time Curt OBJ
served her closely. He tried not Il
stare, but he could hardly help 1t. HI
did not remember that he had evel
seen so beautiful girl as this tender
She was odd and puzzling Some.
thing about he--he could not pin II
down to any one thing-gave him the
impression Of aristocracy. The flngers
Of her small brown hand resting on the
gunwale were long and taperlng, there
was a proud poise to her head, her trr
nose, arched lips and delicately moldec
chin seemed finely aristocratic. Brown
ish-golden and silky, her hair was Sc
long that he knew it must reach to hel
knees when she comber it out loose.
He stopped padding minute to prof,
fer her his opened cigaret case anc
lighter. She selected cigaret, lit i
slowly and deliberately. The little flame
lighted up her face for moment, ano
he saw her more distinctly-he Ions
lasles, the brown Of her eyes, the meres
suggestion of q dimple in her cheeks
She was about "a, he judged; maybe 2;
1T was hard to tell girls age. espe'
cially at twilight in canoe.
I'm a vague way he understood why HI
had not given her that talking to-
She was no child. like Rosalie Marlin
to be scolded or lectured. She hac
character and depth to her, thiI
stranger. Her thoughtful features
showed a maturity far beyond her years
q maturity Of mind and heart which
Rosalie did not have and never woule
attain.
But all in all he did not know
whether he liked her or not. She wa
strangely beautiful, with the face OF
Madonna and the body Of dancing
girl, but she seemed cold and self-sufl-
cient, and not at all quick to become
companionable.
"My brother said he met you this
afternoon when you landed" she broke
their silence. MY name Is Sonya Nlcn'
OILS"
Curt was surprised. Ralph Nichols
sister, He hadn't connected those two
at all. Sonya-wasn't that foreign? y
might be French or Russian or German
or anything, but hardly Canadian. aei
voice. name and whole air were ais
tlnctly allen.
He recollected himself. Mines Raj
ston. CURT Ralston. A prospector." o.,
She eyed him narrowly AS ne @ 1ei'
her gaze upon him Curt knew she ne, wa: a
= man. 70 70 Be studied. labeled and put
into q piseon-hole by her was nii
Irritating. That was how Nichols the
entomologist would study new insect
"I wouldn't have taken you for {
prospector, Mr.. Ralston."
Curtis paddle missed q stroke. What
makes you say that?"
well, Just because"
81 suppose I'm not the sourdougf
type, with trousers stuffed into my boot:
and laurel thicket on my face" ht
explained with q casual laugh. "In
a book-learned geologtst OF sorts. NY
partner and t-y to put some methoe
into our prospecting. Does a fellow have
to fry pancakes in his shovel and chew
tobacco in his sleep before you con
slider him an 18-carat bush-loperT
Sonya smiled. 'Oh, not at all" Shit
slapped mosquito on her ankle. "Wha
meant was that-well, just wouldn1
have put you down as a prospector."
Curt detected an overtone OF dispa-.
agement in the way she spoke the word
She seemed to imply that she had con
Sidered him above that care-free bush
Looping type, and that he had droppet
in her estimation when she found h'
was a mere wilderness roamer.
As he drove the canoe along he won
de-ed Just who and what she was. Ralpf
Nichols sister, yes: no doubt accom-
panying her brother on q field trip, bul
those were mere surface facts, not ex
planning the girl herself.
She was so full Of contradictions that
he could not classify her at all. Sh'
wore no Jewels, her clothes were de-
cidedly inexpensive, her rod was cheal
dollar thing that he would not havt
carried home. yet she had the gracious
easy refinement Of good birth and cul'
ture.
Back yonder on the island she hat
stood up to an ugly danger like . man
yet she was exquisitely feminine-b!
comparison Rosalls Marlin seemed al'
most unlsdyNke.
He wished he could stop thinking x
,1rfa avorablv Nf RnSa1fe